RAFF

If Thorne told Raff to be patient one more time, he was going to throw her over the side of the boat. With a life raft, of course, but he'd use his role as Alpha to keep Lincoln from retrieving her for a few hours. Neither one would speak to him afterwards, but at least he'd have time to pace the deck while snarling without anyone telling him to be calm.

Patience. It had been hard enough to hold onto his sanity when Meribella wasn't responding to him. He'd been able to feel her through the bond, but it was only just enough for him to know she was alive. When she spoke to him two days ago, he'd howled in joy. Joy that turned to anger when he felt the fear and sorrow coursing through their connection. Then, one final word was uttered- Caspian. She'd said it with such heartbreak, he'd lost complete control at dinner and shifted.

At his feet, Aurora whimpered. Ears flat against her head, she pressed her warm body against his legs. Not once since that night had she left his side, and he was grateful for it. Somehow, the she wolf calmed him in a way none of the others could.

"Raff."

He didn't turn around. With his eyes locked on the choppy gray waters, he clenched the cold railing and said, "Thorne, I swear to the gods, if you're about to tell me to be patient again..."

"I wasn't, but it never hurts to say it."

When he looked at her, his canines were pressing into his bottom lip, drawing blood. Thorne didn't look intimidated in the least, but the ring on her finger began to glow.

"Chill out. We're as close as we can get without risking discovery."

His eyebrows knitted together. "There's nothing out here."

"According to the map, the island is another twenty miles to north."

"Then what are we doing sitting out here. We need to get to the island."

Thorne crossed her arms over her chest. "These people haven't allowed outsiders on their island in centuries. Do you really think they're going to welcome you with open arms? Not to mention we don't know who is in league with Morgan le Fay and who isn't. You sweeping in to take away Meribella isn't gonna go over so well."

"So what?" he snapped, his nails biting into the flesh of his palms. "We're just going to bob out here in the middle of the fucking ocean?"

Dorea's scent reached him before she came into view, and he was grateful for the warning. He needed a moment to school his features into something neutral. It didn't matter that she was helping them now, she'd played a large part in putting Meribella in danger in the first place.

"If I can get word to Valencia, the Matriarch of the Harpy Clan, she will get us all on the island."

"How do we know this woman will help us?"

Meribella's mother rubbed her swollen stomach. "For starters, she's Nerida's direct opposition, and Nerida is the one who is working with Morgan le Fay. Secondly, she's my great grandmother."

"So you think she'll sneak us on the island?"

"I think so. I don't know her personally, of course, but I know the complaints I've heard about her. She thinks siding with the Fae Queen is foolish, and from the reports I received, she bonded with Meribella fairly quickly."

Raff sagged with relief. Meribella had allies on the island. Family who would have her best interests at heart. Please, please be okay.

"Dorea," Thorne urged, putting her hand on the woman's shoulders, "we need you to tell us everything. We can't go in half blind again."

"I'll tell you what I know."

Drawing in a deep breath, she shuffled to the railing and held her hand over the water. Sea spray splashed against her tan skin, making it shimmer. The sight of it reminded him of Meribella, making him ache.

"Morgan le Fay is one of the nine queens of Avalon. A death demigod. Maybe one of the most powerful creatures on this earth."

Thorne smirked. "Let her meet my Priestess Most High."

Dorea gave the witch a sad smile. "Oh, she has plans for Lux, but for now she's concerned with Meribella. You see, Meribella's magic is tied to creation. It's the complete opposite of Morgan's magic, and it comes from the gods."

"Why would she care about life magic? She destroys," Raff argued.

"Morgan hates humans. She blames them for the Fae falling out of favor with the gods, and that's why she started the first war. But she didn't count on the Guardians and the witches coming to the aid of the humans."

"So that's why she wants the werewolves? To even the odds?"

"Yes, and no. She's not leaving anything to chance. You wanted to know what the drugs were about?"

Raff and Thorne went still. Even Lincoln who had been making the rounds in his wolf form, paused across the deck waiting for Dorea's explanation.

"They're essentially the same as what was in the potion she offered to Meribella. Only, for humans it won't do anything but get them high."

"Unless she exposes them to Meribella's powers," Thorne said, throwing her hand over her mouth. "She wants to get rid of humans by turning them into supernaturals."

"Exactly."

"Meribella would never agree to that."

"You're right, but if Meribella gave her power to someone else, then Morgan would have what she wanted."

"How is that even possible?" Raff asked, looking at Thorne for help. He didn't know enough about magic to understand how that could be done, but from the sheer terror lining the little witch's face, it was very possible.

"Selkies for the most part are poly-amorous, but a few choose to bind themselves to another during the winter solstice. They become mates not just physically but on a spiritually. It heightens their pleasure, their power, and makes it easier to conceive. Nerida has manipulated the bond ceremony so that the exchange of power is one sided. It will allow one partner to exert their will over the other."

"Raff, get control of yourself," Thorne hissed as fur sprouted along his body. Aurora yipped and jumped up, putting her paws against his chest as she licked his face. Lincoln rushed over and stood in front of Thorne, his amber eyes wary as he watched Raff.

"That sonofabitch. Caspian. He's going to try and bond Meribella to him."

Tears were pouring from Dorea's face as she nodded. "I received word just before we left that Nerida had started the process to force the union."

Meribella's last word to him had been Caspian. It had been a bitter plea, and then she went silent. He tugged on the thread between them and found nothing but emptiness on the other end. With an agonized shriek, he fell to his hands and knees, bits of his human self fading and reappearing as he fought to subdue his wolf.

"Get us on that island now," he growled. "Before it's too late."