"What?" I said, "Unable to believe a word of what he said."
"That’s why we had to sneak you out." He told me. "If we didn’t, then you would probably never have had the chance to leave."
My heart was beating so rapidly as I touched my chest and looked around, trying to think.
Looking for my family had been a sort of dream.
A dream that I had only prayed about, but never really assumed I was going to see come to pass.
I looked up at the sky and watched the full moon.
Somewhere, I knew a wolf was howling, but we had gone so far away from the pack that I couldn’t hear any noise.
I turned to look back at Otto.
"And Hildegard?" I asked him
He turned and looked away. "She chose her fate, Jasmine. The same way I have."
What if she died?
Wasn’t my leaving cowardice?
Letting someone take the fall for something I had done.
"Don’t think of going back." He told me. "There is nothing for you back there. If you do, Hildegard’s sacrifice would be in vain, and I would be killed."
My knees wobbled weakly despite my sitting down, and my leg stretched out.
"Perhaps it’s time, Jasmine." He told me. "That you start afresh elsewhere. Have a new life. You deserve it. After everything you’ve been through."
I sighed heavily and leaned against the rock.
The cool night breeze blew against my face, and I wondered what was going on in the pack.
Are you sure they won’t come here?" I asked.
"I doubt it." He told me as he rubbed his arm. "No one has been here in years, and they won’t suspect we would follow here. No one would reasonably come here."
I looked at him with a funny look.
He chuckled. "Except for you."
And then I gave a light chuckle.
I sighed heavily again and looked at Pearl.
She was backing us and looking towards the sea.
"It’s still amazing." He mumbled more to himself than anyone. "Seeing a siren in real life. Amazing."
Pearl ignored him and kept on staring at the sea.
I remembered what she said about the death song.
About how I must have died because I knew the tune of the song.
None of it still made sense
And it made me wonder.
If a siren could have unanswered questions about her own kind, then what hope did I, an unshifted half?
"It’s fifteen minutes now." She told me as she slowly turned to face us.
"Is it?" I asked, worried for Otto. "I don’t know
If he can stand."
"Stand up," Pearl commanded.
Otto sighed and tried to get up with my assistance.
There was no sign of discomfort.
He stretched and gently let go of my arm that he had been holding on to.
"I feel fine." He remarked as he juggled his arm. "I feel better than before."
He seemed extremely giddy and excited.
Which was so unlike Otto.
I wondered if it was one of the side effects of the magic Pearl had used.

She paused, waiting to hear what I said.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Alpha's Unwanted Bride