The Siren and Her Prince of Packs

    Helena's dreams were disrupted by a haunting call, similar to a song she hears echoed across the island every night but with a sense of urgency. Something must be wrong, she thought, as she leapt out of bed and sprinted to her window in a cold sweat. Looking below her castle window she saw several ships abroad in the moonlight. Their sails boasted a bright white aura around them that was almost hypnotizing in the moonlight. Her attention was then drawn to the moon, not quite full, but waning. Her gaze shifted quickly back to the ship as small row boats crept closer and closer to the castle. Her heart quickly picked up its pace and soon she could feel it pounding in her chest. Who were these visitors and what was their purpose on the island? Where were the guards, she also thought?     She whipped around and grabbed her gown to cover her undergarments. Helena wanted to investigate; it is rare that they have visitors unannounced. She cracked her door and studied the hall. Dim, flickering candles in the distance steadily came closer to her. Two of the guards walked past her room in deep conversation. She pressed her ear against the small opening in hopes of catching something.     “It is the King’s orders not to wake the Princess. He is going to discuss this matter with her after sunrise”. The first man urged.     “Hel-, I mean, Princess Helena should know what is to come”! Whispered the second voice, which was more familiar. Helena leaned in closer to the door, attempting to recognize the second voice. “I will not have it,” he muttered as they stopped a moderate distance from her door.     “Henry”. She whispered, recognizing the voice of the second man. She fixed her eyes on him through the c***k as he corrected his stance.     The first voice began and fixed his gaze upon Henry. “It is not your place to tell her. She will find out from the King in the morning. The entire kingdom knew this day would come, Henry. What? Do you fancy the princess”? He sighed and laid his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Lad, we are the protectors of the royal family, their love has been arranged since the beginning of time. This time it is to protect our kingdom and to show peace with the Kingdom of Fjordane”. Henry gasped.     “She has to marry into THAT family”? Henry gaped. “No, that cannot be! How could they do this to her? She won’t last a day in their kingdom”. He cried. “We do not even know about them. Did you know there are myths of wolf men there? They would tear her apart”!     Helena shuttered and closed her door. She did not have to leave her quarters to realize what was happening. Her heart sank. She knew her sixteenth birthday was quickly approaching and what that meant. Would her parents really be giving her away to another kingdom to marry? She heard a small c***k outside of her door and the fluttering of wings, shortly after a soft knock at her door.     “Helena”? Henry called softly. “Are you sleeping”? He opened the door and slipped inside to find Helena staring out of the window. “Did we wake you”? He approached her with caution. She nodded in a daze. She cleared her throat and stood up from her window seat.     “I see that we have visitors”. She spoke softly and approached Henry with ease. He tensed as she inched closer. She lifted her hand to Henry’s jaw and traced his jaw line. “Oh, Henry, you can not be that worried about me. I can take care of myself, you know”. A smile crossed her face, her teeth shimmered in the moonlight.     Henry stammered, “I-I-I know, Helena. But we do not know enough about this kingdom to know how to protect you”. He took her place near the window and stared down at the ships. “We cannot come with you to protect you”. He urged. Helena turned, her smile wider than before. “Well, let’s find out more”. She looked up towards the ceiling and Henry could see her eyes turn from a soft blue to auburn as bright as her hair. “Helena! No, you cannot risk them seeing you outside of human. They do not know about us”. Henry urged as he approached Helena and touched her shoulders. Helena’s eyes returned to soft blue as her gaze fixed upon Henry. She had ferocity in her eyes that Henry had only seen a few times. She inched closer to him as he backed up into the wall. “Helena, you-“, she cut him off by placing her fingers to his lips. “Shh, Henry, one would not want to hear you in my sleeping quarters this late”. His back was firm against the wall as Helena pressed into him. He swallowed deeply and did not return her gaze. “Helena, what are you doing? You are intended for the Prince of Fjordane. Do you not understand? You were never mine”. His glance shifted down towards his feet, almost in regret. She brought her lips up to his ear and whispered, “I am not a married woman, yet”. She argued, bringing her lips closer to his. Henry shifted his gaze back to Helena’s and parted his lips. Helena pulled the back of Henry’s hair closer to her as her lips smashed into his. It felt like the waves crashing into the rocks on the island. