The heart of the town was a pedestrian zone only.

It was busy – choked with people just going about their day. Strolling along the old, cobbled pathways, I took in the scent of the air. The scent of life. The sun shone up high, unhindered by a cloud. By a shadow that would dare hide her light.

But there was a wind – a gentle and sweet one that stirred my skirt around my legs. One that carried the sound of laughing children. Of babbling water.

I bit down my smile, peering into the window of an antique shop. It was full of clocks and old wooden things that I didn't recognise. Knick-knacks and other strange things that I would love to find a home for. I pressed my hands against the glass, my fingers over my brow as I peered inside. There were tiny woven baskets on a stand, with tarnished jewellery spilling from their tops. Thick bangles and outrageously large hoops.

"Oh, I see an ice-cream stand!" Lux sighed, clasping her hands together. "Blav? Want to get some with me?"

The Alpha's second-hand smiled dazzlingly at her. "One or two scoops?"

I let them walk away, content in the knowledge that I would find Lux in a crowd by scent and sound alone. I wouldn't lose her.

The Alpha stood a hairsbreadth from my shoulder. Delicately, he cleared his throat. "Do you like to window-shop?"

"I like seeing shiny things." I pulled back, turning around. "There are so many beautiful things just left forgotten."

"Like a magpie?"

My gaze slid to him. "Did you just compare me to a bird?"

"Magpies like shiny things." He defended.

I swallowed down the biting retort, scenting a newcomer walking far too close. The Lycan turned a half-second after me, his brow tightening.

"Easton," A curt voice greeted. "Nice to see you home again."

A woman stood on the footpath, resting her hands on her hips. Her hair was thick and long, tumbling over her shoulders in a wave of luscious red. Two butterfly slips kept the heavy hair from falling over her face.

I zeroed in on those clips, wondering where I could get them too. Damn him. I was a magpie.

"Merri." Easton hummed. "I thought I sent you away?"

I should have been intimidated by her. She was beautiful. Freckled skin. Wide hips and generous thighs. A widening smile of perfect teeth as Easton turned his full attention on her.

"I couldn't stay away," She pouted lightly. Black-lined green eyes flickered to me. "And you must be Nova?"

"Yes."

"I'm Merri," Her smile hitched wider. "And Easton tried to send me away because I would have been too much for you. That's what he said, but I don't believe that. I'm a ray of sunshine to his more gloomy demeanour."

"Do you stay in his house?" I asked.

Merri's smile flickered. "What?"

My attention drifted to the window again and the shiny displays. "He sent you away. From the town or his house?"

I looked back in time to catch them share a look. Merri seemed almost amused by it. "I stay there with my husband."

"You're married?" I glanced down at her hand, but while they bore scars and welts, there was no ring. "You don't have a ring."

"Humans wear rings." Merri glanced down at her hands, her generous mouth widening. She wasn't Lycan, but she wasn't human either. There was something at the edge of her scent – something warm, buttery and delicious. She shifted her heavy curtain of hair over her shoulder, revealing a scarlet and brutal set of teeth-marks. "Lycans bite."

Tension knotted my shoulders. Eason stiffened, clearing his throat nervously and a hand reached for me. I eyed the distance between my arm and his finger-tips, a lip curling in distaste. He dropped his hand.

Merri's smile withered. Lips pressing tight, her cheeks darkening, she shoved out her hand. "I'm being rude. Let me introduce myself properly. Hi. I'm Merri."

I examined the offer.

The Alpha's attention was roasting as I slid my hand into hers. Merri's hand were skin and bones – a simple squeeze and I could have crushed her knuckles. I asked. "You're not human are you?"

Merri pulled her hand away. "And here I was, thinking your name was Nova."

"Merri," Her name was called then with such soft reverence. As if it was set atop an altar of worship. Blav had returned with Lux, both carrying ice-cream cones. Lux handed me one, but the sun had already sent slow streams of ice-cream down the wafer cone.

Merri's dark eyes brightened. "Blav."

Both of them shared a look. Both smiled at the sight of each other. Chocolate ice-cream dripped onto my fingers as my chest knotted.

A calloused hand touched my shoulder gingerly and I jolted.

"Sorry," The Alpha's voice was gruff and apologetic. "You're dropping ice-cream everywhere."

"Oh. What a tragedy."

Lux handed me a napkin and I began to dab at it. There were too many Lycans crowding me. With their scent. Their strength. I could feel irritation itching under my skin, a helpless sort of rise of aggression.

"I am going for a walk." I declared suddenly. "A no Lycan walk."

Though I wasn't human at all.

"Can I come?" Merri asked. "I'm not a Lycan."

"Of course," Lux said easily. Strawberry dripped onto her fingers. "We always love making new friends, don't we, Nova?"

"No."

Merri's smile didn't flicker. "Come on. We'll go down to the river-side. There are ducks."

The kiss that Blav gave her was easy. No tension – no sudden thought that he might tear into her with fangs that were now sheathed. The Alpha flashed me a smile that I didn't return and every step away from him, I felt the weight of his stare.

