"Now it's done," I said, watching the last fin disappear into the depths.
Kaelan nodded, something like peace settling over his features. "He's gone. As if he never existed."
"Good." I rolled my shoulders, feeling the tension finally begin to ease. The hunt was over. The debt was paid. And the ocean had swallowed every trace of the man who'd dared to touch our mate.
We left the ship in silence, diving from the railing into the dark water. The sharks scattered at our approach—even in their frenzy, they recognized apex predators when they saw them. We swam through water still tinged with blood, and I felt nothing but satisfaction.
The ocean welcomed us as we dove deeper, washing the last traces of violence from our skin, the evidence disappearing into the current. We swam in silence, but the pack bond hummed with shared satisfaction. Dark. Primal. Complete.
Halfway home, I felt Lily stir through our bond. A flutter of consciousness, a whisper of concern as she sensed my emotions.
Safe,I sent back to her.Coming home.
I felt her relax, her trust absolute. She didn't need to know the details. She just needed to know it was done. That she was protected. That no one who threatened her would ever draw breath again. The cave system embraced us as we entered, bioluminescence guiding us through familiar passages. Vale and Thane looked up as we approached the nest, their eyes taking in our expressions, reading the satisfaction in our movements.
"It's finished," Kaelan confirmed, his voice quiet so as not to wake Lily. Vale nodded once, silver eyes gleaming with approval. Thane's jaw tightened with grim satisfaction. She was already stirring, drawn by our presence through the bonds. Her eyes fluttered open, dark and sleepy, and a soft purr rumbled in her chest as she saw us.
"You're back," she murmured, reaching for me with one hand, her voice thick with sleep but warm with relief.
"We're back." I slipped into the nest beside her, gathering her against my chest. She fit perfectly—she always did. My arms around her, her head tucked beneath my chin, her warmth seeping into my bones.
"Is it done?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her fingers traced idle patterns on my chest, not flinching from the violence she knew lived beneath my skin.
"It's done." I pressed the words into her hair, letting them settle between us like a promise kept. She didn't ask what we'd done. Didn't ask for details or explanations. She simply nodded, pressed closer to me, and reached out with her other hand to pull Kaelan down beside us.
"Good," she breathed, her body relaxing fully against mine. And then, so quietly I almost missed it: "Thank you."
I pressed a kiss to her hair, breathing in her scent—safe, content, mine. The violence that had burned through me all night faded into something softer, something warm. She was here. She was protected. She would never have to fear again.
Kaelan settled on her other side, his hand finding mine across her body. Our fingers intertwined, blood brothers in truth now, bound by the violence we'd done in her name. A pack. A family. Complete.
Vale hummed a soft melody, the sound washing over us like a benediction, and Thane's hand stroked gentle patterns on Lily'stail. We surrounded her—four ancient predators, four devoted mates, our omega at the center of everything.
I closed my eyes and let the peace of it wash over me. The hunt was finished. The debt was paid. And Lily—our Lily—was safe in our arms.
Forever.
Chapter Thirty-Six
LILY
The ocean had become my home. I floated in the warm shallows of our cove, letting the gentle current rock me as sunlight filtered down through the crystal-clear water. My tail—those shifting blue-silver-green scales that caught the light and threw it back in dazzling patterns—moved lazily, keeping me suspended in the perfect temperature between warm and cool.
Above me, the surface shimmered like liquid glass. Below me, the seafloor was carpeted with the bioluminescent plants Thane had cultivated, their soft glow mixing with the sunlight to create something magical. And around me, through the bonds that had become as natural as breathing, I felt them.
Kaelan, patrolling the outer edges of our territory, his presence steady and watchful as always. Riven, hunting somewhere in the deeper waters, his satisfaction humming through our connection as he tracked his prey. Vale, in his crystal cave, composing a new song—I could almost hear the melody through our bond, beautiful and haunting. Thane,approaching from behind, his warmth growing closer with every moment.
"You're supposed to be resting," Thane said, his arms wrapping around me from behind, pulling me against the solid warmth of his chest. His golden scales pressed against my back, and I could feel his heartbeat—steady and sure—pulsing against my spine. "You were up late last night."
"That wasn't my fault," I laughed, leaning back into his embrace. "Blame Riven. He's the one who started it."
"Riven starts everything," Thane agreed, his voice warm with amusement. His hands stroked down my sides, tracing the line where my human skin met my siren scales—a touch that still made me shiver, even after all these months. "You don't have to encourage him."
"Where's the fun in that?" I turned in his arms, cupping his face in my hands. His amber eyes glowed with a happiness I'd never seen in him before—the quiet confidence of a male who had found his place, his purpose. The uncertainty that had plagued him when we first met was gone, replaced by a steady assurance that made my heart swell. "Besides, I like encouraging all of you."
The word made him smile, that soft expression that still felt like a gift every time I saw it. After centuries of believing he'd never have a mate, never have a family of his own, he had found both. They all had.
"The others are coming," Thane said, his head tilting slightly as he sensed them through the pack bonds. A smile curved his lips—softer now, more frequent than it had been in those early days. "Kaelan felt you wake up."
