The Alpha's Mermaid

Chapter 13

Hellooo friends. This is my first time updating in a long time, and I hope it makes a little more sense. It is surprisingly difficult to take an idea I came up with when I was 12 and modify it to something that makes sense at 18, so thank you for bearing with me. I actually do have a plan for where this is going, and I'm gonna try to see it through.

All you lovelies who have been waiting, thank you and I looove you.

Elaina's POV

My heart wasn't usually easy to break, but I knew on the subject of mates, it was very fragile. If he did anything like this again, the pieces that had just been molded back together would go shattering again, and I'm not sure if it would heal after that.

I just couldn't understand why he would do this. We had just found each other, and the chemistry was electric between us. Or had it just been me? Did he feel the sparks when we touched? Was I the one at fault?

I shook the thought from my head. Even if he didn't feel as drawn to me as I was to him, that was nowhere near an excuse to cheat on me. We had a whole life together ahead of us, and he had tainted my picture perfect vision of endless happiness and bliss in the very first week of knowing him.

I had to realize that nothing I did would warrant his actions, and he was the one who made a mistake. Ultimately, I would have to accept that what had happened was irreversible, whether that helped his case or hindered.

Then there were my instincts going crazy with signs that something more was off here than just a  cheating scandal. That would also have to be something I investigated further with the coming weeks.

Whatever happened next, good or bad, Justin had changed the course of our future.

I was snapped back into reality when Mason said my name.

•

I tossed and turned in my bedroom all night, thoughts of Justin and the sounds of the forest invading my brain. I stared at the horizon so long that the sun began to light up the sky again, bringing with it a new day and new opportunity.

Today didn't have to be affected by the happenings of yesterday, and I arose from my bed despite not sleeping a wink.

Stretching out my sore limbs, I stripped from my pajamas and put on my phase proof bikini top and some black running shorts. I sneaked down the stairs and into the kitchen, trying hard not to wake my sleeping family. Grabbing a granola bar and heading out the door, I admired the arc of the sun rising over the trees and I sat facing the east, soaking up the yellow rays. After I finished my granola bar, I walked to the water, deciding to settle on walking from the sandy beach instead of jumping off the rocks. After all, I was just hospitalized yesterday.

The cool water chilled my whole body, but I moved quickly into the waves so I wouldn't have to drag myself through sand when I turned. My tail appeared within moments, and I dove beneath the coming wave. Swimming out to the deeper water, I felt my worries seeping out of my skin and being carried away with the water that brushed over my skin. Deciding to push myself out even further, I swam until I saw the bottom of a ship traveling down the coast from Canada. I turned back, not wanting to be close to a fishing boat or caught in a net. Seeing the position of the sun above me, I hurried home to my family. I had forgotten to leave them a note, and they were probably questioning what I was doing.

When I arrived back at the house, yelling could be faintly heard the moment I lifted my head from the ocean. I hurried inside, worried about what was causing this ruckus. Two of my brothers were holding my dad back from the front door, and the other two were standing next to my mother, crossing their arms with scowls on their faces. In front of them was Justin.

His eyes were tired and glazed over, and I felt as though his entire demeanor had changed. He stood like he would be ready to bolt at any moment, nervously transferring his weight between legs. He usually was confident in his stature, standing unashamed and honestly. The way he looked at me had changed too. His eyes used to send me into a fluster when they met mine with their startling intensity and admiration, but now they were dull. Something must've happened other than the sex to make him this... different.

I studied him closely as I pushed my way to the front of the crowd that was my family, curious to know what he would have to say.

He appraised me with almost no emotion, sighing as he started, "I want to apologize to you, Elle. I made a mistake and I hope that you can forgive me. I need you to stick around."

Wow, what a heartfelt apology. He looked like he was sent on a soliciting round to rattle off the same monotone speech at every doorstep. "Hm. Why do you say you need me to stick around?"

"You're my Luna, it's no secret that I need you in my life," he recited. Bull.

"Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it. Anyways, I'd love to talk with you sometime when there aren't 6 other pairs of eyes on us. Can we arrange that?" Now I was positive that there was something out of wack. Oddly enough, my bond mark wasn't aching with the pain of getting cheated on, nor was it drawing me towards my mate, and I needed to get to the bottom of it.

He nodded despite the glares of my family members behind me, no doubt angry that I'd wanted to meet with him alone. "Sure. Jacey has my number, let me know."

Then he turned and walked away, and my dad shook his fist at the retreating figure. I could only watch as theories began swimming around in my head. Had I been watching too many criminal minds episodes, or was there something really going on here?

Justin

My mind was filled with anxiety and all I wanted to know was what Elaina was doing right now. All I wanted to see was her gorgeous face smiling up at me, and all I wanted was to hold her in my arms and tell her everything was ok, but I simply couldn't.

That seems like such a filler chapter but it actually has some saucy stuff for the future.

Until next time.