Word Count: 5361
Everyone was hanging out in the kitchen as they finished cooking dinner and were about to set the table when the front door opened, and Porter ushered in a tiny old lady with a cane. She was obviously nearly blind, her back was bent, and her lips were puckered and shrunk from having no teeth.
"Who's this?" Harper asked with a smile.
"This is my new friend Lou," Porter said, winking at Harper. "She's moving over here from Silver Thorn. She and I hit it off right away."
Porter introduced everyone in the room, and Lou approached Reese and squinted up at him, her nose twitching as she sniffed him and took in his scent.
"I guess you'll do," Lou said after a moment, then waved a dismissive hand at Reese, who looked up at Porter, who was biting his lip to keep from laughing. "You said you had the good stuff here. Bring it out, boy."
"You got it, Lou," Porter replied. "What's your pleasure? Gin, rum, whiskey, bourbon, vodka, or scotch?"
"I'll take some spiced rum if you have it," Lou said, sitting herself down at the table.
"Coming right up, my lady," Porter said, causing her to start cackling again. Which made everyone in the room smother their laughter. Even Mavi was laughing at the old lady's antics.
Lou sat at the table, her head back, turning this way and that as she took in the scents of the house and people around her.
"Well, now, I wasn't expecting to find you over here, child," Lou said, turning to Mavi.
"They brought me here to keep me safe and make me better," Mavi said in a small voice, glancing around nervously to make sure no one minded her speaking.
"Good, you needed taking care of," Lou gave a firm nod. "You'd'a been dead in another week out there, girl."
"I know," Mavi said quietly.
"And you," Lou said, turning toward Harper, sniffing in her direction. "Why's a pregnant she-wolf spending time in the pack prison?"
"I had business with a few men there," Harper said. "I'll be back tomorrow, too, to finish up with the last few on my list."
"I have a list if you want it," Lou snorted.
"I'd like to take a look at it," Reese said, glancing at Porter, who nodded.
"I hope you do, Alpha," Lou said, turning toward Reese. "There's a lotta bad 'uns over there that need to be brought in line. There are a lotta good wolves there too, but they been beat down so bad they don't lift their head anymore."
"We're going to change all that," Reese said firmly. "I'll do whatever needs to be done to get rid of the rogues and protect the pack. Getting everything done might take a little while, but we'll get there."
Lou raised her head and sniffed at Reese again. After a second, she decided he smelled like he was telling the truth, and she nodded.
"This pack seems decent enough. I didn't smell any death or rot when we passed the pack boundary," Lou said. "I heard for years that you wolves were evil bastards that needed to be beaten. I wasn't sure I believed it. Our pack was filled with bastards, so I didn't think they had any right to cast judgment on other packs."
"We don't allow that over here," Reese sighed, shaking his head. "We protect our wolves, my parents were the ones who worked with the council to pass the runner laws, and we've taken in many young wolves who've run from their pack."
"Runner laws?" Lou tilted her head. "I ain't never heard of that."
Everyone in the kitchen glanced around at each other in shock.
"You weren't told about the runner laws?" Reese asked, sitting in the chair beside Lou. "Seven years ago, laws were passed that gave safe haven to any wolf running from their pack because of rejection or abuse. They're not to be considered rogues unless they've turned wild and should be allowed to join the pack or be sent to a pack of their choice. We take in any wolf in those situations and offer them sanctuary."
Lou seemed shocked and squinted at Reese, lifting her nose to sniff at him again.
"Ain't never heard of such a thing," Lou said, finally. "Any wolf coming onto Silver Thorn lands is thrown to prison or enslaved to work for the pack."
"Oh, goddess," Adam said, staring in horror at Reese. "How many runners trying to get to us were caught by them?"
"I was," Mavi said softly. "I was trying to come here but didn't make it."
"Well, you're here now," Finn said, putting his arm around Mavi's shoulders and pulling her gently to him. "And you'll never be hurt again, and we'll protect you always."
"Always," Harper repeated, smiling at Mavi.
"I'm going to interview the young wolves myself," Reese said. "Mom said they've mostly all sworn they're fine and haven't been mistreated, but I'm starting to doubt that."
Then Reese turned to Matt.
"Would you mind helping out with that?" Reese asked. "A siren command is not as harsh as an alpha command, you can ask them to be honest, and they'll have to without realizing they've been commanded."
Before Matt could answer, Lou was out of her chair and hobbling toward him. She was surprisingly fast for someone so old and decrepit. She stood before him, sniffing like crazy, even leaning into him until her nose grazed his t-shirt.
