Page 56 of Seas the Day
Just when fatigue began to slow her strokes, she heard it—the thrust of another large body in the water behind Graven. Through the mate bond, she felt Thalric’s protective fury surge as he spotted his mate in danger.
He’s here. He found me.
Every instinct screamed at her to keep swimming, to get to safety while her mate handled the threat. But as she turned to look back, something deeper took over—the Luna part of her that refused to abandon her Alpha to fight alone.
She dove beneath the surface, her eyes adjusting to the clear pink depths. Below her, Thalric’s wolf form and Graven’s crocodile were locked in brutal underwater combat. The wolf’s agility and speed were matched against the crocodile’s crushing power and armored hide.
I have to help him somehow.
She waited, treading water, looking for an opening. When Graven’s massive tail lifted to deliver what would surely be a devastating blow to Thalric’s ribs, she saw her chance.
Diving deeper, she grabbed the crocodile’s tail with both hands just as it reached the apex of its swing. Using every ounce of her competitive swimmer’s strength, she held on and pulled downward, disrupting Graven’s attack and throwing off his balance in the water.
The moment of distraction was all Thalric needed. His wolf form darted forward with lethal precision, his jaws clamping down on Graven’s throat with crushing force. The life drained from the crocodile’s pale eyes as Thalric’s bite stayed firmly in place.
Navira released the tail and kicked toward the surface, her lungs screaming for air. As she broke through and gasped in the warm Nova Aurora atmosphere, she saw blood spreading through the pink water—dark crimson that marked the end of Graven’s reign of terror.
We did it. Together.
As powerful as Graven had been, he was no match for a Luna and Alpha fighting as one. They were a force that could face any odds, overcome any challenge that threatened their pack or their bond.
Thalric’s wolf form surfaced beside her, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his powerful neck, letting him support her weight as they both caught their breath. The familiar comfort of his presence, even in wolf form, settled something deep in her chest that had been wound tight with fear.
He swam them toward the sleek ship waiting in the deeper water, where she could see Kaelen’s familiar silhouette at the bow. Safety. The beginning of their real life together, now that the shadow of Graven’s threat had finally been lifted.
As they reached the ship and climbed aboard, Thalric shifted back to his human form. Water streamed from his dark hair and muscled torso as he immediately pulled her into his arms, his storm-grey eyes searching her face for any sign of injury.
“I’m sorry,” he began, his voice roughened with emotion. “I should have listened to you from the beginning. Your instincts about Sylar, about the whole situation?—”
“Stop.” Navira pressed her fingers to his lips, silencing his apology. “Let’s just promise to always listen to each other going forward. No more dismissing concerns, no more blind trust in the wrong people.”
“Agreed,” he said firmly, his arms tightening around her.
She pulled back slightly to meet his gaze. “What happened to Sylar?”
Pain flickered across Thalric’s features—genuine grief for the man who’d helped raise him, even after the ultimate betrayal. “I had no choice. He wouldn’t stand down, and I had to get to you.”
The weight of that impossible decision pressed between them, and Navira could feel through their bond how much it had cost him to kill someone he’d once considered family.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, understanding that sometimes an Alpha had to make choices that carved pieces from his soul to protect what mattered most.
Before she could say anything more, Thalric leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss that tasted of salt and relief and the promise of peace finally within their grasp.
THIRTY-NINE
THALRIC
Five days had passed since Rocky Point Island, and the weight of those events still pressed against Thalric’s chest like a boulder. The ambush, Graven’s death, Sylar’s ultimate betrayal—each memory carved itself deeper into his consciousness with every strategic meeting, every pack discussion, every moment he caught himself second-guessing decisions that once came as naturally as breathing.
The pack had accepted his explanation about Sylar’s death with surprising grace. Most understood that an Alpha faced impossible choices when protecting his mate and territory. Still, Thalric carried the burden of not listening to Navira’s instincts from the beginning, of allowing his blind trust in Sylar to nearly cost them everything.
She tried to warn me,he thought as he navigated the coastal road toward their destination.Every instinct she had was correct, and I dismissed her concerns because I couldn’t see past thirty years of misplaced loyalty.
The realization that Sylar had likely orchestrated the cove ambush as well—the attack that nearly killed Navira—made his wolf snarl with rage all over again. When that ambush attempt failed, Sylar had simply adjusted his strategy, playing the longgame until Rocky Point Island provided the perfect opportunity for elimination.
“You’re brooding again,” Navira observed from the passenger seat, her voice carrying that mixture of affection and gentle challenge he’d grown to love.
Through their completed bond, she could surely feel the dark turn of his thoughts even when he tried to shield them.
