Chapter 145 2-17 THE DIVE
\-VALEN'S POV-
"Valen, where are you going?" Devin stalked me out of the classroom to catch me heading to the large football field.
It was almost lunchtime and I didn't want him involved. He's my best friend, so I hesitantly replied, "I'll be back before dismissal."
I turned around and jogged away only to hear a second set of footsteps behind me. Halting, I swung around in annoyance. "Devin, I'm not taking you with me."
"Why the hell not?" He caught me up, standing at my side. His Prussian blue eyes questioned me with unyielding perseverance. He could be a stubborn bull at times.
"I'm teleporting somewhere." I tried to hold some of my agenda back. "You hate it, remember?"
He was wasting my time and I had to be quick. Once the teacher realized I missed a session, they were bound to give Mom a call. He would get into trouble too.
"Yeah, but we made a pack. So when you get back and your father's killing you for going out of territory, aren't we supposed to die together?" He insisted, with an amused outlook.
With a brief weak grin, I vowed, "He'll spare you if you're not with me."
He stood stern and firm. Determined to go to hell and back with me. Based on this, I could swear that Devin must hate his life or something.
My emerald eyes needled his defiant blue. Then I sighed in frustration. "
Look, I think I know where the mermaid is. I'm going to have a chat with her."
Horrified, Devin shook his head, being my good conscience. "Nah, man. I don't agree with that. She could be dangerous. In your dreams, isn't she always trying to kill you?" He saw that his words weren't effective and persisted, "She could enchant you. Lure you away from us and even have you as her bitch. It's too risky."
"I'll determine that when I meet her." I put a hand on his shoulder, "Cover for me." I jogged backwards across the wide green field.
Balking, he raked a hand through his short shaggy caramel blonde hair. Then he held out a hand to stop me. I was getting mad. "I'm coming with you whether you want me to or not."
Rolling my eyes, I conceded. Together we ran from the field into the forest.
Teleporting in the open would be a sure sign that I was up to something. Some classrooms overlooked the football field and they would interpret me going into the forest as needing to cool down my wolf. Alphas were hotheaded creatures and got easily pissed.
Whereas, Devin was my future Beta. We were two peas in a pod. Always together, everywhere, and in everything. Though, for this escapade,
I preferred that he did not tag along. I did not know what we were walking into, but I had to find a way to break the link the mermaid had with me in my dreams. I was fucking over it. "Where are we headed?" Devin asked as we stopped by a grove of birch trees near the main road. I faced him, and put my hand on his shoulder again. "The pier." "You're going to take a boat out there? "He referred to the ocean.
"Yes." I nodded. Devin's eyes widened, "Wolves don't
swim that deep, Valen." Instead of responding to him, I teleported with him. Our bodies shimmered into invisibility,
manipulating space and time before materializing at a patch of trees, across from the pier.
Disoriented, Devin folded himself over to rest his hands on his knees, waiting for the dizzy spell to lift. His face was green, and his cheeks puffed as he fought to hold back the nausea. "This is why you shouldn't have come, "I retorted. He was costing me time and my patience was barely a thread. Mom would have a fit if she knew that I was disobeying her to go and see the mermaid. I convinced myself that my talk with the siren would not take long.
"Devin..." I gritted, filled with impatience. "Alright-alright," he fanned me off.
Blowing out a hard breath, he erected himself and we crossed the road, passing a few trailers and walking down the busy dock. "Alpha." They acknowledged and bowed as I trod to the last boat down the line.
The owner, an average-height middle- aged man wearing a brown cap over black hair, dressed in a green top and dirty jeans, stepped out. He bent his
back in respect. "Alpha, Beta, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"We need to go to sea. Whatever your charge is, we'll arrange payment." I ordered with a hard look. By our auras, every wolf understood
our rank whether they knew our faces or not. Their wolves can also identify the power that we possess. Hence, automatically submitting in fear. With that said, I can command any wolf to my bidding. However, my parents raised me to be considerate of others and that everyone needed a way of living. Therefore, I must pay like regular people for goods and services. Although, if I chose not to, they couldn't do a thing about it except to take their grievances to my parents. One upside was that many feared my father greatly to venture down that path. "This way, Alpha." He gestured with his hand to a ten-foot black and cream
aluminum fishing boat, smiling appreciatively to be in my presence. ' I'm Jude."
I nodded and clarified peremptorily, We're taking your boat." The man frowned and nodded hesitantly with comprehension. "Yes, I understand. Please be careful, Alpha."
Devin and I stepped inside and sat on the bench seat. He started the motor and we set off. I was having Deja Vu today and I decided to trust my instincts and follow the familiarity that came from my dream. With the baking golden light of the afternoon sun lying steady across the
through horizon, we sailed at a high speed. Journeying past the bouy and later a sea stack section. Shrieking pelicans perched on its great towering rocks. Gulls swooped down and dived into the water, catching his dinner. Another got jealous and fought him, trying to steal his harvest. The harsh oncoming wind smacked my
hair strands into a frenzied mess as some got into my squinting eyes. I brushed back my long black hair, catching the bulk of it and tying it into
a low bun. Anxiety spumed in my gut like the waves that see-sawed the soaring boat.
"There's nothing out here," Devin dissuaded, after an hour's sail for me to give up. The perpetual state of angst was vivid on his face.
We shot past a pod of bottlenose dolphins jumping out and diving back into the sapphire-blue water, frolicking as they filled the salty air with their discordant trills.
"Keep going," I instructed. Salty drops of sweat trickled down my face and onto my white polo T-shirt.
The further we traveled, we came upon a mist. It was thick as a cloud that obscured the entire horizon which had suddenly obscured the broad daylight. The pestering mermaid was expecting
me. Good.
Devin stopped the boat, eyeing me with concern. "This can't be good,
Valen. Let's go back. This shit looks like a scene from a scary movie." Peering into the gray gloom, we stood side by side. My piercing werewolf vision through the white fog saw a wide circular yellow light in the midst. She was there. In my dreams, she had returned to the sea since she was being hunted by the werelions. "Valen, for once in your life please listen to your Beta." Cold feet, Devin tried to warn me. In his fast-beating heart, he prayed earnestly for me to
heed his caution. Although he knew me too well to know how determined I would be. He scowled and sighed in defeat, grumbling, "Since our parents are bound to kill us anyway, we might as well go into the sea of death. I should have stayed at school but I had to tag the fuck along." He pointed at me. "This is the last time, Valen."
"Shush," I silenced him and he grimaced. I needed to concentrate. He threw his hands up in the air and stifled
a disgruntled groan. Seagulls flapped overhead, moving away from the murky sheet in the air. Fear marked Devin's face as he folded his arms. I closed my eyes, listening to the whispers of the sea.
"Valen, come." The whispering voice spoke with musicality. "I found her." As I took a stance to dive, Devin held my arm to hinder my intention.
"Have you forgotten that she killed you in the water? Let her come to us."
Devin protested with a sensible point. Baffled by my foolish conviction, he added, "She'll be too powerful in her element. Valen, please!"
Yanking my hand away, I shook my head, "She won't do that. I have to swim down to her."
"We have no snorkeling suit. It's suicidal." He groused and declared, "I could be making out with Francine
right now."
"I will be back, Devin," I reassured him with a pat on his back. Nothing could placate him. In silent opposition, he palmed his forehead. Then he reached for his phone in his denim jeans pocket and pressed the power button. He scoffed, "No damn signal," and flopped his ass on the bench seat.
Zeus, Zuzu, and Nyx. I hailed inwardly, here we go. I put one foot on the edge boat and leaped over, plunging of the into the unknown of the deep blue.