The Beta's Mermaid

*~* Chapter 1 *~*

~Ari~

“Princess!” my maid Jia said, exasperatedly. “Come here!”

A giggle escaped my lips as I continued swimming faster and faster towards the surface. It’s been far too long since I was allowed out of the palace. Well, I wouldn’t say I was allowed out… considering the fact that I snuck out with my maids, Jia and Kia. Both twin sisters.

I am the seventeenth princess to my father, the king of Palaecia. An underwater kingdom. Although some of my older sisters are married and are getting ready to marry, I’m still hesitant about marrying. Being seventeen years old does not make me ‘ready’ because I know I’m not. As a royal, we are expected to marry into other royal families too… but thankfully, we, mermaids and mermen are only allowed to be together when we are each other’s ‘special one’. This ‘special one’ plays an essential role in a mermaid’s life – without them, we cannot live or breathe.

There’s been cases where a mermaid’s special one is someone on land. A human, an angel, a witch… the list goes on. For someone like me, I dream of finding my special one as soon as I can because I want to leave the palace. My father and sisters are too doting and too overprotective. I want to be able to see the world… I want to walk on land too. Though that is only possible after I meet my special one.

“Princess!” Kia called out.

When I could see the sand, I made my way there, hands on the ground and dragging my tail behind me.

“Wow!” I grinned, pushing my wet pink hair from my eyes as I looked behind me at the forest and trees. I reached out, clasping air as I tried to grab hold of the trees. The feel of the soft sand under my hands made me happier than ever.

Letting out a sigh, I turned to my two maids, “I can’t touch them!”

“Of course not,” Kia rubbed her temples. She was the older twin. “Princess, we can’t go and sit on the land, you know that.”

“Well, I still have my tail,” I said, using my tail to flip water at her. I laughed when the water splashed on Kia and saw her glower at me.

“Come on,” Kia said, giving me her hand. “We need to go back to get ready for the ball tonight.”

I pouted, “No! Not yet. Five more minutes.”

“Princess,” Kia said, in a warning tone.

I was about to come up with reasons why I can’t go just yet when I heard a low growl behind me… right before I felt a sharp pain in my left arm.

~Beau~

Beau came to a stop, tilting his head back to inhale the scent of blood. The scent of it made his wolf growl. Crazy. Mad.

“What is it?” he murmured to his wolf, trying to make sense of why the scent of blood was bothering him.

“Beau?”

At the sound of the alpha’s voice, Beau turned his gaze towards Lucas, only for Lucas’s eyes to narrow at him.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked, taking a step towards him. “Your eyes are glowing.”

Mate, his wolf said.

Beau stiffened. What?

Mate’s in trouble. She’s bleeding.

That was all it took for Beau to lose control of his wolf.  

~Ari~

I let out a scream.

Jia and Kia tried to pull me back into the water but the wolf before us wouldn’t let go of my arm.

I’m going to die, I thought to myself. If he tugs any more, I’ll lose my arm.

Just as these thoughts went round and round in my head, a howl filled the area. Whoever it was, the wolf released its hold on my arm, snarling at me before turning its attention towards the forest.

Kia and Jia used this chance to pull me into the water but I refused. Just like how that wolf was distracted… so was I. Something was telling me to stay where I am. I was being pulled by that howl.

My heart raced at the thought of meeting this wolf. The howl had me feeling things I’ve never felt before.

And when a black wolf stepped out from the trees, that’s when I felt a pleasant pain in my heart… and saw that there were a lighter pink shade of streaks slowly appearing throughout my hair. When our hair changes… that’s when we know that we’ve found our special one… which means…  

His growl had me shifting my gaze to meet his.

This is him. My special one.