I climbed back onto the ship smelling like the ocean. Like salt and deep water and something else, something that made every crew member I passed stop what they were doing and stare.
The first one was Jenkins, a beta who usually ignored me completely. He paused mid-coil of rope, his nostrils flaring, confusion creasing his weathered face.
"You alright there?" His voice was uncertain, like he was questioning everything he thought he knew about me.
"Fine." I kept walking, kept my head down, kept moving toward the cargo hold where I could hide until my shift started.
Two more crew members gave me the same look. The same flared nostrils. The same confusion. One of them, a young alpha named Peters, actually stepped back when I walked past, his hand going to his throat like he was protecting something vital. They could smell it. They didn't know what it was, couldn't identify the scent of four siren alphas marking their territory, but something ancient in their hindbrains recognized danger. Recognized that I was claimed.
I was almost to the cargo hold when Cort found me.
He stepped out from behind a stack of crates, blocking my path. His massive frame filled the narrow walkway, and I had nowhere to go. Nowhere to run.
"You smell different." His voice was flat, accusing, his nostrils flaring as he breathed me in. I watched his expression shift from suspicion to something I couldn't quite read.
"I don't know what you mean." I kept my voice steady, bored, like my heart wasn't pounding against my ribs.
"Like the ocean. Like something else. Something..." He stepped closer, frustration flickering across his brutal features as he trailed off. He couldn't identify it. Couldn't name the thing that was making every instinct he had scream at him to back away.
His eyes dropped to my wrist—the one he'd grabbed yesterday. The one that should still bear the marks of his fingers. Nothing. Smooth skin. No bruises. No evidence of what he'd done. Just that smell. That wrong, dangerous, claimed smell.
"Stay away from me." The words came out before I could stop them, not a plea but a warning. Something in my voice made him step back. Just one step, but it was enough. His alpha pride was warring with whatever primal instinct was telling him I was dangerous now, that touching me would be a mistake he wouldn't survive.
"This isn't over," he said with uncertainty in his voice, confusion warring with threat. "Whatever you're hiding, I'll figure it out."
"Good luck with that." I pushed past him and he let me go.
He let me go. I made it to the cargo hold before my legs gave out. Slid down against a crate and pressed my hand to my mouth to muffle the hysterical laugh that wanted to escape.
It worked. Their scent was on my skin, in my hair, soaked into every inch of me—it worked. The crew could sense it. EvenCort could sense it. They didn't know what they were smelling, but they knew it meant danger.
I sat there in the dark, breathing in the smell of them on my skin, and I smiled.
The day passed in a blur of work and waiting. I scrubbed decks, hauled ropes, did everything I was supposed to do while counting the minutes until sunset. Until I could see them again. The crew gave me space. Even Decker, who usually went out of his way to make my life miserable, kept his distance. He watched me with narrowed eyes, but he didn't approach. Didn't speak.
It was the strangest feeling. Like being invisible and hyper-visible at the same time. Like wearing armor made of their scent. When the sun finally started to sink toward the horizon, I made my way to the railing. My usual spot. Our spot.
They were waiting.
Of course they were waiting. They were always waiting.
Kaelan surfaced first, his dark eyes finding mine immediately. Then Riven, his golden gaze burning with that intensity that still made my breath catch. Vale rose like moonlight on water, silver hair floating around him, and Thane emerged last, his gentle face breaking into a smile the moment he saw me.
"Lily," Kaelan's voice was warm, possessive, as he reached for me while I climbed down the ladder. I went into his arms without hesitation. He pulled me against his chest, and I felt his face press into my hair, breathing deep. Checking. Making sure his scent was still there.
"It worked." I couldn't keep the triumph out of my voice, my fingers curling into his shoulders. "They all noticed. Even Cort. He backed off."
A rumble went through all four of them. Satisfaction. Pride.
"Good." Riven's voice was a growl, his golden eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. "If he'd touched you again?—"
"He didn't." I reached for him, and he came immediately, pressing close to my other side, his scarred hand finding my hip. "He looked like he wanted to, but something stopped him. Something in the way I smelled."
"Us." Vale drifted closer, his silver eyes gleaming as his tail brushed against my legs. "You smell like us, little human. Like you belong to something dangerous."
"I do belong to something dangerous." I looked at each of them in turn, my monsters, my pack, feeling the truth of it settle into my bones. "I belong to you." Thane made a soft sound, and when I looked at him, his eyes were wet. They were always wet. He felt everything so deeply, and somehow that made me love him more.
"Come." Kaelan's hand found mine, his fingers lacing through mine, his dark eyes holding promises I was starting to understand. "We want to show you something." He gave me the potion to drink….then they led me down. Deeper than we'd gone before, past the coral formations and the kelp forests I'd started to recognize. The water grew darker, colder, and I pressed closer to Riven's warmth as we descended.
