Persuading Lairith and Thelopi to return with Amara proved to be a difficult task. For them, it meant travelling to a foreign country full of unknown dangers that could put their lives in jeopardy.
From the beginning, they were confident that their sister was alive somewhere. They knew she was a survivor, someone who wouldn't easily yield to those who tried to harm her, but despite that, they still hoped that her injuries weren't severe, so seeing her standing in front of them without a scratch lifted a heavy burden from their shoulders.
Before arriving here, the planned that after finding Amara they would immediately return home. It was clear to say that they did not expect such a situation to arise and so, were a bit lost at what to do.
Since they first appeared, they've found that the people with Amara were fundamentally different from the humans they've encountered in the sea . Their eyes discerned that their bodies lacked the frailty that humans possessed, instead sensing the strength they held in their bodies. They were strong. Strong enough to pose a threat to their survival and they didn't dare make light of this "feeling" as it stemmed from their instincts.
Another danger was that these people lived among humans, so what distinguished them from them? Humans were monstrous creatures by nature. They were cruel and manipulative for such a frail species. As such, their words were the last thing they would ever trust.
The two sides stood opposite each other. Lairith stared Austin and the others down as if daring them to make a single move. She stretched her hand out to Amara and said, "Let's return home."
Despite the fact that Austin didn't understand what Lairith was saying, her behaviour suggested that she was attempting to separate Amara from him. He hastily grabbed her wrist to keep her from moving away from him. His grip contained a considerable amount of force but not enough to hurt her. "Please don't leave me..." he pleaded, his voice trembling. He sounded so vulnerable that neither Felix nor Jessie knew what to do. They didn't see this side of him very often, if at all. He always portrayed himself as strong an in control.
Austin was scared because even he didn't know what he was capable of doing if she did chose to leave him. He was afraid that his desperation would lead him to do something that would make her hate him forever.
A slight scent of salt lingered in the air. The crashing waves echoed in his ears, as if to tell him that Amara didn't belong by his side, that they belonged in two different worlds. Oh, how he wished the ocean would disappear right now, leaving her with no option but to stay with him.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who felt this way. Jackson, whose heart was beating with anxiety, was desperately trying to keep himself from enveloping his mate in his arms and prevent her from leaving him. Will he lose her the same day he found her? Will he not get the chance to know her and fall deeper in live with her than he does now?
No.
He couldn't just let things end this way. "P-please don't go yet," he begged as he moved closer to her, "I-I just found you..." his eyes that conveyed his fear and anxiety had her feet firmly rooted on the ground. She paused, not liking the way he was looked at her as if his world would come crashing down if she wasn't there.
His trembling voice shook Lairith's heart as though a small wave passed through it before becoming still again. In the short time she had known him, his existence had already caused a discrepancy within her that she couldn't understand. She was strangely drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Her mind was screaming at her to flee, to flee before the fire engulfed her and reduced her to cinders, leaving nothing but ash behind, but at the same time, she was intrigued. What has this man done to make her feel such uncertainty?
She looked at Amara, their eyes inevitably colliding. It took but a mere moment to recognise the unfamiliar emotions each held within their gaze. They were both hesitant and unsure about what they should do. On one hand, they wanted to leave and return to the familiar trenches where they belonged, but on the other hand, they wanted to stay. They wanted to know what it was about these men that piqued their interest so much.
Of course, because of the time she spent here, Amara had a stronger attachment to this place than her sister, and the realisation that she would never be able to see the man beside her again made her feel a sense of loss she had never felt before. Is it possible that she felt this way because he treated her well? Was it because of the delicious food he prepared? or was it the gentle caresses he'd shower her with?
Throughout the weeks she spent by his side, the man beside her had quietly inserted himself into her heart, quietly carving out a place for himself. If they continued like this, what would happen Every second - every minute she spent with him made her feel more satisfaction than she ever felt in her life.
Sirens believed they couldn't feel love because all they'd ever known was momentary lust. They were skilled at manipulating a man's heart, desire and mind. It was as natural to them as breathing, so how could they possibly feel love when they didn't even know what it was?
Amara and Lairith struggled with their contradictory emotions before finally calming down and accepting it.
Fine. Why not stay when these men were so adamant to keep them here? They've never been the kind to hold back from getting what they want, so why don't they watch how the situation unfolds? These men had piqued their curiosity, and now they'll have to take responsibility for it.
They believe they are unable to feel love, but in the corner of their minds, they wonder what tactics they will use to have them surrender their hearts to them. If they don't succeed, then they have no qualms about siring their child before returning home. They were strong, so there will be no doubt that their child will be as well.
Amara glanced at her siblings before returning her gaze to Austin, whose face was filled with worry.
"We've decided to stay... for now." she finally says.
At her words, his face melted into that of relief. He wrapped his arms around her and exhaled deeply, "Thank you.".
He wrapped his arms around her and exhaled deeply, "Thank you.". Amara could feel his heart pounding; it was strong and fast, showing just how nervous he was. She remained motionless in his embrace except with a slight smile on her normally expressionless face.
On the other side, Jackson stood in front of Lairith, his eyes still pleading. Lairith's face remained cold, blankly staring at him before pinching his chin and pulling him closer to her. The difference in their height was not much with Jackson only being a couple of inches taller than her.
There was just a few inches of distance between them because his face was so close to hers. His eyes opened slightly in surprise, giving him the appearance of a deer caught in headlights. Lairith grinned thinking that's expression was a little cute.because she thought his expression was cute.
