Riley POV
I make it back to the pack house thinking about that kiss and the electricity that ran through my body as our lips touched. I can still feel it now. I touch my lips feeling defeated. I had smelt his scent, reminiscent of the ocean water and the sunshine to me. All I wanted was to be in the water again. It was like a craving. An urge. It couldn't be satisfied. I hesitated. If I were to go back to the lake it would no doubt anger Alpha Jaxon. I stayed on the grounds, but it was almost as though my body took over, my mind curiously blank.
Water. Water. Water. My mind constantly repeated the word as I turned. I was defying Alpha Jaxon again, but it was like I couldn't comprehend the extent of the actions I was taking. My body had a mind of its own as it began to woodenly make its way towards the lake. I could feel myself licking my lips. While I wanted so badly to be in ocean water, the lake would suffice as the next best thing. I could practically feel the water against my skin and my steps became even more hurried.
To feel the coolness of the water and the way it caressed me. My eyes closed in anticipation. I stumbled over debris and dirt, my hand blindly reaching out to touch shrubbery and trees, my eyes filling with eagerness as I drew closer to my goal. Water. I needed to sink into it, allow it to wash over my whole body, and let me escape into its tender embrace.
I reach the lake. The water is shimmering beneath the sunlight. I glance down at it with keen eyes. It's so blue, like a crystal and I begin to rip my clothing off, dropping them haphazardly on the floor. This time I strip down to nothing, wanting to feel the water against all of my skin. The water beckons me. I can practically hear a song in my head, gesturing for me to follow it as I dip a toe into the water and feel the coolness of it.
Come to me
I am coming, I tell the voice, beginning to make my way into the water.
Come to me.
I am coming, I repeat to myself, beginning to push further into the lake.
The voice appears to be satisfied as I push off, propelling myself forward, deeper into the lake, my body diving into the water. The song in my head grows louder. It's difficult to describe the beauty of the song. It was both eerie and yet calming at the same time. It was familiar and yet I had never heard it before in my life. I longed to sing with it, to make my voice known but of course, my voice was gone. I felt disappointment wash through me, even as I surged to the surface, my hair billowing behind me.
My body looks as though it's shimmering on the surface. Everything looks so much clearer and prettier. I feel the water and it continues to enthrall me. The voice fades but then as I dive it grows louder and clearer. Tears prick my eyes at the beauty of the sound. So much pain in the tone, so much hurt. I wish I could speak to the singer if only to comfort them. I frolicked in the water, feeling playful and happy for the first time in a very long time.
This is where you belong. Water is your home and always will be. It is your destiny.
I don't completely understand what the voice is trying to tell me, but instead of growing weary in the water, it's almost like I'm gaining strength. I feel rejuvenated the longer I spend in the water. I glance at my shoulder and see a strange-looking birthmark. It's a shell. My hair is brighter. Instead of being afraid, joy shoots through me.
For too long you've forgotten who you are and what you are capable of. It's time you embraced your lineage and what you can do. Drop the fear, drop the resentment, and embrace the heritage your mother left you.
What did this voice want? Why was it becoming more insistent? It was becoming louder and so was my heartbeat. It was thumping loudly in my chest. There was a sound of rushing in my ears. My lungs filled with air and I surged to the surface, Alpha Jaxon standing at the edge looking furious once more to find me here. I barely hear his shouts, over the loud ringing that's in my ears.
Release. Release the pain, the anguish, the hurt that's been locked inside you this whole time. Stop keeping yourself locked up. Heal that which has been hurt and take back what's yours and has always been yours. It's time Riley. It has always been time. You are eighteen today, your real birthday. Give in to the power that surges through you. Don't be afraid.
It felt like electricity was running through my veins. I trod water, feeling an incredible warmth start at the tip of my toes which spread through my legs and then slowly through my entire body until it reached my throat and stopped, the heat becoming intolerable and causing my mouth to open as my eyes watered. I was barely aware of Alpha Jaxon or the threats he was making in the background. All I could feel was the pain in my throat and the unbearable urge to scream, to give voice to the pain I was feeling. My body shook with the effort to keep it back. The heat continued until I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust. I couldn't hold it back anymore. It was going to kill me if I kept it locked up inside. It wanted out and it wanted out now.
