Word Count: 4525

"So..." Reese started as he and Callum entered the dining room as he approached Adam but stopped when he saw Adam smiling at his phone. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," Adam said quickly, stuffing his phone into his pocket.

"Nothing?" Reese said.

"Dude, whatever," Callum chuckled. "Try that on someone else. What's going on? Who were you texting?"

"I...uh...met someone," Adam said with a heavy sigh.

"What?" Callum and Reese said together, staring at him, with shocked expressions on their faces.

"I met someone," Adam repeated. "At the initiation, after you guys bailed on me."

Reese and Callum just stared at Adam like he was an alien from another planet for several seconds before Adam rolled his eyes.

"Is it really so shocking that I could meet someone?" Adam asked, sarcastically.

"Yes," Reese and Callum answered together again.

"So, what's the deal?" Callum asked after another couple of seconds of them just staring at Adam.

"I talked to Harp for a few minutes, and she said something to me that just made me stop and think," Adam said, and sat down at the table.

"She has a way of doing that," Reese remarked.

"What did she say?" Callum said, sitting at the table across from Adam.

"She basically told me that Celie and Eden were in love, and I needed to move on," Adam said. "Then she told me that she thought I was a good guy, and she liked the person I am, but that me and Cel would never have worked out because of all the bad memories and how much Celie suffered after I had rejected her. Then she showed me the moon symbol on her wrist, and she said the moon goddess knows what's in our hearts and she loves us and that if I would open my heart, I would find happiness."

Adam paused for a few minutes, a pensive look on his face as the memory flowed through his mind. Reese and Callum stayed quiet, letting him gather his thoughts, then he looked up.

"Then I turned to go back to the bench and you guys were gone, so I just sat back down because I didn't feel like going to look for you," Adam said. "There was a girl sitting there watching the kids play and we started talking."

Adam told them of his conversation with Dana and what she'd told him about rejecting her own mate.

"So, you guys are talking now?" Callum asked, with a smile.

"We were supposed to go on a date tonight, but then Jenny said she was meeting Cole tonight, and now we're going to fight tritons instead," Adam sighed.

"You don't have to go," Reese said. "We've got this, Adam, go on your date, we can handle Cole and his minions."

"No way!" Adam objected immediately.

"Adam, you don't..." Reese started, but Adam cut him off.

"No! I stayed here to see this through, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm not letting those fuckers get away with everything they've done. They nearly killed Matt, they ate a guy at the beach, they killed Sana, almost killed Cel, and attacked multiple times, I'm not walking away from this fight. Don't even think about that." Adam said. "You didn't see what they did to Matt, you weren't here when that happened, they ripped him to shreds, he barely survived. Think about that, Matt, that huge nearly indestructible siren, was shredded to the point of almost bleeding to death in my arms. Imagine what they could do, have done, to regular humans who happen to walk on the beach when they're around. I can't let them get away; those things are more dangerous than you can imagine. You haven't seen them up close, you haven't seen what they can do. You've only seen their bodies, and that tame one in the pool. If you'd seen them fight, if you'd seen what they did to him, you would know I can't walk away without knowing they've been stopped."

"He's not that big," Reese grouched.

"Compared to Eden, he's not big," Adam snorted. "Compared to us, he's big. Hell, the only wolf I've seen so far as big as him is Porter, who's a freak of nature."

"Yeah," Callum laughed. "Porter's personality never ceases to amaze me. I've never seen so strong an alpha with such a laid back, hilarious demeanor before. Lorelai is far more intimidating than he is, but honestly, I wouldn't want to fight him."

"I wouldn't want to fight her," Adam joked.

"No shit," Callum said. "I almost choked when I saw her wolf. She's bigger than I am, and seriously wild, almost feral, if you ask me."

"No one asked you," Lorelai said.

Reese, Callum, and Adam jerked, and turned toward her voice to find her leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest, eyebrows raised.

"How did you sneak up on us?" Adam asked, confused. "I can't even smell you."