"Never thought I'd meet one of the sea people," Lou said after a moment. "What are you doing here amongst the wolves?"
"You know about sirens?" Harper asked in shock.
"I know about a lot of things," Lou snorted before she hobbled back to her seat. "I been on this earth for a long time. I remember the old ways and the old knowledge."
"How old are you, Lou?" Finn asked.
"I was born in 1846," Lou answered, and everyone in the room gaped at her.
"You're almost two hundred years old?" Dana asked, then looked at Harper. "How is that possible?"
"Werewolves have long lives. We normally make it to at least one hundred twenty," Harper answered. "But we have the potential to live much longer. We just don't because of our culture and lifestyles. If we didn't get killed fighting, got more regular healthcare, and ate healthier food, we would live centuries. But pack wars and lack of care kill us before we reach those ages."
The others looked around at each other in shock. They'd had no idea a werewolf could live so long.
"Sirens generally live at least two centuries unless we're killed by something," Matt said. "I'd say Eva and Charo are at least two hundred fifty years old. They've made sure to avoid the open ocean for a while and have stayed near places where sirens live on land, and they can seek sanctuary if they are in danger."
"Wow," Tosha said. "I would have thought they were maybe in their mid-eighties."
"Me too," Porter said, shaking his head. "That's crazy. What about Enna? Is she that old?"
"No, Enna is a young elder. I'd say maybe one hundred twenty or thirty," Matt said, scratching the stubble on his jaw. "She's still in fighting shape and has been hunting tritons all her life. When she arrived, she was in the company of three very impressive warriors, and I got the feeling she had no trouble keeping up with them."
"All right, guys, food is just about ready," Tosha announced. "I made a roast with carrots and potatoes, mac and cheese, fresh bread, and roasted asparagus with red peppers. Can you eat any of that, Miss Lou? I can make you something else if you'd like."
"Ha," Lou barked out a laugh. "I can eat all of that. No teeth ain't slowed me down, and I ain't had a meal like that in years. We don't get food like that in Silver Thorn. We're lucky to eat at all."
That made the others glance around at each other in despair. Reese closed his eyes, his jaw tight, and his lips pressed together in a line.
"I'll take care of that. No one will go hungry in my pack," Reese said. "Not now, not ever."
They talked and laughed over dinner, exchanging smiles at Lou and her lip-smacking as she gummed her way through an enormous plate of food. What made it even funnier was how Porter kept trying to help her by cutting up and smashing her food for her, so it was soft.
After everyone had finished eating and the kitchen was cleaned, Lou sat at the kitchen table drinking her rum and chatting with the others until Harper insisted Mavi go to bed. Mavi blushed like crazy when Matt swung her up into his arms to carry her up the stairs. Harper had noticed that Mavi always looked away or down if she were near Matt. At first, she thought Matt's size and aura were scaring her. Then she realized Mavi might have a slight crush on Matt, and she couldn't help but chuckle. She understood. She still had a crush on him and always would.
Harper handed Mavi two pills to take as she helped her prepare for bed. She checked and changed the bandages, took Mavi's temperature and vitals, then, after assuring herself that Mavi was recovering well, she tucked her into bed.
"How do you feel?" Harper asked.
"I feel good. My stomach doesn't hurt at all," Mavi yawned.
"I was surprised to see you up and around when we got back. Didn't I tell you to rest?" Harper admonished gently.
"Yes," Mavi said quietly, a look of shame on her face. "I won't disobey again."
"You didn't disobey," Harper chuckled. "We call that not following the instructions, and as long as you take it easy and don't hurt yourself, you're fine."
"I didn't hurt myself. The medicine you gave me and the surgery made all the pain disappear," Mavi said, looking up. "I don't think I ever felt like this before, where nothing hurt at all."
"Well, get used to it. You're going to be feeling like that all the time from now on," Harper leaned over and kissed Mavi's forehead, making the girl smile.
Finn was waiting in the hallway with a soft smile as he peered into the room, watching Harper take care of Mavi. But his smile faltered a little when he thought about the coming days. He had no doubt Harper would take Mavi with her when she left. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He knew it was probably best to get her as far away from here as possible, and he knew Harper would watch over her and take care of her like Mavi was her baby bird. But he'd grown close to Mavi and liked having someone to look after and care for in the house.
