Chapter Two

Serin got ready in the standard island attire of a sarong and wrap. “Come on, Aeryn. Time to let yourself show. If you can’t feel secure here, you won’t feel secure anywhere.”

Aeryn groaned from the other room. “Fine. Hair is coming down; lenses are off.”

“Good. We are meeting with Kekoa, his pack, and Violet and her two, and Amby and her guys, and, of course, Thera and the pod will be there.”

“How do you know all that?”

“Cell phone, pet.”

“Oh. Right.” There was rustling from Aeryn’s room, and then, she said, “I think I have it. I need the strap to keep it in place.”

Serin watched as her friend came around the corner. The dark blue floral dress made it around Aeryn’s curves, but only just.

Aeryn looked at her. “Am I wearing it right?”

“Oh, definitely, but you are right. It’s a little on the snug side. The band goes from the shoulder to the opposite side, but I think you want it in your cleavage. May I?”

Aeryn nodded. “Sure.”

Serin quickly shifted her hands and attached the support band to the left curve of her cleavage.

“There we go. All done.”

Aeryn smiled and wrapped her hair around her left arm twice. “Everything else look good?”

“Yes. You are stunning, as always. Now, let’s go and eat.” Serin got her crutches situated, and they left their rooms and headed down the hall.

When they passed the entrance, Serin felt the curious gazes on her and the outright stares on Aeryn.

Aeryn’s cheeks warmed. “I had forgotten about that.”

“That they stare?”

“As long as it is staring, that’s fine. It’s when it gets to touching that I have an issue.”

Serin smiled, and they walked across the square and then began the two-kilometre walk to the town and the royal hall.

Aeryn didn’t help her. It was one of Serin’s favourite things about her. She assisted when requested and didn’t make a fuss. If Serin needed it, Aeryn was capable of carrying her and probably half a ton extra. She was very strong, but she looked like a fairy tale princess. Serin grinned. Alohi was going to gnash his teeth or crawl onto Aeyrn’s lap.

When they entered the royal hall, many others were there, and the room went silent as Aeyrn was fully seen. There was a click, and Serin chuckled. “Yeah, Thera has the camera.”

Thera stepped forward. “Aeryn, you look... tight.”

Hara walked over. “Yeah, we will get something a bit friendlier to your curves. Holy shit, you are tall.”

Serin laughed. “She could be an alpha, but she isn’t.”

Aeryn blushed. “I had a late growth spurt.”

Alohi came up, and his eyes took her in like she was dessert. “Who are you?”

“Aeryn. I am Serin’s assistant.”

“You are a special beta, like Haravin.”

“You are correct. I am a bit taller as my manifestation uses a bit of muscle mass to control.”

“You are spectacular. Haravin is gorgeous, but you are stellar.”

“Thank you.”

Haravin shrugged. “I take no offense. You are... amazing, just from viewing.”

Kekoa walked over. “You had an effective concealment.”

“For those looking for beauty, obscure it, and their gazes will move on.” Aeryn smiled. “A lot less lame pickup lines have to be dealt with that way.”

He chuckled. “You are a lovely addition to the islands.”

Serin listened to them talk, and she called out, “Our advertising shenanigans begin tomorrow.”

Aeryn called back, “At four in the morning.”

Serin grinned. “I will get you something nice for the holidays.”

Narro helped her get to her spot at the table and assisted her in getting to a kneeling position. The crutches were slid under the table so she could still grab them. Everyone was slowly circling Aeryn, even the ladies. It was highly amusing, but then, this was why she covered up.

Aeryn looked around and said, “If we don’t have dinner soon, I am going to start biting, and trust me, none of you will like it.”

Serin laughed. “Come and sit next to me. I need extra hands.”

Aeryn took her seat and sighed as she settled in next to Serin. “They sure are a friendly bunch.”

They were facing the royal family, and when the staff came out with food, they served the royal family first and then brought food out for everyone else.

Serin noted one woman went around them, turned to Aeryn, and said, “Feel free to shop.”

Aeryn grinned and held a hand up. The tray she wanted was lifted out of the woman’s grasp and blown over to her. She caught it and set it down between her and Serin. They washed their hands and started eating.

Hara laughed.

Aeryn looked around, swept some flatbread up, and caught it.

She looked at the ladies coming out of the kitchen, and when the royals had it, she pointed at different items based on Serin elbowing her until their table was full of Serin’s favourites.

Aeryn chuckled as the other servers passed them warily.

Kekoa looked to Serin. “Your associate is powerful.”

“She is wind and waves.” Serin smiled.

Hara asked softly. “And you are?”

“I am the islands, and they are me. A few more days and I will be back to my normal strength, and I will be more useful to those around me.”

Alohi frowned. “Kekoa is the island.”

Kekoa put a hand on his omega’s hand. “I am the structure. She is the life.”

Serin smiled. “That sounds pretty, but the trees will get heavy, and the ground will render far more fruits in the next few months.”

Narro cocked his head. “Why?”

Serin smiled. “Because I don’t want my heat, so I am giving it to the island. I had forgotten how easy it was to hand it off.”

Kekoa chuckled. “I will brace for freaky flowers.”

Serin grinned.

Amby leaned over. “So, you are... a fertility goddess?”

Serin winced. “I don’t like that term. I prefer abundance influencer.”

The women laughed.

Aeryn grinned and kept eating.

Serin smiled and continued eating.

Thera asked, “So, Aeryn, any idea what kind of man you are looking for?”

Serin chuckled. “We have discussed this, and he has to be tall and has to be breathing. Aside from that, she’s undecided.”

Aeryn put her thumb up and kept eating.

“She also has an amazing calorie intake. She eats like an alpha.” Serin smirked.

