Chapter Six
748 Words
I was beyond livid when I burst into Nina's home, she had lived in the biggest sunken ship in the location as she had a high position. But when I arrived she was quiet. Her house felt hollow and it felt sad. "I'm in here dear." I frown lightly, she knew I was on my way here.
"Nina."
"How's my little girl doing?"
I was a taken back by her voice, she was close to breaking, her voice had said it all. She was done fighting for something that tore her away from her beloved family. "You don't have that right anymore." She gave a soft cry of agony before grasping my hand in her old and wrinkly one.
"Explain yourself." She sighs softly as she guides me to the sofa shes been maintaining. I could hear her fiddling with whatever was in her hand as she spoke. "I suppose it's time; as you know I was an Alpha female from birth, I wasn't mated into the status I was born into it. Females have more stress to maintain a pack, their authority is undermined and at any moment their position could be taken over or they could be forced into a mating."
I nod my head, I did understand that but why did that factor into how she ended up here? At the bottom of the friggin ocean with a tail and no legs. It made absolutely no sense.
"I was stressed darling, I needed to take a walk and so I did. But this intoxicating smell overwhelmed me and guided me to a wounded man on the beach."
The dots have now been connected.
"He was gravely injured, I remember the blood leaking from his abdomen and the way he begged for help. His blue eyes drew me in and that's all it took for my wolf to take action."
I lick my lips as I think about this, mates were sacred things to werewolves. Without their mate, they'd fall into a depression until their wolf convinces them to kill themselves. But still, he could have stayed, the queen would have granted him a pardon knowing this information.
"He was wearing a uniform, a crest placed upon his broken armor. He was part of the royal guards."
And there was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Royal guards are some of the most important people in the underwater world. They're physically fit and most of them have a specific fighting style suited for them. If one falls it takes up to months for a new one to be chosen. And that would explain why he couldn't stay.
"Nina." I spoke softly, my hand absently reaches out for hers, just wanting her to know that I still love her. "Hush child, let me finish." She gave a small laugh as she recalled her story once again. "I took him to a private healer who helped him regain his strength and once he returned to the water he went to the queen who gave him a choice of rejecting me or allowing me to shift into one of them in return for my service."
She paused for a moment before continuing. "We mated the night he healed fully, and I fell pregnant with my beautiful baby girl. My wolf was content with this and we both agreed i'd stay here and take care of her before I leave."
I nodded my head, that sounded reasonable. "But eventually, my time came and I had to leave. My baby girl grew up without me all because I wanted to be with my lover." Soft sobs racked her body as I gently pulled her into my arms. Nina just wanted happiness and it wasn't her fault.
"Nina. I found this necklace."
It goes quiet for a moment before she pulls her hands into mine.
"Darling, the enemy took this from me during their last attack."
My hands shake as I grip the cold metal.
She really was back.
"Does this mean what I think it does?" I whisper gently. Her fragile hand pulls me from the couch and pushes me out out the door. "Go tell the wolves, I'll tell pod." Nina was frantic as she tugged on my hand, our swimming synchronized. "Tell my beautiful baby I love her and that i've been watching over her all this time."
"Of course."
The atmosphere changed as she slowly let go of my hand.
"War is here, good luck my blind warrior."
- Writer