"So, what are you then?" I asked her once we were out of earshot. I had already devoured my ice-cream, and wondered if I could go back and nab another one. The streets leading away from the main-square were narrow and winding. Some were pedestrian only, with stone pathways.

"Nova!" Lux knocked my arm with her elbow.

"It's fine," Merri laughed. "Usually people aren't so bold with their questions."

We turned the corner and ahead, a green park stretched outwards. It was small, yet bright with gravel paths and a children's play corner. There were families sitting out on picnic blankets, children chasing each other. Far ahead, on the banks of the river, I saw a toddler teetering after a family of ducks.

Heads turned as we walked by, but for once, I knew for certain that it wasn't me they were looking at. She definitely wasn't human.

Merri led us to the water's edge and sat, stretching out her long legs. Lux didn't hesitate to sit, but I lingered, trying to figure the best spot to sit to watch anyone who might walk up behind us. Merri leaned back onto her elbows and said casually, "I'm a Siren. Well, half- Siren. It's pretty rare to find a full-blooded Siren from a strong lineage these days."

"Why?" Lux asked.

There was a buzzing in my ears. I had met a Siren before. She had been a beautiful woman with a voice sharp enough to shatter glass. And screamed she did when they strapped her in the chair opposite me. I had been only half a monster then, foolish enough to try and comfort her. They had taken hair, blood and skin from her while she sat across from me, begging for mercy in her beautiful voice.

I sat on the grass, my breathing hollow. The burning sun felt frightfully cold.

They had tried drowning me then. Sirens could breathe under-water and that was my old human weakness. My little lungs were too brittle for that.

"...and then, Easton saved me." Merri finished, her voice tight. "I met Blav only moments later and I never looked back."

"What?" I blinked, trying to force my attention back to her. "He saved you?"

"When I was a guest to the ruling family's son. Steven Arcelia." Her voice was even, but her scent soured with fear. I shifted as I scented it; fear was enough to punch straight through the brain fog. "He liked to hear me sing."

"And Easton broke you out?" I asked.

Merri examined me critically, a knot between her brows. "He... how much of that time has Easton told you about?"

"Nothing." I cleared my throat, curious now. "But I barely knew anything about what happened even before we reunited. I just know he climbed to power and got those scars because of it."

"It's a bloody story." Merri hedged uncertainly, glancing at Lux. "Some people might look at Easton differently after hearing the full extent."

"I already think poorly of him. What harm could it do?" The story was now a target - A frantic little heartbeat in the Mad-Maze that wished I wouldn't hear them.

"A lot more than you realize. He has a target on his back," Merri watched my face. "Which means that there's a target on all of our backs."

"I'm not scared of the Alpha's enemies." I told her honestly.

"Have you met his enemies?" Merri asked, as she tipped her face to the sky. I eyed the long, exposed length of her throat.

"No."

"Then how do you know you aren't scared?" She asked.

"Because I've felt true fear. It's not back-stabbing Lycans and vengeful enemies. It's a locked door. A ...well," I turned away to watch the ducks swimming blissfully on the sparkling water. Such beauty. "...people are afraid of different things."

"That's true," Lux hedged, glancing between us. "I'm actually not to fond of mice. Too quick and sneaky and ...ick."

Merri watched the skies. I watched the water. The sun beat down on the back of my neck as I worked off my shoes, pushing my feet into the tickling grass. Beautiful. I listened to the heartbeats of those who wandered near and the soft press of their feet. They moved on quickly, chattering amongst each other and completely oblivious to what threat sat on the water's edge.

I smelled a Lycan male walking by.

Heard him stop and talk a breath.

I turned away from the water, looking at the young male who stopped on the pathway, staring down at the three of us. His brow was turned down, thunderous and wild as he risked a step closer.

Lux stared at him perplexed.

I was rising on my stiff leg as his lips lifted into a snarl. There was a sheen in his eyes, an aggression in his shoulders that startled me.

But it terrified Lux. I could smell her fear, ripe and unstoppable, spreading in the air as she rose to her feet. She stood behind me, a hand on the small of my back. "Meg, he's staring at me."

The Lycan didn't look away from her, but when he spoke, it was directed to me. "Step away from her, lady. I want to look at my mate."

"You're scaring her." I said lowly.

Merri rose too and she stood beside Lux, resting a manicured hand on her shoulder. "Nicolas, this is a beautiful moment for you, but a terrifying moment for her. You know the Alpha's law."

His lips lifted and there were fangs there, as clear as day. "A new law."

"A necessary one." Merri shot back. "You don't want to make a mistake."

This Nicolas, took a step closer. "Merri, you can't keep her from me."

"Meg, can we go?" Lux whispered.

Not Nova. Meg. The Meg who cleaned toilets with her, who walked home with her after work and slipped Muffin the good treats. I wore so many names, so many titles, it was hard to keep track of who I was meant to be. Saliva flooded my tongue and I imagined how easy it would be to shed my flimsy persona of humanity.

