Raff

Raff watched the first rays of sunlight creep into his bedroom. His nose crinkled as the breeze stirred the curtains and filled the room with the fragrance of salt and rain. The smells of the sea were so much stronger here, but unlike back home, it wasn't unpleasant. It lacked the human element- the stench of decay and rot. 

He still found it hard to breathe. Because it was like being drenched in the purest form of Meribella's scent.

A gentle knock sounded on the door, and he sat up in the bed, pulling up the thick fur blanket to his waist. "Enter."

A small woman entered the room, a large tray in her hands. Her uneven gait rocked the dishes but nothing spilled as she set it on the edge of his bed. She didn't speak as she arranged the silverware and lifted the lid covering a plate of savory sausage, golden eggs, and flaky biscuits.

"This looks wonderful," he said, his voice soft. Something told him she would spook if he were too loud or moved too quickly.

"I hope it pleases you. The meat is venison. One of our hunters took the animal down last night. We do not eat any meat but what we catch in the ocean. Let us know if we need to prepare it differently."

"No, no," he said, "I appreciate the extra effort, but we will be happy to eat like the natives while here."

She jerked her head up, and he caught sight of the strange markings on her cheeks. Eyes so black he could see no pupils stared at him in wonder before dropping back to the tray. "You are a wolf, sir. You should eat as one."

"Wolves will eat fish when it's necessary."

"Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?"

"What is your name?" He didn't know why he asked. Only that he had the distinct impression this woman wasn't usually treated with kindness, and it was one more mark against the selkies. Against the people who'd taken away the woman he loved.

"I am Addien. You are the man who loves our Blessed One? The man she loves in return?"

Raff dropped the biscuit he'd started to lift to his mouth. "You know Meribella?"

"I attended to her when she first arrived on the island. She was very kind to me. No one ever asked me my name before, and she insisted I call her by her name." There was a faint smile on Addien's face, but it vanished before it could reach her eyes. Darkness flooded her expression. "But that was in the beginning."

Food forgotten, Raff leaned forward, grabbing Addien's hand. "What happened?"

"I shouldn't speak of such things. The Harpy Clan is much kinder to me than my previous mistress, but I do not think they would want me gossiping."

"Please," he said, his voice hoarse with anguish.

She shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "I told her she had to fit in. It was important to not be seen as different. She had to wear our clothes and accept our customs. She didn't want to. I could see how it bothered her, but then she became ill. For two weeks we feared we would lose her. And in a way, we did."

Raff jumped out of the bed with a curse. Valencia hadn't mentioned Meribella's illness, but it made sense. Her fevered cries in his head took on a new meaning. "Where the hell are my pants?"

Addien dashed out the door and returned with a pile of clothes. She did not blush over his nudity as she handed him the items. "Valencia said to give you these. You are about the same size as her eldest son, and it will go a long way in making people feel at ease if you dress like us."

"You want me to wear leather pants? And boots? Are these Hessians?"

"If you do not like this, some men on the island prefer just the breeches and a cloak. It can become quite cold in the evenings though."

"Where is the luggage we brought ashore? I would prefer to wear my own clothes," he said, tossing the clothes aside. He was not here to impress anyone. He was here to rescue Meribella.

Addien cocked her head to the side, and whatever she was going to say fell away from her lips and she nodded. "I will fetch your garment bags. Perhaps that is the mistake we made with Meribella."

Before she left, Raff called out, "Addien, is she better now?"

Addien clutched the door frame before looking over her shoulder. "She is healthy."

Thirty minutes later, clothed in his favorite jeans and a long sleeved hunter green Henley, Raff stepped outside. Addien's answer played over and over again in his head. She is healthy. He unclenched the fists at his side. The tips of his fingers were wet with blood where his nails had lengthened and pierced his palms. Being on this island was going to test his connection to his wolf in ways he hadn't expected. The surges of emotions coupled with the constant odor of wild animal about the place would put him and Lincoln at their limit.