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as goosebumps shivered onto his arms. He felt himself relax for a moment as Helena continued to run her hands through his hair and pressed her body against his. She moaned softly as her hands moved towards his neck, pulling him closer. He brought his hands to her hips and gently pushed her away. “Helena, I-I-I, I cannot do this”. He turned away from her and towards the window. “Your father will have my head on a pike”. His gaze shifted from Helena to the window as he transformed. His body was immaculate, almost like a chiseled statue. His clothes ripped under the transformation, only leaving his tattered pants in place. Helena watched as his wings slowly rolled out from behind his shoulder blades. There stood Henry, yellow eyes glowing, his face remained the same, but his body somewhat different. Feathers appeared on his lower abdomen and legs. His wings expanded as he turned toward the window. “I will protect you at all costs, but I cannot do this”. Henry, facing the window, flapped his wings and was levitating from the floor in Helena’s quarters. She felt the soft breeze from the flutter of his wings as he departed from her window. “Henry”, she whispered, in hopes of him returning to her window. She stared out at the dark sea. It seems that the moon has gone into hiding, much like she wanted to do. She whirled herself away from the window and glanced into her mirror. “This is not my fate”. Almost as if she bargained with the mirror for answers. “Henry seemed to be the one for me. He has been my guardian since we were children. He always looked after me. How will I continue to be strong without him? How am I expected to marry a man I have not met”? She turned away from the mirror with tears in her eyes. My parents believe this is my fate, but I will change that, she thought. She quickly picked herself up and scurried to her door. I can do this, she thought. She opened the door and paced down the hallway, avoiding the dimming candles in the night. Her eyes, glowing a rich auburn. She reached a long, spiral staircase and tip toed down them, as to keep quiet. Helena continued and finally reached one of the maid’s doors that led to the garden. She slipped through the door and felt her bare feet leave the castle stone and touch the soft earth beneath her. The garden at this time of night was lovely, she thought. It was so quiet and peaceful. She passed several flower beds and smelled them on the way to the sea. The salty aroma of the sea hung in the air like smoke as she became closer. She stopped once her toes were in the sand. She let out a soft hum as she waded into the water. Her gown floating up around her. The sea was unusually warm for this time of year, but it was something she enjoyed. Her eyes glowed a brighter auburn as she ducked her head under the water. Her body twirled as bubbles escaped her lips. Her legs transformed into a long, golden-brown tail as her hair remained floating around her like serpents. She opened her eyes to the beauty of the sea; the glittering of the moon has returned. A smile returned to her face as she swam deeper. The ships caught her attention once more. She stared to swim up towards them as an orange glow surrounded it. There must be men on the boat still, she thought. Her tail glittered in the moonlight as she inched closer to the surface. She peered her head above the water to her the faint voices of men stammering back and forth. Are these the men of Fjordane? Could her soon to be husband be onboard talking amongst them? In hopes of catching any part of the conversation she attempted to get as close as she could, but alas their voices were too far away. Disappointed, she retreated towards the island. She swam gracefully through the water, into her safe place. She surfaced once more into the Lunar cave. The Lunar cave on the island was one of the most beautiful places to be. It was a small cave that had access to the sea but kept its beauty and serenity away from humans. She pulled herself up to sit on the rock ledge admiring the magnificence of the lunar cave as the rays from the moon pooled in from the top. She looked towards the ceiling to see the night sky as lovely as ever. Will this be my last time here, she thought? Her face dimmed once more thinking of her birthday soon approaching. Her tail waded in the pool of water as she kept imagining what could happen once she were wed. Another hum escaped her lips and slowly turned into a soft song. The words flowed together like the lunar cave met the sea. The song echoed from the walls of the lunar cave and escaped through the top. It was as if she were hoping for answers. Her song returned to a hum as she lifted her tail from the water. Her legs had returned once her tail touched the rocky sand in the cave. Her toes once again squished into