It made him sad that it would be only him, Tosha, and Reese in the house in just a few days. He liked having a place full of people talking and laughing. It reminded him of home. Tosha had announced at dinner that she was starting the renovation of the apartment above her café next week and would move in as soon as it was finished. He knew he could move into the pack house, everyone had gotten to know him, and they were all very nice to him. Jennifer had stopped giving him the stink eye and was even trying to befriend him. She seemed a little lost now that Charla and her magical influences were gone, but she'd pissed enough people off that she didn't have any friends. Most of the old posse had found their mates and either moved away or settled down and didn't want to be involved in any high school drama, especially after they were shamed when the girls left.
Though Finn could move into the pack house, he didn't want to. He worked up there in the office every day, and it gave him a lot of interaction with the other wolves, and it was nice to come home. He would miss the family dinners and everyone talking and laughing. But some of him was both apprehensive and excited about the prospect of having no one but him and Reese in the house at night. He knew he would get to go running again every night, and he and Reese would be cooking and eating just the two of them. He wondered what would happen then.
"Why are you out here lurking?" Harper asked as she came out of the room and ran into Finn.
"Just checking on you guys," Finn smiled.
"How are you doing, Finney?" Harper asked, leading him over to the sofa. "We haven't had much time to sit and talk, just the two of us."
"I'm doing ok," Finn said, then grinned. "I'm doing great, actually. I really like it here, Harp. I feel like I'm helping and doing things. Everyone is getting to know me, and I have a lot of friends here. It's not at all like home, where people gave me looks and attitude. I know almost everyone between planning the events and working in the office. It's nice to be busy and feel like I'm accomplishing something."
"That's so fantastic, Finney," Harper hugged him tightly. "All I ever want for you is to be happy, but I miss you like crazy."
"I miss you and Cel too," Finn said, his smile fading a bit. "You guys and Porter were like my whole life for so long. It feels weird not to have you around."
"Well, we both have phones, you know?" Harper poked his shoulder.
"I know, I need to use mine more, Luna Penny worries about me so much, and I don't call her often enough," Finn sighed.
"That's what I was going to say next," Harper chuckled. "She told me to bitch at you about that. You know you're her baby."
"I know," Finn sighed but was still smiling. It was good to know he had some family who loved and missed him. "It feels good, you know? I feel like I'm growing up, finally getting out of that kid stage."
"That's a good feeling. Getting out on your own, doing your own thing," Harper said. "I'm proud of you, Finney. You're doing so great. I wasn't thrilled about the situation initially, but moving here was really a good thing for you. You seem so much happier here."
"I am happier here," Finn nodded. "I feel like I have an amazing future here."
"An amazing future with Reese?" Harper raised a brow and looked closely at Finn, who immediately blushed and looked down.
"Maybe," Finn said softly after a moment.
"Good, I think that's good," Harper nodded and squeezed Finn's shoulders.
"I thought you didn't like him?" Finn asked, turning to her.
"Well, we just found out that Reese has been influenced by magic his whole life, he's been manipulated, and his actions weren't completely his," Harper sighed. "And I see what kind of alpha he's become. He takes care of his wolves and his pack, he's responsible, and he cares. I couldn't ask for better than that. He's tough on the abusers and wants to do what's best, he's a good alpha, and I kinda feel like he's paid his penance and deserves some happiness and peace. You'd be good for each other and have the cutest babies ever." Harper rubbed her baby bump as she chuckled at him.
"We are not talking about babies yet, jeez, Harp, I'm only eighteen. I haven't even been to college yet," Finn tried to deflect.
"Are you planning to go to college?" Harper asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I've never, not once, heard you talk about going to college. Now you want to go?"
"I might!" Finn hedged.
"What would your major be?" Harper pried.
"I was thinking about finance and accounting," Finn said, glancing at her. "I thought I could help Reese with bookkeeping for his construction business. He pays an accountant to do it now."
"That's a good idea. There's a community college in the human town, about twenty minutes away, that will get you started," Harper said with a smile. "I'm sure the pack has a college fund for members who want to study. If they don't, I bet between me, Cel, Matt, and Luna Penny. You'll have no trouble covering tuition and books."
"Thanks, Harp," Finn looked up at her with a soft smile and an adoring look. "I don't really know how to say this....I love you, Harper. You've made my life so much better just by being alive."
Tears welled in Harper's eyes, and she pulled Finn into a tight hug.