Speaking of his Beta... The man stumbled out of cottage beside his, and Raff couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up. Lincoln spun around, narrowing glowing amber eyes at Raff as he marched over, his dark boots squelching in the mud.

"How the actual fuck did you manage to find a pair of jeans?"

"I told them I was wearing my jeans or nothing at all," he answered. "Damn if you don't look handsome."

Lincoln pulled the billowing tunic away from his body and stuck out a leather clad leg. "I look like I belong on the cover of a cheesy romance novel!"

"Oh yes," Thorne purred, sneaking up behind him and running her hands along Lincoln's shoulders before dropping one to his ass and squeezing. "I'm definitely going to start calling you Fabio in the bedroom."

"Don't you start-" he growled, stopping when he saw what Thorne was wearing. Raff's own eyes were in danger of falling out of their sockets, and Lincoln sounded like he was choking. "Y-y-you can't wear that out here."

"Yes, I can," she said, putting her hands on leather clad hips. "This is what all the women wear around here."

Lincoln tugged her fur cape over her shoulders. "The pants are fine, but that top is basically a bra."

"You let me wear it now, I'll let you take it off later," she said, rising on her tiptoes and whispering against Lincoln's ear. She nipped his bottom lobe, and Raff saw something he never expected to see- his Beta blushing.

Rolling his eyes, he skirted around the Lincoln and Thorne- both now thoroughly eye fucking the other- and marched toward the main cottage. It was either leave or wallow in self- pity. Seeing how much they loved each other felt like someone was twisting a knife in his back. Or more apt, his heart.

"Hello," he called out, stepping inside the main building.

A fire crackled in the hearth, and fresh herbs hung from wooden beams. There was no one in the room, but he could hear voices down the many hallways connecting to the large, round space. Valencia had explained the way the Harpy Clan lived last night. It was not so very different from how he lived with his men back on their compound.

"Raff," Valencia said, pausing to take in his clothing, "I see you didn't care for the clothes Addien brought you."

"I'm not here to be anyone but myself," he answered.

"I like that about you, but everyone else will hate it. Good."

They smiled at one another. They were not pleasant smiles. Taut lips. Rows of sharp teeth. But he knew her warning was not for him anymore than his was for her. Today, someone would pay for messing with her family. With his woman.

"What are your plans for today?"

"When the first horn sounds, we are to make our way to the southernmost cliffs. There is a natural sea pool there, and most of the fighting will take place there."

Shit. This wasn't good. Raff could beat anyone on land- with two feet or four- but in the water, he was going to be next to useless. Especially against men and women bred for this purpose.

"Do not be troubled. We have had contenders from the outside before. There are rules in place to even the odds."

"That seems strange. To allow outsiders to fight for the right to mate with your people."

Valencia toyed with the end of her long white braid before sitting at her kitchen table. "We are an island nation, and while it is not uncommon to mate or bond with kin as close as cousins, we do understand the need for fresh blood. If a man who is not a selkie wins the right to mate with one of our women, the child will be a selkie as long as the mother gives birth in seal form. Perhaps the child will possess other talents, but those talents will passed to future generations. Strengthening us."

"And if a woman wins?"

"It is rare, but I suppose it is the same for her offspring. The child will not possess a skin, but they will have an affinity for the sea. Much like Meribella."

"Well, I'm relieved I will not have to fight in the sea." He sat across from her.

"I did not say that," Valencia chuckled, arching a brow at him. "Only that the odds will be more even, but we are getting ahead of ourselves. The Council may not allow you to fight."

"You just said outsiders-"

"Yes, because it's useful to us, but it's going to be hard to convince the Council there is anything useful about allowing a werewolf to mate with one our daughters. It is a death sentence."

Shame swallowed Raff. "I wouldn't mate with Meribella. I just want to take her home. To protect her."

The selkie woman slid her hand across the table and put it over his. She squeezed it, not in comfort but in sympathy, and her turquoise eyes were troubled.

"Raff, have you considered the possibility that she may not want to be saved?"