"Merri mightn't be able to keep you from her, but I certainly can." I took a step towards him, tipping my chin up. He stood taller than me, but the height was of no consequence. "And it would be a poor show for your mate's first impression to be of you, on the ground, and crying."

The Lycan examined me critically. Like more Lycans, he was broad-shouldered and strong with sheared blond hair and startingly green eyes. "Step away from my mate."

Lordie, the poor children would cry when I split him open. "I suggest you listen to me. I would hate to upset everyone by tearing you apart."

The Lycan stepped closer to me. Then, like the crack of thunder, his name was snarled across the park. I watched as parents scooped up their children and folded them away from the sight. Nicolas' face turned pale and the scent of fear soaked into the hot air.

The Alpha Supreme strode towards us, anger stark across his face. Nicolas bowed his head. "Alpha."

"I heard you threatening my guests." He towered over the male, his lips pulled back. Blav bypassed him, lips dipping to the Merri's ear.

"Are you alright, my love?" He asked.

That shy, awkward Alpha from the kitchen, from the hospital was gone. I felt a taste of the beast he must have been to overtake a monarchy as he stepped closer to the young Lycan. There was power in his stance, in the flickering gold of his eyes.

It was beautiful, in a macabre sort of way.

"Alpha, that woman is my moon-bound." Nicolas protested.

Lux pressed her nose into my back. I would protect her if the Alpha stepped aside. I would tear through them all if he dared to let that Lycan approach her.

"You know the law, Nicolas." Easton slipped between us. "You can smell her fear, as sharp as a knife. You are scaring her."

"I can't help it, Alpha."

"Yes you can." Easton argued. "And if you continue, that scent will be burned into you. You won't escape it, Nicolas."

He said in such resignation. It gave me more satisfaction than I'd ever admit to know that time in the alleyway haunted him. I had been scarred with his teeth, but my fear had been burned into him. Good.

Nicolas sighed, shoulders sinking in defeat. "Yes, Alpha. What do I do?"

"Leave the park. Go home. Figure out how to get a handle on yourself. Maybe then, ask for her phone number."

He retreated, but I didn't take my eyes from him as the Lycan stalked from the park with his hands in his pockets. Only when he vanished from view, did I pull away from Lux.

"He's gone." I whispered.

She pursed her lips, her voice strangled. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" I asked, confused.

"For being...all jumpy and afraid."

"It's alright." I smiled awkwardly down at her. "No blood was spilled."

"Nova," He called to me, voice low and worried. "Were you hurt?"

He stood over me, hands burrowing into his pockets. He watched me closely, lips tense. I caught the under-current of nature lingering on his skin- soil, earth and rain. Everything that had been stripped from my senses for eight long years. "I just said no blood was spilled."

"I'm sorry that had to happen on your first day out." Easton continued.

"So you would have reserved that for what? The second day?" Tension knotted my throat as I caught the watching eyes. It was like an itch on my skin, an assault of too many things at once. The sun. The grass. The Lycans. The eyes. I turned to Lux. "Do you want to go back to the house?"

She nodded. I didn't wait or care if Merri, Easton or Blav were following as I guided Lux out of the park. I was a ball of knotted tension, desperately trying to keep the aggression from breaking out of me. I had to be human. I had to be normal. Just a poor little human who the Ravi didn't care for anymore. Merri and Blav bade us a quiet goodbye when we reached the housing estate and the Alpha followed after us eerily silent.

When I glanced back at him, his hands were stuffed into his pockets.

"I think I'll be fine," Lux spoke eventually when she stepped into the house and Muffin peeled away from the window, imperious and annoyed. She scooped up the cat, turning on her heels to face us. "I think I just need some time to think."

"He won't harm you." I told her. "He won't."

The Lycan stepped past me, a wall of heat and silence. His face was drawn and those powerful shoulders were tense. Worry. I could scent it off him. Worried for Lux? For me?

Did he think this afternoon's events would send me spiralling? I supposed I could spiral – I had clawed my way into society, learning my pleases and thanks, but I knew what the bowels of the earth felt like. I knew what degradation felt like. I wouldn't let the same happen to Lux. A marked human.

I knew I needed to figure out exactly what happened when the Lycan took control. I wanted to figure out the meaning of those scars on his face. How could a man with hands gentle enough to paint in such intricate detail, break and brutalize enough to take down a monarchy?

A library? The internet?

I hadn't wanted people to know how little I knew about modern technology. In eight years, message sending and cars and even libraries had changed so much.

"Can I go and see the garden?" Lux asked Easton softly, cradling Muffin. The cat watched the Lycan through heavily lidded eyes.

"Of course." Whiskey-brown eyes turned to me. "Nova? Would you like to see the garden?"

No. I needed silence. Time – to clear my head. "No."

He inclined his head. "If you need me, just call me."

"I wouldn't hold your breath." I watched Lux slip away into the garden. A moon-bound. Sweet little Lux was bound to a beast.

Though, I thought she would fare better than me. Back then, I had no one. Just myself, my school-bag and my tazor. She had me.

I was better than a tazor.

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