"That's the best thing anyone has ever said to me," Harper sniffed. "I love you too, Finney. But I'm going to get back downstairs. Do you mind staying up here and monitoring Mavi? I hate that you're kinda being left out. I probably need to get a baby monitor or something."
"I don't mind, I have a few things I brought home from the office I want to work on, and I need quiet for that," Finn said. "Just keep me up to date on any pertinent or cool info. I just love Lou. I can't believe Porter found her and brought her home. She will give you the real deal on what is happening at Silver Thorn."
"That's what we're hoping, plus she's hilarious," Harper laughed. "I think I'm going to have to watch her around Mattie. I've caught her sniffing him a few times."
Harper left Finn laughing as she descended the stairs to rejoin everyone in the kitchen. Of course, they were laughing at some nonsense Lou was saying when she returned.
"It's about time you got here, she-wolf," Lou said, sniffing in Harper's direction. "Now we can get to the meat of the conversation."
"I had to get my patient settled, change her bandages, check her vitals, and give her medication. That shit takes time," Harper huffed. "And I needed to catch up with Finney and make sure he was ok and keeping an eye on Mav."
"Patient?" Lou asked, turning toward Harper. "You a doctor?"
"Yes, I'm a pediatric surgeon," Harper said, sitting at the table across from Lou. "Finney called me when he met Mavi and asked me to come and see her."
"Where you live at?" Lou asked.
"Miami, Florida," Harper answered.
"Well, that explains how you met the sea people," Lou nodded. "Still a long way to come for one patient."
"Finn asked. I came. That's what family does," Harper shrugged. "And I'm glad I did. Mavi wouldn't have gotten the care she needed from a male doctor, nor would she have come out of her shell and told about her abusers either. Now I get to smack some rapists and child molesters down, and that's a damn fine thing."
"It sure is," Lou said, still trying to peer at Harper through her cataracts. She had a little sight, enough to know the woman in front of her was beautiful and strong. "Ya seein' to that yerself?"
"I am," Harper answered.
"Not somethin I'd expect a she-wolf with a pup in her belly to do," Lou said.
"I'm not your average she-wolf," Harper lifted a should.
"Oh, no, yer certainly not," Lou chuckled. "None o' ya'll are what ya seem."
"What are we?" Porter asked.
"Well, as I told ya earlier, you're a supreme alpha," Lou began. "He's a powerful sea warrior, a leader. Then there's the True Seer, and her sea warrior. And this one here....she's an alpha, a true shifter or will be, and a conduit for the goddess."
"What is a true shifter?" Porter asked.
"You should know, alpha," Lou said. "You're mated to one."
They all gasped, finally understanding what she meant.
"But....but....I can't shift like her. I just change to my wolf," Harper argued.
"You will," Lou said. "In time."
"What's a supreme alpha?" Reese asked eyes narrowed at the old lady.
"A supreme alpha is the strongest alpha. He can command any wolf, even other alphas or elders," Lou nodded firmly.
"That's not possible," Adam argued.
"Command him," Lou turned to Porter and pointed at Reese.
"Uh...." Porter stuttered, looking around the table until Reese nodded at him to proceed.
"Tell me your intentions toward Finn," Porter said, putting as much power as he could into his command, though he didn't actually think it would work.
Reese's eyes almost bugged out of his head, and his mouth opened and closed as he gaped like a fish.
"I....I....I," Reese stuttered. "I want him for my mate. I want to mark him. I want him to stay with me forever."
The others all stared at Reese in astonishment, because of the admission as much as being unable to refuse the command.
"It worked," Porter breathed. "Oh my goddess, how is this possible?"
"Things are happening beyond anything that has happened before," Eclipse spoke for the first time.
Lou nodded slowly.
"I need to know what is going on at the Silver Thorn pack," Reese said. "I can't help but think it's part of this."
"It is," Eclipse said.
"Well," Lou sighed. "It's worse than you think. It's not just that it's happening, but that many of the pack leadership were completely unaware of what tha other been doin'."
"Is Beta James involved?" Adam asked.
"Nah, he's one of the good 'uns," Lou waved a hand. "Dan been trading with the rogues, been lettin' 'em use our land to smuggle omegas and weaker ones to sell, been messing around with witches, and even sold a few runners he caught. Half his warriors are in on it. The others been let off guard duty so much they ain't good for nothin' these days. Him and his even went so far as to organize rogues and hire them out as mercenaries for other packs and who knows who. They been attacking strangers, traveling all over the place. Dan and his warriors even went with 'em a few times and got paid to kill and take hostages. He stopped doing that when an attack they participated in went wrong, and all the rogues in the attack got killed by some little wolf-less girl down south."
