The Silver Siren

“Oh my God. You’re not thinking about rejecting him, are you?” she asked.

“At the beginning, I was going to, but the mate bond is making everything fuzzy. I can’t think straight, and my wolf is giving me a really hard time,” I explained. She didn’t look impressed. “I don’t know, Kayla. I don’t know what to do. He is nice and I don’t want to hurt him, but I don’t want to be Luna, and accepting him means giving up all my future plans.” I covered my face with my hands. I felt awful for thinking of rejecting him at first. The mate bond is getting stronger by the hour, and it would be risky to reject him now. Kayla gently took hold of my hands and drew them away from my face.

“It’s ok, Allie. You are our Luna, and you can do anything, and everything, you want,” she said, a slow grin breaking out across her face, “You don’t have to give up anything. You are the most powerful woman in the pack now! He’s a good guy, give him a chance?” She actually made a good point. I hadn’t considered that being the Luna could help me set up a gym and teach classes, simply because it never entered my mind that my mate would be the Alpha’s son! Talking it out with Kayla had definitely helped me see that things weren’t that bad. At least where my mate was concerned. The whole Lucien/siren thing was a whole other bunch of problems. Nothing could ease my anxiety about it, but I tried hard to remain positive. Melissa said that sirens are strong and fast. I just had to think of it as another combat competition, only now I have extra skills to help me win. 

A knock sounded at the door, and Reece popped his head round the door. “Mind if I come in?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said, as a light fluttering feeling tingled in my chest. He walked over to the bed.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” Kayla said.

“Same,” I said, “I’ll text you, maybe we can plan a birthday treat for you next month?”

She nodded, gave me one last tearful hug and gathered her bag. I hadn’t realised how tired I was until a yawn took over my face, without warning. I covered my mouth with my hand to hide it.

“I better get going. You need to rest,” Kayla said, “Call me anytime.” She waved at the door and quietly closed it behind her.

“She seems nice,” Reece said as the door closed. “Melissa told me how close you two are, so I had Cole go get her so you could catch up.”

Hearing his words stunned me. It was such a nice thing to do! For a moment I was lost for words. Maybe Kayla was right. Maybe he was a good guy. Knowing that he did something so nice just for me made me feel amazing. The fluttering in my chest got stronger and a rush of affection washed over me. The mate bond was getting stronger. I wanted to reach out and touch him, kiss him even. Before I realised what I was doing, my arms were reaching up, circling his neck, and I was pulling him towards me. 

“Lana!!” I said, “Did you do that?” I heard her giggle in my head. Jerk!

“It’s what you want, isn’t it?” she replied. I ignored her. 

As our bodies touched, a rush of heat flooded my core. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I buried my face into the crease, inhaling his scent. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and he squeezed me gently.

“Thank you,” I whispered into his ear.

“I’d do anything for you, Allie,” he whispered back. We stayed hugging for a few more seconds before he said, “You know, we’ll have to mark each other soon.”

I wasn’t expecting him to say that, and it took me by surprise. I pulled out of our embrace, starting to feel panic rising.

“Why?” I said, a little more desperately than I wanted. I know I was all over the place at the moment, swooning over him one minute, then freaking out the next. It was the mate bond messing with me. I was still torn between accepting Reece and rejecting him, although things were starting to become a little clearer. It was true that I felt completely safe with him, warm and fuzzy inside, and stupidly, sickeningly happy which, to be honest, I found quite worrying considering the threat of another attack on me or the pack. 

The mate bond was making it extremely difficult to focus on the threat Lucien posed and the seriousness of the situation because all I seemed to be able to think about, or talk about, was Reece. As much as I thought I should be scared out of my mind that some crazy nutjob was hunting me down to kill me and extinguish sirens for good, I just wasn’t. I didn’t feel any fear at all. Maybe there was something wrong with me? I felt more fear at the thought of Reece marking me! By marking each other, we seal our bond forever. I still had a nagging feeling that I wanted to be free and the thought of being Luna was truly terrifying. But maybe Kayla was right, and I really could do all the things with my life that I had envisioned. 

“Allie?” a voice broke through my daydream.

“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head a little, “I zoned out a little there.”

Reece just smiled sweetly and chuckled softly. I looked into his beautiful eyes, shining with laughter, and I felt guilty. I was being selfish. Most unmated she-wolves would do anything to become Luna. Virtually every one of them wanted to be Luna, because unmated females were naturally drawn to power. Being Luna was a blessing, and I hadn’t thought about that at all. Reece was doing everything he could to keep me safe and make me happy. He had been waiting for a mate for so long. It was widely gossiped about at high school that the Alpha’s son still hadn’t found his mate at 21. Some wondered if he ever would as ranked werewolves normally find their mate soon after they turn 18. 

“Marking each other will mean we will be stronger as one. Our bond completing will make us both more powerful and in tune with each other. I think it’s the right thing to do right now, sweetie,” he said. He made it sound so easy. I knew he was right; it was just a big step.

“When?” I asked nervously.

He gently pushed a strand of hair away from my face and planted it behind my ear, gently grazing my face and leaving a trail of flames. “Soon,” he said.

“But it’s too soon, I need more time. I’m not ready,” I protested, “We barely know each other.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted saying it. 

His face dropped, and I knew I had upset him. But he quickly rallied and said, “Don’t worry, we will get to know each other. We will spend the day together tomorrow after we are done with training,” he suggested, softly stroking my wrist, calming me until the panic went away. 

The longer I spent with him, the less I wanted to reject him. But how much of that was the mate bond and how much was true attraction? As I stifled another yawn, I realised how exhausted I was. 

“You need to sleep,” said Reece, softly. I nodded in agreement and went to use the bathroom. A nurse had laid out a fresh gown next to the basin, which I changed into, brushed out and re-braided my hair and cleaned my teeth. Boy, I’ll be glad when I can wear my own clothes! I finished up in the bathroom and made my way back to the hospital bed and, feeling weary, I climbed in. It was surprisingly comfortable, and I sunk down into it, pulling the sheet up over me. It still felt a little awkward being alone with Reece, but that didn’t mean I wanted him to leave. His idea about spending the day together was actually pretty good, and I was looking forward to it. 

The spare hospital bed that Melissa had used was still in the corner of the room. She was back in the cottage tonight. Alpha Spencer had sent guards with her so that she will be protected. I wanted her to stay with me again at the hospital, but she said she had some work to do looking up spells and potions to fight Lucien with. It kind of made me feel bad that everyone was working so hard to make sure I was safe, and I was lying around in a hospital bed doing nothing. I really hoped that I’d be released tomorrow. I needed some fresh air, and Lana had been bugging me to go for a run. I sunk down into the bed and felt my body relax and my eyelids felt instantly heavy. I heard Reece say “Sweet dreams” softly before I closed my eyes and drifted off into sleep.