the sand. Faint footsteps behind her appeared as she jerked her head up and towards them. She relaxed and rested her head on her knees as she pulled them close to her body. Her father approached her delicately and wrapped linen around her. “I was wondering where you had gone”. King George ushered with a faint grin. He sat down in the sand next to her as she leaned in. “You have not been for a night swim in quite some time. Did our guests startle you”? “Guests”? She questioned, raising her brow. “Why did you not tell me, father? I am looking like a fool in front of Henry and the other guards as they already knew”. She spouted, turning away from him in disgust. “Helena, this marriage is one of our only hopes for peace with the Kingdom of Fjordane. Prince Fenrir is highly respected and expected to do great things with his outlook on the kingdom”. King George turned toward her and gently touched her shoulder. “Your mother and I were also arranged to be married and I fell in love with her even before I heard her song. We were incredibly lucky then, Helena. Our kingdom was protected by mighty warriors and with time our protectors have fallen and our defenses are down. You know how the war started. It is time for it to come to an end”. He pleaded looking into her now blue eyes. She knew he was right. Their kingdom was not as protected as it was before. The wars have waged on losing some of their most respected warriors. Henry lost his father in a recent battle with the Fjordane and Finnmork. But how can she trust them when they have been at war for so long? How can she marry into a family that has ordered the murder of countless friends and protectors? She sighed and leaned away from her father. “So this is my fate”? She asked, glaring at the pool in front of them. He nodded and stared blankly ahead. A sad hum escaped her throat once more and turned into a soft bellow of the song she had inherited from her mother. He smiled at the familiar tune and glanced back at Helena. “Let’s get you into something warmer and get you rested for today”, he urged, stumbling to his feet. Helena returned his glance and he helped her to her feet. She agreed and followed him towards the water. They dove in together and swam through the cave entrance one at a time. They raced towards the shore. The moonlight soon disappeared as the sun was starting to rise. Helena and King George surfaced near a hidden part of the castle where clothes were ready at the hand of one of the maids. “Late night swim, you two”? She smirked handing them both drying cloths. “Prince Fenrir has been looking for you, your majesty”. She motioned towards King George handing him the rest of his clothes. “Ah yes,” he stated, “we do have a meeting this morning”. He grinned and looked down at Helena. “Everything will be alright. Go ahead and get some rest and you may meet him later for dinner”. Helena nodded and was escorted to her sleeping quarters by the maid who had their clothes ready. It seemed like the longest, silent, stroll they have ever taken. Almost as if the maid knew something she did not. Finally, they had made it to her quarters where Helena fell backwards onto her bed and sighed. “Margaret,” she whispered. The maid turned around in the doorway and faced Helena with a concerned expression. “Princess, I have laid out your evening gown for your dinner with the prince. You needn’t worry, your highness. You will be beautiful”. Margaret turned back towards the door and smiled once more. “That’s not what I am worried about but thank you”. Helena responded thankfully. Margaret closed the door behind her and continued with her daily assignments. Helena rolled over in bed and nuzzled her head into her pillow. The hum of the familiar song escaped her lips once more. What has come over me, she thought. I was never this vocal with my song before. Helena’s eyes closed as she slipped into her dreams once more. This dream was different, almost life like. She pictured herself in the arms of a tall, golden haired, dark eyed, man. His hair fell down his back past his shoulder blades. She shivered touching his chiseled chest and arms. He was more muscular than Henry has ever been. He whispered something inaudible into her ear and she giggled. His bow like lips glistened in the sun as he leaned in and kissed her lips softly. She parted her lips as his tongue slipped in, he continued to hold her with ease. He kissed her passionately, she has never felt this kind of passion before, the kind where her entire being felt warm.  “Princess”, a voice called. She snapped awake from her dream. “Are you alright”? Margaret stood above her bed holding her dress. “You were singing in your sleep, dear”. She mentioned. “Was I”? Helena questioned. “Yes, dear, you were practically screaming it. What were you dreaming of”? Margaret questioned. “Oh, it was nothing, Margaret. Is it time to get ready”? She quickly changed the subject. What was happening to me, she thought?