I threw my head back and screamed with all the power I could muster. At first, it was barely a whisper, but then it grew to a full-on banshee scream that thundered through the forest, ear piercing and loud, Jaxon covering his ears as I gave voice to all my pain, the scream going on and on, with no signs of stopping. My voice had seen fit to come back. I relished the sound of it as I let it linger, until it faded away to a hush and then back to silence, my eyes wide with awe.
I touched my throat. Sing.
Sing? Sing.
I began to sing, my voice becoming otherworldly, the song not one I had heard before as I stayed in the water. Alpha Jaxon's eyes widened as he listened. Slowly, one by one, men from the pack began to slowly make their way towards me, their eyes blank, staring at me hard.
You have the power to enthrall men. Once you sing they cannot escape your clutches.
But Jaxon was not affected. I frowned, even as I allowed my voice to halter and then stop.
Your mate will never be affected by your voice. It has always been that way. It's how it works.
The men looked around confused. I stayed in the water, a wide smile on my face.
"What's happening?"
"Where am I?"
"The last thing I remember I was heading down to the training ring" another muttered.
"Everybody goes back to what they were doing," Jaxon said sharply as several men turned to look at me in the water.
I was naked but I didn't move to cover myself. I wasn't embarrassed. The men's eyes widened. Jaxon let out a ferocious growl that had them almost running from the clearing. Callum and some women hastily left as well. They must be the rogues I thought absent-mindedly. Jaxon cleared his throat.
"Are you planning on coming out?" he asked hoarsely.
Was that fear in his eyes that I saw? Was he afraid of me? Of what I was? Or of what I Was capable of?
"I know you can talk now," he said quietly.
"You're afraid of me," I said, my voice was musical and lighthearted.
He did not deny it. "Now that I know what you are, yes I am," he said lowly "there's a reason your species is almost extinct" he added as my heart sank.
"I'm the same girl I've always been," I said quietly "but that will never matter will it?"
"Come out of the lake Riley," he said stiffly.
I slowly swam to the edge of the lake. I sensed his eyes on me as I walked out, my body almost glowing beneath the sunlight. He seemed to struggle to take his eyes off me as I slowly bent down and grabbed my clothes, putting them on.
"No wonder you're drawn to the water" he muttered with his back turned "and why you continually defy me to come here."
I said nothing as I put my shirt on. He turns around and stares at me hard. He seems to be having an internal struggle of some kind.
"I can talk now," I said as he regarded me.
"Not surprising. Nothing is strong enough to silence a siren's voice" he said stiffly "it's a miracle you didn't start speaking earlier. Your father must have scared you enough to prevent it until now."
I stared at him silently. No wonder father had continued to beat me and force me not to sing. I felt powerful still, my hair still brighter than ever. Jaxon exhaled deeply.
"This changes everything" he murmured, running a hand through his hair "I can't have somebody so dangerous walking so freely around the pack."
I felt hurt. Even now he wanted to deny who we were together. His eyes had clouded for a moment and then returned to normal. "I'm not dangerous, just because of my species and I'm only half siren" I tried to protest.
"Even half siren is too dangerous for my liking" he snarled as I cringed "your kind is responsible for war between packs, for the death of innocent shifters, for luring shifters to their deaths and who knows what else. We've lost thousands killing your kind to ensure our survival."
I felt my wrists pulled harshly behind me and cuffs placed on them. "Silver won't hurt me" I said dumbly.
But it did. It burned slightly. Callum looked apologetic while Jaxon strode forward and grabbed me. "I'm immune" he told Callum "so I'll take her down to the dungeon."
"Don't do this Jaxon" I pleaded softly "I'm not a danger."
"I'm not taking any chances" he hissed and began to drag me, while I stumbled and resisted slightly. The notion my mate thought I would be a danger to him or his pack, hurt me more than I could ever admit.