"How did a little wolf-less girl kill a bunch of rogues?" Adam asked.
Lou chuckled and lifted her hand and held her knobby fingers in the shape of guns and moved them back and forth, making pew pew pew sounds.
"Wow, my kinda girl," Porter laughed.
Damian looked down, unsure as to whether he should tell him what he knew about that attack, but decided he would keep that information for later. His own brother had been involved and they were still actively searching for clues as to who the rogues involved were.
"Can you tell me which warriors were in on it?" Reese asked. "Give me an idea where I can get some proof of their activities?"
"There's a corridor through the hills and forests in the southeast corner of the pack lands," Lou said. "There's caves and a few shacks down there. The rogue smugglers and mercenaries camp there when they moving from up and down the coast."
"How do you know all this?" Harper asked.
"I pretend to be blind and deaf. I wander around the pack and sit down randomly sniffin' and listenin'," Lou cackled. "They don't think nothin' about talking around me, and I been in this pack my whole life. I know every inch of it, so I know where they talkin' about. I bet he got records somewhere, but they gon' be hidden, probly in his gaming room."
"Gaming room?" Reese asked, leaning forward. "I haven't seen a gaming room."
"It's behind his bed," Lou cackled again. "There's a door back there behind that headboard. He keeps all his toys and movies back there."
Everyone stared at her momentarily as she laughed, then they glanced around at each other in shock. Reese fished his cell phone out of his pocket.
"Dad, how are things at Silver Thorn?" Reese asked and listened for a moment. "I need you to do something for me."
Reese quickly outlined what they'd learned, and Alpha Lucas assured him that if there were a secret room, he'd find it. They decided it would be best to search after everyone retired for the night and to leave the room undisturbed and act as if nothing had changed. They'd bring the records back to Red Moon mixed with the financial records Reese had been gathering.
"Dad," Reese said before hanging up. "Don't take mom in there. I have a feeling there may be things in there she doesn't need to see, at least for now."
Reese turned to the others and nodded.
"We're going to need reinforcements," Porter said. "We can't storm the caves and fight rogues with Silver Thorn or Red Moon warriors. We can't let this get out before we're ready. There's too much at stake."
"My warriors are trustworthy," Reese snapped.
"It only takes one person, Reese," Matt said. "One warrior confiding in his mate or girlfriend, one offhand remark. I can bring some of my people in, we're not trained as formally on land as you, but we're stronger than the average wolf."
"And rogues aren't out there in the wilderness formally training daily," Harper said. "Plus, sirens don't smell like wolves and wouldn't be detected as easily. There are also plenty of sirens who live on land and have training. Look at Ian."
"Ian is a traitor," Adam snapped. "His men shot Celie in the damn chest and almost killed her!"
"I was just making a point, Adam," Harper snapped back. "No one is more pissed about Celie getting hurt than me, so shut that shit up."
"I have resources, as well," Damian said. "It would be better to find local allies rather than trying to fly an army from the other side of the country. Our coven is the largest in this hemisphere, and we are spread out through the entire west coast."
"Good, we'll work on planning in the morning," Reese said. "Let's get Lou set up in the room Ara and Sagan were in before they left and get some sleep. I think we have some long days ahead."
*
Celie took a deep breath as Eden carried her through the front door of the house.
"Ahhhhhh," Celie sighed. "Nothing smells as good as home."
"Celie!" Celie heard several voices call her name, and before she knew it, Lorelai, Ara, Luna Penny, Ivy, and Faru were crowded around Eden, hugging her and kissing her cheeks and hair. The feelings that rose in her were some of the best she'd ever felt. She knew she was loved by everyone in her life, not just by Harper. It wasn't the feeling she ever expected to have. After years as a lone wolf, she'd thought it would be her, Harper, and Matt forever. She had her own little pack now, and it was the best feeling ever.
"I missed you guys so much!" Celie said, hugging them back with her good arm while Eden held her. He could feel her happiness, and he was getting hugs, too, because they couldn't hug her without hugging him while he was holding her.
Eden carefully sat Celie on her feet, and Lachlan came forward with her wheelchair, which she scowled at before sitting down. Everyone's happy mood dampened a little to see her having to sit in the wheelchair with her arm in the sling. She was still pale and seemed to have lost weight, but she smiled despite the slight dark circles under her eyes.
