Page 47 of Selkie AU: Beyond the Storm

I wasn’t sure how long it was supposed to take Milo to get to his colony and explain the situation, but every minute that passed with only silence and the dark cold had more fear and doubts raising in my mind. What if they didn’t let him leave again?

I knew selkies weren’t supposed to interact with humans. Or what if he was in trouble? What if those orcas came back and I couldn’t get to him in time? Milo had said this wasn’t their territory, but what did whales care about that?

What was I supposed to do if he didn’t come back? I couldn’t just dive into the water and start looking for him. I didn’t knowwhere to go, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to see or hold my breath long enough to get there. He’d told me as much.

I didn’t like any of this. This was a bad plan. I shouldn’t have let him leave.

God, I just wanted to go back home with him and fall asleep in front of the fire. None of these daring rescue missions that needed reinforcements, and taking on who knew how many poachers and “other things,” as Panak had said.

What other things?

What else was out there? How could I protect Milo from it all if I didn’t know about it? What happened if I couldn’t?

How could I ever live without him now that I’d felt how bright life could be with him at my side? I’d only had him for two weeks and I already knew I couldn’t do a single day without him ever again.

I paced my boat, pulling my beanie from my head so I could run my fingers through my hair. I was entirely useless right now.

He’d not even been gone an hour, and I was already spiraling.

Get yourself together.

I exhaled heavily as my body sagged atop the fish box, my eyes casting up to the aurora sky. The colors shifted slowly, rhythmically. I’d always found them calming.

Inhale. Exhale. Trust him.

A minute passed. Another. I tried to focus on my breathing. Tried to center myself. My heart rate refused to slow. Each inhale fought me to be drawn in faster.

This wasn’t working.

With a grunt, I pulled up to my feet again, pacing the small distance my boat allowed.

Desperate forsomethingto do, I grabbed my bucket, leaning over the edge to fill it with water so I could scrub my boat. I’d washed it since my last fish haul, so it wasn’t like anythingparticularly needed to be cleaned, but it was something to pass the time.

By the time I heard movement in the water, the boat was probably the cleanest it had been in years.

“Milo?” I called out into the darkness.

There was no response.

I scanned the water.

Searching.

Two pure black eyes were looking back at me.

A harp seal. But not Milo. I could recognize him even in seal form.

“Uh… hi there,” I called out.

The seal didn’t respond.

Two more black eyes were on me as another seal bobbed its head above the surface. Then another. When the fifth seal met me with that blank and expectant stare, my palms grew clammy despite the cold. Was this Milo’s colony? What were they waiting for?

“Um… I’m uh… Rowan. I’m with Milo.” I swallowed. “You can… come onto the boat if you want to.”

I scanned past them, looking for Milo as another pair of eyes surfaced. Still no Milo. They also didn’t move to get on the boat.

“I’m human, well you probably know that already, but I’m a good one. I’d never do anything that would harm Milo or his people.”