"I learned how to hide my scent when I was young," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"That's impossible," Reese said, frowning.

"For you," Lorelai responded, prompting a glare from Reese, which she just smirked at. "My wolf is not feral; we just don't put up with any bullshit."

"You couldn't control her at the party," Callum said. "She completely took over."

"No, she didn't. We both wanted to take them down, make examples out of them, so we did." Lorelai said, practically sneering at him. "You think you can put me in the same category as yourself, you can't. I'm not like you, my wolf and I are not two separate creatures, we're one. We merged into one being when I was out in the wild alone. That's why the elders kept me so close after they found me, it was to study me as much as it was to help me."

Reese, Adam, and Callum exchanged surprised glances, and stared back at Lorelai.

"How is that possible?" Reese finally asked. "We're separate spirits, we can't merge."

"Yes, we can," Isaac answered from behind Lorelai, having sensed her irritation the others had come over to see what was happening. "It's just very, very, rare, and only the most powerful wolves can do it. There are two documented instances of it in our history, it is even more rare than being goddess marked."

"Which is just more evidence of these happenings being influenced by the goddess herself." Silas commented. "Here we have the only two goddess marked wolves in generations who have brought together two species created by the goddess. The blessed ones have united the most powerful sea warriors with two powerful packs, led by one of the strongest wolf warriors, who happens to be mated to the only unified spirit wolf alive."

"That is why we believe there is a war coming," Eva said. "One battle with a small band of tritons would not concern the goddess enough to put all these pieces in place."

"This is likely just the beginning," Enna nodded. "We've suspected them of evolving for many years, now we have proof they are, I doubt this will be an isolated incident. If we can stop the one organizing them, we might be able to slow it down, but I think a war is likely inevitable."

"Then it is time we began organizing as well," Eden said, standing with his arm tightly around Celie's waist. "Once mating season is over and the immediate danger is past, we will disperse in groups, put out calls, inform our brethren who live on land, and start coming together to prepare for what is ahead."

"That's at least one advantage we have over them," Matt said. "We communicate and understand each other, we have one society, one culture, and universal laws we live by."

"But we will soon not remain the peaceful people we have been for millennia," Charo said sadly.

"I don't think you've been that peaceful," Harper said. "You're peaceful with each other and humans, but you've been killing tritons since the beginning of your race."

Many of the sirens in the room gave Harper a dirty look, but she just shrugged it off.

"That is true," Winter said. "We have always made war on them. But perhaps this is our chance to accomplish two goals, to get rid of the bad ones, and save the good ones. Bo is evidence that they are not all killers, that they have evolved to have mates, and families. There may be a chance for peace, after war."

"And aren't tritons children of the goddess too?" Celie asked. "She's sending Bo dreams to come to us, to ask for protection, to bring his mate and child here for safety. She's guiding all of us to change, to know each other, to teach each other, to stop the evil that has been done and bring peace, to them, and to us."

"Yes," Silas nodded. "The ways of the moon are beyond our understanding; she sees far beyond what we can conceive."

"All we can do it try to survive and look for signs from her on what to do," Enna said.

"It seems pretty obvious to me," Celie shrugged. "She's showing us that compassion is just as important as aggression. If we don't show compassion to those who deserve it, are we really any better than them? She sent Levi, Bo, Vall, and their baby to us to save and protect. She's showing us we are all her children. Before we had no reason to believe that they were anything but killers, and by getting rid of them we were protecting other species. But now we know for sure they are not all killers, so we need to remember that and incorporate it in any future actions."

"It will not be easy," Eden sighed, but kissed the top of Celie's head, proud to have such a strong and yet kind mate.

"Nothing worth doing ever is," Harper said.

"The goddess must have great faith in us," Moira smiled. "To put such a task ahead of us, but after meeting everyone here, I think we may yet be able to live up to her expectations, if we stay true to her."

