"She just gave us her story," Kaelan said quietly, addressing all of them. "She just gave us her trust. We're not going to overwhelm her. We're going to hold her, and protect her, and show her that she made the right choice."
He pulled me closer, tucking me against his chest. I went willingly, boneless and floating in the aftermath of that devastating kiss.
"Rest," he murmured against my hair. "You're safe. We have you." Slowly, carefully, the others moved in. Riven at my back, close enough that I could feel the heat of him but not quite touching. Vale to my left, his hand finding mine and lacing our fingers together. Thane to my right, his tail wrapping gently around my ankle.
Not overwhelming. Not demanding. Just... present. Surrounding me with their bodies, their warmth, their protection.
My omega had never felt anything like this. I'd spent years suppressing it, fighting it, hating it for making me vulnerable. But here, now, surrounded by these four impossible creatures who looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the ocean... my omega wasn't afraid.
It wascontent.
It knew, on some level deeper than thought, that these alphas would never hurt me. Would never sell me or use me or treat me like property. Would burn the entire world before they let anyone else do those things.
Sirens, I thought again.They're sirens. Man-eaters. Monsters.
My omega didn't care.Ididn't care. Maybe that made me broken. Maybe that made me just as monstrous as them. Maybeit just meant I'd finally found creatures who valued me more than my own species ever had. The purr started again. Softer this time, almost a hum.
"There she is," Thane whispered the words like a revelation, his golden-brown eyes soft with emotion, tears still wet on his cheeks. "There's our omega."
"Ours," Riven agreed from behind me, his voice a rough rasp against my shoulder. His forehead pressed against my skin, and I felt his breath hot against me, his massive body curved around mine. "Ours, ours,ours."
"Always," Kaelan's arms tightened, his voice a low rumble I could feel in his chest. "Forever."
I closed my eyes. I drifted for a while. Not quite asleep, but not quite awake either—floating in that warm, hazy space where nothing hurt and everything felt soft. I was aware of them around me. Their hands on my skin, gentle and possessive. Their chests rumbling with low, soothing sounds. Their bodies forming a protective circle that nothing in the ocean could penetrate.
Vale was still working on my hair. I'd almost forgotten about the braid, but now I could feel his fingers weaving, his wrists pressing against my scalp, his scent sinking into every strand.
"What are you putting in it?" My voice came out sleepy. Soft. I tilted my head slightly into his touch.
"Shells. Small ones, so you can wear them on the ship without questions." A pause, his fingers slowing their work. His voice dropped, became something private. Intimate. "And a pearl. One of mine."
"One of yours?" I tried to turn to look at him, but his hand gently guided my head back to stillness.
"From my first hunt." His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. His fingers resumed their careful weaving. "I've kept it for two hundred years. Never knew what I was saving it for."I reached up and touched the braid, felt the smooth curve of shells, the round perfection of the pearl nestled warm against my scalp.
"I'll take care of it." The words felt inadequate for such a gift, but they were all I had.
"I know you will." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, his lips lingering for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with emotion. "That's why it's yours now."
When I finally surfaced, physically, emotionally, every way that mattered—I felt different. Lighter. Freer. Like I'd been carrying a weight I hadn't even known about, and now it was gone. They were all watching me.
"I have to go back." I said the words quietly, and watched the resistance flash across their faces. Riven's jaw tightened. Vale's eyes went sharp. Thane made a soft sound of distress. "Just for a little while longer. Just until?—"
"We know." Kaelan's voice was strained, but controlled. His hands flexed at his sides, like he was physically stopping himself from reaching for me. "We know you need more time. But Lily—" He caught my chin, tilting my face up, forcing me to meet his eyes. His dark gaze burned into mine. "If anything happens. If an alpha touches you. If anyone makes you afraid. You call for us, and we will come. We will come, and we will destroy anything that threatens you. Do you understand?"
"I understand," I said, my voice steadier than I expected.
"Good." He released me, though the movement seemed to cost him something. His hand dropped to his side, clenched into a fist. "Now go. Before we change our minds and keep you forever."
I kicked toward the surface, feeling their eyes on me the whole way up. Four pairs of eyes, watching. Guarding.Claiming.
When I broke through into air, the first thing I did was touch my hair. The braid was still there. The shells clicked softly against each other. The pearl was warm against my scalp.
I didn't remove them.
I climbed back onto the ship wearing their marks, their scent, their claim. For the first time since I'd started running, I didn't feel alone.
Chapter Fourteen
