"He touched her," he growled, his claws digging into the wooden mast beside Cort's head, making the alpha whimper with terror, splinters flying from the wood. "He threatened her. He?—"
"And he'll pay for it," Kaelan interrupted, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority, his dark eyes hard and unyielding. "But right now, we need to get her off this ship. The crew will have heard the commotion. Vale needs to deal with their memories before we leave."
Riven's jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grind, his whole body vibrating with the effort of holding himself back. For a moment, I thought he would ignore the order, would give in to the fury burning in his eyes and tear Cort apart right here, right now.
Then he stepped back, his hands dropping to his sides, his claws retracting with visible effort, a muscle ticking in his scarred jaw.
"Later," he promised, his voice a low, deadly whisper as he leaned close to Cort's tear-streaked face, his golden eyes burningwith anticipation. "I'll come back for you later. And I'll take my time."
Cort let out a broken sob, his whole body curling in on itself, his hands pressed to his face, his shoulders shaking with terror. Movement in the corner of my eye—crew members emerging from below deck, drawn by the noise. Their faces went slack with confusion, then terror, as they took in the scene before them.
"Close your eyes," Kaelan said urgently, pulling me against his chest, his hand covering my face, his heart pounding against my cheek. "Don't look."
I obeyed, pressing my face into his shoulder, feeling the rumble of his growl beneath my cheek, his arms tightening around me protectively. Then I heard Vale start to sing.
It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. Haunting and hypnotic, rising and falling like the tide, wrapping around my mind like silk. Even with my eyes closed, even knowing it wasn't meant for me, I felt the pull of it—the desperate urge to listen, to obey, to give myself over to that perfect, devastating voice.
Kaelan's hand tightened on the back of my head, holding me close, and I felt him hum a low note that seemed to shield me from the worst of it. The shouting stopped. The footsteps ceased. The clatter of weapons being drawn fell silent.
When Vale's song finally faded, I opened my eyes. The crew stood frozen on the deck, their expressions slack, their eyes glazed and empty. Like puppets with their strings cut, waiting for someone to tell them what to do.
"They won't remember any of this," Vale said, his voice still echoing with power, his silver eyes glowing faintly in the darkness, his silver hair floating around his face like moonlight. "When I release them, they'll wake up and remember a storm. A girl swept overboard. A tragedy."
"What about him?" I asked, looking at Cort, who was still crumpled at the base of the mast, his face buried in his hands,his body shaking with silent sobs. Riven's smile returned, sharp and vicious and full of promise, his golden eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Him, I'll make sure remembers everything," he said, crouching down beside the trembling alpha, his voice dropping to a purr that was somehow more terrifying than any snarl. "Every single detail. For the rest of his short, miserable life."
Kaelan lifted me easily, cradling me against his chest as he moved toward the railing, his arms strong and sure around me, one hand securing the strap of my bag so it wouldn't slip.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his dark eyes meeting mine, fierce and tender all at once, his thumb stroking across my arm. I looked back at the ship. At the frozen crew. At Cort, sobbing silently against the mast. At the life I was leaving behind—the running, the hiding, the constant fear.
Then I looked at him. At Riven and Vale and Thane, waiting in the water below.
At my pack.
"I've been ready my whole life," I said and wrapped my arms around his neck as I held on tight, my heart soaring with joy and relief and desperate hope.
He smiled—a real smile, full of love and relief and desperate joy—and stepped off the edge of the ship. We fell together into the dark water.
I never looked back.
Chapter Twenty-Four
LILY
I had to take the potion quickly before the water closed over my head, and for one perfect moment, everything was silent.
Dark. Cold. Peaceful.
Then Kaelan's arms tightened around me, and we were moving—down and down and down, away from the ship, away from the life I'd been surviving for eight months, away from everything I'd ever known. I should have been terrified. Should have been gasping for air, clawing for the surface, fighting against the darkness pressing in from all sides. Instead, I felt something loosen in my chest. Something that had been wound tight for so long I'd forgotten it was there.
I felt like I was coming home.
The potion was still working, letting me breathe the water like air, letting me see in the darkness that should have been impenetrable. I could make out shapes around me—Kaelan's face above mine, his dark eyes watching me with fierce concern. Riven swimming close on one side, his scarred face still tight with barely contained fury. Vale on the other, his silver hairstreaming behind him like moonlight. Thane bringing up the rear, his golden-brown eyes fixed on me like he was afraid I might disappear if he looked away.
My pack.
They were all around me, surrounding me, protecting me even now when there was nothing left to protect me from.