**

Porter, Lorelai, and most of the pack warriors had already left to secure the perimeter and take their positions at the beach as the others waited for Jenny to arrive.

"Hey Cel," Adam said, approaching Celie as she was tugging on her sneakers. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Celie said, tensing a little. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you before we head out," Adam started. "We don't know what's going to happen tonight, and I had a couple of things to say to you before we go, just in case I don't come back."

"Don't say that, Adam!" Celie said immediately. "That's not going to happen!"

"Just in case," Adam said. "I wanted to tell you that you did the right thing. You made the right decision when you chose Eden. I don't have any hard feelings toward you, I want you to be happy, and I think Eden will make you happy."

Celie just stared at Adam in shock for a few seconds before he chuckled.

"I know that was the last thing you were expecting to hear from me," Adam said. "But the bond is pretty much gone now, and since it's faded, I've been able to think and see things more clearly. Harper also had a little talk with me that put things into perspective."

"Harp has a way of doing that," Celie smiled.

"I just wanted to tell you that I hoped and prayed for you to be alive and happy for seven years, and I can see now that you are. That's enough." Adam said simply. "That's more than enough for me."

Something softened toward him in Celie's heart.

"That's what I want for you too, Adam," Celie said. "I'll hope and pray for you to find it."

"I'm going to work on that," Adam smiled. "I even...uh...met someone at the initiation and I asked her out."

"SHUT UP!" Celie squealed, and slapped Adam's arm. "Who is it? Do I know her? I can put in a good word for you! Oh my god, this is so amazing! What's she like? When are you going to take her on a date? Do you need some tips on where to go? Do you have a nice suit? I can help you plan it out! This will be so much fun! We'll get you a haircut, maybe a new style, you need some work."

Adam couldn't help but laugh at her instant enthusiasm.

"Her name is Dana, she's part of the Everglades pack," Adam said.

"Jordy's mom?" Celie asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Do you know her?" Adam asked, surprised.

"I met her a couple of times, I know Jordy," Celie said. "Porter and I get out there and play with the kids when I visit the pack. He's a sweet boy, he has such a cute little giggle! Dana seems nice too, always keeps a close eye on him and the younger kids. I think she's a teacher or something."

"First grade," Adam nodded.

"That's so awesome, Adam, that's the best news I've heard in a long time!" Celie said, a wide smile on her face. "You'll have to tell me all about her when we get back, and me and Harp can totally help you plan out the best first date night ever!"

"I might take you up on that," Adam said. "I don't know much about dating, or Miami."

"Well, you came to the right place!" Celie said. "Thank you for telling me this, Adam. I was really feeling shitty about the way things turned out, I know I hurt you."

"I hurt myself," Adam said. "None of it was your fault, it's time to put it behind us and look ahead."

The bell rang interrupting further discussion and Celie turned to see Jenny coming through the door. She had chewed her lips raw, and her eyes were red and scared.

"Jenny, why don't you go spend a few minutes with Levi and we'll talk about everything in a little bit?" Celie said immediately, knowing seeing her baby would make her feel better.

"Ok," Jenny said, and gave a half-hearted smile before heading back to the tank room.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Celie said, glancing at Harper.

"She's not up to this," Harper agreed.

"I'll take care of that," Eden said, drawing a frown from Celie as she turned to him. "I'll command her to remain calm and not to think about anything other than meeting him and what she wants to talk to him about. I'll have her keep our mission and presence in the back of her mind while she is at the beach."

"We'll tell her to only remember us if she feels she is in danger or if Cole becomes hostile or others of his kind show up," Matt agreed. "Let her drive her own car, and Celie can follow a little way behind her in the Tahoe so she can get us off her mind. We'll tell her to relax and listen to music and just let her mind drift, she won't be thinking about us or anything we're doing by the time she gets there."

"You can't just tell her to forget us altogether while she's out there?" Adam asked.

