RAFF

Morning light filtered through the lacy, mint curtains Meribella had hung over the bedroom window, casting the room in a seafoam glow. His selkie was still sleeping, her knees drawn up to her chest and her hands tucked beneath her chin. She'd returned home in the early hours of the morning, and it wasn't until she slipped beneath the covers that his body relaxed. Like a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

Resisting the urge to wake her by pressing soft kisses along her skin, he left the bed and dressed for the day. Meribella never stirred, her breathing remaining even when he opened the door. With one last look, he shut the door and turned to find Dorea watching him with a smirk.

"You are one whipped puppy," the woman said.

"Good morning to you Dorea," he replied, pulling a mug from the cabinets and filling it with coffee. He inhaled the fragrant brew, catching a whiff of fruity amusement mingling with the roasted beans.

"That child of mine still sleeping?" she asked.

"She is. She came in late so she'll likely sleep for another hour or so."

"I learned a long time ago to not wake Meribella up. They told me she'd grow out of being cranky when she was tired." Dorea rubbed her stomach as she talked. "But when she hit her twenties and was still an ass in the mornings, I knew it was just her personality."

Raff's lips stretched into a broad grin while his thoughts conjured an image of a baby Bella. But the smile faltered when the little girl that formed had bright blue eyes instead of turquoise. He gave the child a mental shove, clearing his mind of the dangerous longing. That child could never be.

As if sensing where his thoughts had wandered, Dorea sighed. "Have you and Meribella discussed my offer?"

"I don't think we're ready to make a decision yet."

"We as in you both? Or we as in her?"

He hunched his shoulders and refused to meet her gaze. "I'm not going to lie and say what you're offering isn't tempting. To raise a child with the woman I love. But Meribella isn't going to let go so easily. She believes we can save you."

"She can't save us both, and I've already said that I won't put my life ahead of my son's. I did that too long with my daughter. I may not live to see him, but I will be a better mother in death than I ever was in life."

Raff's heart swelled with every word she spoke: both with hope and shame. Shame that he was hopeful. Shame that her demise provided a way to mend his broken dreams of raising a child with a woman he loved at his side. He'd thought he'd let go of that dream a very long time ago, but Dorea's offer had brought it to the surface.

"What are you two doing up so early?"

They both froze and cut their eyes to the door to the master bedroom. Meribella leaned against the frame, a thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her dark hair a nest of wild curls. The skin beneath her eyes was darkly smudged, and her generous mouth opened wide with a jaw cracking yawn.

"It's after ten love," Dorea said, swiping Raff's coffee from his hands and handing it to her daughter.

"Good call," he said, grabbing himself another cup while Meribella guzzled his. "How'd you sleep?"

"Terrible. I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow, but these crazy dreams played all night long. I don't feel like I got any rest."

"You didn't move at all last night. I considered checking your breathing a couple of times," Raff said, keeping his tone light even though he wasn't really joking.

"Do I usually move?"

"You thrash like a badger digging a burrow," he answered. "I'm lucky I'm made of stern stuff, or I'd walk around with bruises all day."

Turquoise eyes narrowed and a sound between a snort and a choke escaped Dorea. He winked and flashed the coffee pot at Meribella as a peace offering. She stuck out her mug, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"How much more do you need to get out of the boathouse? I was thinking of sending some of the younger guys over to load a truck. With the new additions to the pack, there's not a lot to keep some of the teens busy and out of trouble."

"There might be enough to warrant sending over a truck," Meribella mused. "That would give me a chance to show Mom around the town. I'm sure she'd like to get out of here for a few hours."

"I have been itching to get out to the water. I've never had the chance to swim in the Atlantic."

"Do you have an extra wetsuit?" Raff asked Meribella. "You said it was starting to get a little chilly last time."

"I'll be fine," Dorea scoffed. "I don't feel the cold like Meribella does. She's always been more sensitive. Guess the selkie genes are starting to wear thin."

"I think we'll both be good," Meribella growled, tightening the blanket around her throat and stomping back to the bedroom. "I'm going to get dressed. Be ready in an hour."

The door clanged shut and Raff turned to see Dorea shaking her head. "That girl and her damned temper."

"Surely you see why that would've been hurtful?"

"It is what it is. She's three generations removed from a full blooded selkie. Now, my father may have had a little something extra mixed in about him. Mother doesn't say much, but it certainly wasn't selkie. Ignoring the fact doesn't change it. Meribella is more human than anything else. She needs to know that doesn't make her weak."

Raff barked a laugh, the sound sharp and wheezing, drawing a wide eyed look from the woman. "Weak isn't a word I would use to describe your daughter. Has she told you anything about her abilities?"

"That she glows in the water and has low grade hydrokinesis? I've always known about that."

"You might want to get to know your daughter a little better today. I think you'll be surprised." He grabbed his keys and slipped shoes onto his feet. Lincoln's name flashed on his phone, and he saw it wasn't the first call he'd missed. With a wave, he headed down the stairs, leaving Dorea alone to ponder his words.

                                                         *********************************

"How long have they been bringing in shipments here?" Raff used the pack bond to communicate with Lincoln. They had shifted into their wolf forms and were crouched in the underbrush. They watched as men unloaded crates from a boat into a large freight truck.

"We can't say for sure. We were only just made aware of it. Nichols and Jett followed two of the Starless pack wolves out here about three days ago. Took them a minute to figure out what was going on."

"Who are the wolves they followed out here?"

"Knox and Grant."

Raff's lip curled back and a low growl filled the air. "They both renounced the Starless pack last week. Why would they be involved in this still?"

"I don't know. Renouncing the Starless pack isn't the same as renouncing criminal activities. This is definitely criminal."

"No, I was specific in my wording and just because they asked to join the Orion pack, they weren't given free reign. They shouldn't be able to even leave the grounds without a pack member at their side."

Amber eyes went wide and his ears pinned against his head. "Have you ever heard of a wolf being able to get around the Alpha's compulsion?"

"No, but then I didn't think scent could be obliterated until a few months ago. It's time to turn our focus to the witch they're working with. That's the only thing that explains this. Talk to Thorne, please. See what she thinks. I have a few leads of my own I never followed up on. Until then, we're going to pretend like we don't know anything about this. Put Nichols and Jett on their tail. Try to become buddies."

"Understood," Lincoln replied, backing into the shadows. "But if this pisses Thorne off, I'm blaming you."

"If you're not smooth enough to ask questions without raising her temper, then you deserve what you get," Raff said, breaking into a sprint.

The first hints of autumn rippled through his coat, and when he was sure they were far enough from the dock, he let out a yip. For a moment, he let himself imagine it was Meribella racing at his side, their pups tumbling over their short legs, their barks high pitched with glee. But like before, he shook it away and redoubled his efforts, his long stride putting distance between himself and his Beta.

"What's the rush?" Lincoln asked, the effort of keeping up evident even in his mind speech.

"You call this rushing? Come on old man, you're getting slow," Raff teased, hoping Lincoln wouldn't pick up on the sadness coating his mind. Meribella would be enough. Together, they would be all they needed. The future stretched out before them in a single, clear path.

He had truly believed that until Dorea showed up- offering her child. Now, all of the possibilities of the future confused him, haunting his thoughts and dreams, making his certainty crumble. And he was terrified that sharing these fears with Meribella would drive her away. Because he knew one thing to be true- no matter what the future held, he needed her in it.