"How's Su?" Celie asked as soon as the commotion died down. "Is she ok?"
"She's barely eating," Ivy said with a frown. "And she asks about you every time I go down there."
"Aww," Celie smiled sadly and looked up at Eden. "Do you mind pushing me down to the warehouse?"
"Of course not," Eden smiled. "I'm not leaving your side."
"You might want to for a few minutes when you guys get back," Lorelai said, and Ara nodded. "It would be good for you to speak to the sirens about what happened. Some of them are butt hurt that I went off on them and killed the mouthy dude. Ara has been keeping them in line, but I think getting their asses chewed by the lead warrior whose mate was shot would have a greater impact."
"Yes," Eden said, his face turning into a dark scowl as he turned to Ara. "Gather them together, we'll be back in a little while, and I will address them."
They talked briefly while Ivy gathered the fish and conch for Su's lunch. Then Eden scooped Celie into his arms when she was handed the bucket.
"Hey!" Celie protested. "You said you'd push me down there!"
"I decided to carry you instead," Eden said, ignoring her protests as she carried her across the patio toward the path.
"Aren't I starting to get heavy?" Celie asked, causing Eden to snort and glance down at her in disbelief.
"You weigh nothing, little one," Eden said, kissing her hair.
Eden carried Celie up the metal stairs and sat her gently down on her regular chair. Celie leaned over and tapped on the tank.
"Su! Hey, Su, are you hungry?" Celie called down into the tank.
Su surfaced so fast, and with such force she rose almost entirely out of the water. She stared up at Celie with a worried face. Her eyes moved over her slowly, searching for injuries. They stopped on her chest and arm.
"Hi, Su," Celie smiled. "How are you? Are you ok? I brought you some conch and fish today."
"You back," Su said finally. "You heal?"
"I'm healing, not quite finished yet, but I'm getting there. I'm home now, not in the hospital anymore, they got the bullet out of my chest, but the one in my belly is stuck in the bone, and they can't get it out," Celie said. "But I'm ok. I'm a little sore, but by tomorrow I should be able to walk around independently. The doctor said I just needed to rest and take it easy for a few days. How are you? Were you hurt, or is anything wrong?"
"No hurt," Su said, reaching for the bucket and eating great handfuls of food.
Celie sat quietly, waiting for Su to finish her food. She glanced around at the warehouse, which was now clean again, though Celie did see a small splatter of blood on the edge of the tank that was probably her blood, considering its location.
"Why do?"Su said suddenly, her head tilted to the side, looking up at Celie with a frown.
"Huh?" Celie asked.
"Hurt. Why do?" Su tried again. "You hurt. Try to help me. Why do?"
"Ah, well, you're my friend," Celie said. "I protect my friends. I would fight anyone to keep the people I love safe."
Su's eyes widened, and she stared up at Celie for a moment, and it almost looked like she had tears in her eyes before she nodded and sank below the surface.
Eden slowly approached and picked Celie up again, gently kissing her hair as he turned to take her back to the house.
Celie could see a crowd of sirens standing in the courtyard, they all stood back to allow Eden to walk through them to climb the steps to the porch and settle Celie into the wheelchair waiting for her on the patio.
Eden stood next to Celie's chair and looked out over the assembled sirens, his massive arms were crossed over his chest, and his face was a stone-cold mask of fury.
"I want an explanation for why my mate was shot and nearly killed by my own people," Eden's voice was hard and caused more than a few shivers of fear and nervousness through the assembled.
Ian stepped forward, his face downcast. He looked both angry and ashamed.
"Two sirens on my crew and seven others from a different boat got together and decided they did not agree with the plan to tag the triton female and release her," Ian explained. "Rather than voice their concerns with the plan, they decided to take matters into their own hands and kill the female. No one else, certainly not your mate or any other of our allies, was supposed to get hurt."
"Were all the men in on the plan killed during their failed attempt?" Eden asked.
"Yes," Ian nodded.
"Were others involved who knew of their plan but did not participate in the attack?" Eden asked.
"We believe at least four others knew and were involved in planning," Lorelai said, stepping forward. "But they fled when the attack went to hell, and they realized the consequences of their actions."
"There are still sirens we have not been able to question that we are seeking now," Ara said. "We believe there were others aware of what the attackers were discussing but did not have an active part in planning or executing. They simply heard them speak of it and did not know if they truly intended to do it or were boasting they would."
"I will speak with everyone here," Eden turned to Ian with a glare. "Starting with you."
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