"U-um" he stammered nervously.
Lairith cut him off, "-We'll stay. For now."
He blinked before smiling brightly, "Really?" he asked in disbelief "You mean it?"
Lairith nodded. Jackson felt so overwhelmingly happy that before he could think, he had already hugged her tightly.
"What the hell is going on...?" After a pause he continued, "You know what, I feel a little left out," Thelopi said as he pouted his lips and stared at them with a blameful expression.
"You're quite well-spoken..." Felix said, a little taken aback.
"Of course, this isn't the first time I've been on the surface so I've picked up your language already. It's quite simple actually so it wasn't that hard."
"So you understood everything we've said so far?"
Thelopi chuckled and nodded. He tilted his head and said in a teasing manner, "You are quite a handsome one. It's been a while since I've seen someone of your calibre in terms of physical appearance."
Felix quirked his eyebrow. He must admit that Amara's family was very unique in term of personality and bluntness, so much so that he could see the resemblance. "Thank you for your compliment but I'm married,"
"How unfortunate, we really could have had a lot of fun together..." he sighed, disappointed. He shook off his disappointment after a brief moment. "All right, then! Why don't we start going back to your house now that we've made introductions and everything is in order?"
Felix nodded his head in agreement before taking a hold of Jessie's hand and began walking back to their cars, which they had abruptly abandoned on the side of the road.
"Where do you want to meet, Austin?"
"The house." he answered. The number of visitors coming in and out of his house had grown exponentially these past few weeks. In the past, he had not had as many visits in a year.
he sighed, knowing that things were about to change and become busier from now on, but it didn't matter. As long as Amara was with him, he didn't care.
Austin, Amara, Jackson, Lairith, and Thelopi shared one car on the way back, while Felix and Jessie shared the other. This happened as a result of Amara's siblings' refusal to separate from her and Jackson's refusal to separate from Lairith. Jessie grumbled a little because she wanted to talk to Amara and her siblings, but there weren't enough seats in the car and she couldn't just leave her husband alone.
Amara and Austin sat in the front, and Lairith sat in the back, in the middle, with the other two boys on either side of her. This group of five stayed quiet on the way back.
Jackson often gave her curious glances before finally deciding to open his mouth and speak. "Hi, my name's Jackson. I'm sorry I didn't get to introduce myself earlier,"
Lairith gave him a curious look but stayed quiet, making the situation uncomfortable. It wasn't because she didn't want to speak to him; but rather, she couldn't because she hadn't yet mastered their language.
Fortunately, Amara was nearby and was able to translate for her: "He's saying that his name is Jackson and that he's sorry for not introducing himself earlier," she said. Amara turned to him after translating what he meant and said to him, "My sister's name is Lairith. Forgive her, but she still doesn't understand your language, making it difficult for her to respond to what you said."
After saying that it was fine, Jackson went deep into thought. Lairith... her name was just as beautiful and unique as she is.
"What are you? Thelopi asked curiously, "I can smell humans on you but you don't exactly smell human."
Austin glanced at his rear view mirror wondering how exactly they were going to explain to them what they are without having them run back to the sea.
After a moment of silence, Jackson finally answered, "We are werewolves."
Thelopi knitted his eyebrows, "Werewolves? As in Lycans?"
Jackson's eyebrows raised. They have not been referred to as lycans in a very long time. "Yes, that is one of the names they call us,"
Thelopi looked at them as if he had just seen an extinct animal, "Wow. I though this were extinct, guess not,"
Extinct? "You... know of us?"
He nodded, "You used to hunt us a long time ago, along with the humans,"
The car became deafeningly silent, to the point that you could hear a pin drop. After that, neither Jackson nor Austin knew what to say. They've never heard their ancestors mention anything like that, and he's been through their records many times.
"Are you certain? Since there have never been any written accounts of sirens, and I'm pretty sure finding a new species is something worth mentioning, "
"I don't know about your people, but our ancestors have passed down stories of wolf shifters conspiring with humans to trap us, and despite the fact that this occurred many years ago, we still hold a grudge. Many of us dislike you, and some of us have taken action against your kind in revenge for what you did to us." He shifted his gaze between Amara and Lairith. "But I suppose there are some exceptions,"
"...And what about you? Do you hate us?" Austin probed.
Thelopi looked at him deeply before answering, "I'm not sure yet. I'm admit that I'm not a huge fan of you but to say that I despise you would imply that I care,"
Austin didn't ask any more questions after hearing his answer. Since Thelopi's words made it difficult to shift the mood to a more lighthearted one, the ride back to Austin's house was quiet.
A/N
Damn! This was a long as chapter with almost 2000 words!
Lol a little life update for you all, my laptop broke. Yep, half of my screen isn't working so I'll be writing and editing everything from my phone and because of this, some of my editing tools (like Grammarly) doesn't really work so I'm sorry if there are some extra errors in this chapter :( I will be coming back to fix it once I get a new laptop.
Another thing is, if you didn't see my A/N in the previous chapter, I basically said that the reason why I might be updating a bit slowly is because school is back and it's kind of my senior year so I have to actually try lol.
ENJOY THE CHAPTER AND IF YOU ENJOYED IT PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND VOTE!!!
LOVE YOU!
[EDIT 2/3/21] Freshly edited from my new laptop :)