If I never heard from him again, it would be a good thing, I insisted to myself…
… until I found myself eagerly snatching his third letter out of Astrid’s hand the next morning.
"Naomi, will you join us for morning prayer —" Priscilla started to ask as I rushed by her.
"Sorry! I’ve got to clean my toilet!" I threw the poor excuse over my shoulder while running up the stairs and disappeared into my room before she could argue with me.
My hands trembled slightly as I unsealed the letter and pulled out several sheets of speckled cloth-like paper. My heart raced, a mix of excitement and dread bubbling in my chest.
Dearest Mairinua,
It saddens me, though it comes as no surprise, that you did not write back, my Mairinua. After the way we met, I understand that it will take time for you to disassociate your Sea King from the male who took you from Scotland.
Let me share with you the truth of your friend's fate, and why, in thegrand design, she is destined to be with the Tríbéirríthe who saw her picture and knew, in that instant, she was meant for them.
My eyes widened as I read Sea’s shocking — yet not completely unbelievable explanation for why my best friend had been chosen as “the potential” of a mega-rich triad of Irish tech titans he called the Tríbéirríthe.
I know this doesn’t erase your pain over losing your best friend. But I hope you can take some solace in knowing that your deep friendship with her will keep Ireland united in ways that go beyond the prophecy.
The prophecy. I frowned at yet another mention of this so-called destiny, which both he and Wild kept referencing as if it were a scientific fact.
Technically, I didn't care. I wanted no part of any prophecy that told them that they needed to kidnap innocent she-wolves in order to satisfy it.
Still, I hoped he might explain that next like he explained about Sadie, but sadly no…
What followed were several pages about the challenges of ruling the secret kingdom at such a young age, his favorite music (*my playlists are 10% hardcore rap, 10% The Script’s greatest hits, and 80% traditional Irish folk music*), his favorite TV shows, and a bunch of other random personal details that somehow made me feel like I actually knew him by the time I got to the last page, where he got somewhat reflective.
I wonder, does any of this reach your heart, or do my words fall away like waves upon the shore, unable to touch the depths of you?
I won’t lie. There have been many she-wolves who offered themselves to me in hopes of becoming the Sea Queen. Even so, I saved myself for you and only you, knowing that the time of our Mairinua wascoming. My wolf has starved while waiting for you and the true connection we will share outside of all titles.
And now you are here.
Never has my longing been so fierce, nor my hope so bright. You are the light I have waited for, the solace in my hunger.
I understand why you have refused to write back, but this will be the last letter.
The next time you see me, it will be in person.
Yours,
Sea
I would never have guessed that under all those tats and reserve, the king who kidnapped me had such a dramatic, poetic side. That stupid ache in my chest increased. It was strange, almost disarming, to receive words like this… to be complimented… to be asked about in ways it would never occur to any of the Scottish or Wölfennite males to court me. An overwhelming urge to write back rocked my chest.
Because you have absolutely nothing to do but oversee the Wölfennites, I viciously reminded myself.
In the end, I clenched my right hand into a fist and made myself drop it back down to my side.
No, I wouldn’t write back. Writing back would mean handing a piece of myself over to my kidnapper — one I wouldn’t be able to get back.
I was fine, I told myself, completely fine with Sea not writing me again.
However, my heart leaped when Astrid showed up the next morning with a huge announcement.
“I’ve got mail from our Sea King!!” she trilled, waving a white envelope in the air as she came to stand in the middle of our communal space where we were just finishing breakfast.
The Wölfennites gasped, exchanging a mix of confused and concerned glances. Some whispered excitedly, others seemed wary, but all eyes eventually turned to me, waiting for my reaction.