"The human mind is a delicate thing," Winter said. "Commanding someone to forget something can take it away from them forever, some might be strong enough to retain a memory somewhere in their mind, where we can command them to remember it again, but it is not guaranteed. But even more dangerous is that commanding someone to forget one thing, can set off a chain reaction where they forget everything related to that one thing, then forget everything related to those things, until their minds are completely gone. We are taught to never command someone to forget something, we use our voices to give them something else to think about or replace a memory with a similar one, but not to forget entirely."

"Wow," Callum said. "This whole time I've kinda associated a siren command with an alpha command, but I'm starting to realize they're really nothing alike."

"There's no alpha alive that can wipe someone's mind away with one command," Reese agreed.

"Jenny is almost ready to go," Eva said, emerging from the back of the house. "Perhaps now would be a good time to speak to her?"

"Right," Reese said, then turned toward the door. "We'll head out to the beach and meet up with Porter and the others. Oh, and before he left Porter did a temporary pack initiation with us so that we'll be able to mind link each other to coordinate with the warriors, so if you need anything, just call out to us, if we're in range, we'll answer."

"Well, that makes things simpler," Harper said, watching them leave. "At least most of us can link now and will make coordinating easier. I can hear Cel for around twenty miles, so we should have no trouble communicating with each other at all...Are we sure I have to drive the boat, is there really no one else here who can do it? I want to stay with Celie."

"Harper, we talked about this," Matt started but Harper interrupted him.

"Listen, I know for a fact that half the warriors of the Keys pack have boats and can navigate these waters!" Harper said. "Alpha Michael has a freakin sailboat that he and Luna Diana sail around here all the time."

"It's not a good idea, Harper, I need you to drive the boat," Matt argued.

"This is stupid! I'm not driving the damn boat, I'm going with Cel!" Harper snapped. "I know Alpha Michael can drive the damn boat."

"No!" Celie immediately argued. "Harper, we talked about this, you need to drive the boat and speed out of there as soon as everyone hits the water. It's the safest place for you to be."

"What?" Harper frowned. "Safest place for me to be? What does that mean? I need to be with you to keep you safe. Driving a boat is not rocket science."

"No, Harper, this is not negotiable," Celie said. "You are not going anywhere near that beach tonight. Period."

"What?" Harper narrowed her eyes at Celie, realizing there was more to this than she realized. "Why are you so insistent that I drive the boat and leave immediately? I'm a good fighter, I can protect you and Jenny, I should be there with you."

"Harp, we need you on the boat..." Matt tried, but Celie cut him off like he hadn't even spoken, making it clear this argument was between her and Harper.

"No." Celie said firmly. "I don't need you to protect me, I can protect myself."

"You're still healing, Celie, I won't sit by and let you be injured again when I can be with you," Harper argued.

"No! Harper, this is not up for discussion!" Celie pointed at the ground. "This is not a debate! I told Matt you are not going to be anywhere near that beach, and I mean it."

"You told Matt?" Harper said. "That's why he was so insistent I drive the boat? Because you told him to make me?"

"Yes!" Celie said, getting upset, raising her voice. "I told him to tell you to drive the boat, and you're driving the damn boat!"

"You don't get to make that decision for me, Cel!" Harper said, getting loud herself. She and Celie almost never fought, but when they did, tempers rose quickly.

"You've made a hell of a lot of decisions for me over the years, it's my damn turn to make one for you!" Celie shouted. "You're staying away from that fucking beach and that's final!"

"It's not goddamn final!" Harper shouted back. "You don't dictate..."

"IF YOU GET YOUR ASS HURT ON THAT FUCKING BEACH AND LOSE THAT BABY I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Celie roared, furiously.

A pin could have dropped in the house at that moment, and everyone would have heard it. Matt swung around and stared at Celie with wide eyes.

"Baby?" Eden asked.

"What are you talking about, Celie?" Harper said, breathing hard, her eyes intense.

"You're pregnant, Harp," Celie said.

"That's not possible," Harper said, her voice barely a whisper.