Aeryn lifted her middle finger.

Serin hooted with laughter and then said, “No, seriously, she has been working non-stop for a few days. She’s hungry and short on sleep. That’s all.”

Aeryn finished most of her food. “I hear there is a bachelorette party in town. Is that normal?”

Ohno leaned over to speak to her. “It isn’t that normal, but it’s only two of them that are out of control. The soon-to-be sister-in-law is sweet. Always reading and hiding near the pool. How did you know about it?”

Orc smiled. “We mentioned it to Aeryn this morning.”

Thera grinned. “I would take pictures, but I am not invited to the festive event.”

Kayak grinned. “Well, with two of us crewing, the other will have to take Thera on a tour of local sights. I think a slow boat to the overlook should be good.”

The orcas started bickering, and Thera said, “Guys, shut up, or no one is getting any until after my dad’s memorial.”

Silence snapped around their table.

Amby blinked. “We can do that?”

Thera shrugged. “Sure. Why not? As long as I don’t hit the water before things get back to normal, things will be fine. They can always swim to work off some tension.”

Ohno sighed. “Anyone can express a need for solitary sleep at any time.”

Amby looked at her mate. “Huh. Good to know.”

Dorian sighed. “But we are going to try very hard to make sure you don’t feel it’s necessary.”

Exoval smiled. “I will try extra hard.”

Serin watched the interaction and chuckled.

Kekoa grinned at her. “Is it good to be home?”

“It is very good to be home.” She grinned. “But brace for some noise. After this, we are going to my house and evicting the infestation that settled in.”

Aeryn chuckled. “I am building up the calories that I am about to burn. I rarely get to go all out. I am hoping for shocked screaming. The water is going to be really cold.”

Kekoa stared. “You are going to flush her house?”

Serin grinned. “Yes. It is far less than I used to plan, but the house is mine by virtue of my mother’s family gift. The house is mine, the land is mine, and anyone on it who isn’t there with my invitation is going to find themselves scrubbed out with their possessions. I believe I will recover more swiftly when the house is torn down.”

Kekoa blinked. “What?”

“I am destroying that house.” Serin nibbled at some fruit. “In that house, I was used. In that house, I was betrayed. In that house, my child died, and then, I left. They took hope for the future from me, so I will simply take the dwelling from them. They are adults. They can survive.” She laughed bitterly. “I know they don’t have children.”

Kekoa’s eyes went wide. “You and he were a true match.”

“Were. Past tense. He now is a match to no one.” Her smile was perky. “His sperm count is so low, I am amazed his cock isn’t an inny. I wonder if they have heard I am back in town.”

Alohi blinked. “I haven’t heard anyone talking about you.”

Serin grinned. “Oh, yay. I love a good surprise.” She rubbed her hands together.

Hara asked, “You miscarried?”

“Yeah, he anticipated the wedding night, so to speak. I wasn’t impressed with the event, but he was my destined mate. Everything in me called for him... until it didn’t. I felt pain, hollowness, and I staggered home to get help, only to find him and my half-sister fucking in the kitchen. More pain. I got a bag and left. One of the fishermen took me over to Emerald to get a flight, and that was that.”

The whole room was listening.

Serin smiled. “I kept in touch with Kekoa, but I omitted some details.”

Alohi softly asked, “How far along were you?”

“Four weeks. It only happened the once, so the timing was easy to figure out.”

Amby asked, “You can just talk about it?”

“Of course, pet. It was a natural function. My alpha betrayed me, so I lost our future. Therefore, no future for him. Pity.”

Kekoa asked, “Does he know?”

“No. I never felt it necessary to inform him that he had destroyed what he had forced on me. They thought I left because of a broken heart. I just didn’t want any more death that day.”

She looked at the king of the island chain. “So, Kekoa, what do you want from me, your humble minister of tourism?”

“Find them and bring them in. Be available when we need you, and stay on the island. We have missed you.” He sighed. “Deeply.”

“I have missed being here. I do feel stronger after spending time in the spring.”

Dorian piped up. “You are welcome to get energy from the falls. I will charge them for you.”

“Can you do it for tomorrow? And possibly get me a lift to the falls?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Good. Aeryn has a shoot tomorrow with the Darings, so she will be inaccessible.”

Kekoa asked, “What is she doing?”

Serin smiled. “We are creating a series of online ads focusing on what you can do in five days. Amby’s footage is going to be fused to an excellent soundtrack as soon as Aeryn gets back. Her footage is going to focus on what you can do if you like to get rough and tumble. Aeryn likes to roughhouse.”

Her assistant laughed. “She’s not wrong.”

Thera smirked. “I hadn’t thought of you as a violent person.”

“Oh, we only met on weekdays.”

Orc offered, “I have editing skills if you wouldn’t mind a hand.”

Aeryn nodded. “That would be welcome.”

Serin looked at her assistant. “Ready?”

“Yes. Ready.”

Serin smiled. “Your Majesty, expect a building permit in the next two days. The materials are on the way, and the builders will begin work a week from Monday.”

Kekoa smiled. “If that is what you want. The land is yours.”

“As are the memories. Is there still a lava field near the tiny island?”

“There is.”

Aeryn nodded. “Got it. Materials destroyed.”

Serin smiled. “Kekoa and pack, thank you for dinner for myself and my assistant.”

She reached under the table and pulled out her crutches. “Aeryn, a little help?”

Aeryn nodded, and Serin felt herself rising as a column of wind twisted around her and lifted her until she was standing. The crutches were braced, and Aeryn gracefully got to her feet.

“It was nice to meet those of you that I have not yet met. I plan on remaining in the islands, as this is where I was born.” She smiled.

There was surprise, but Serin led the way, and they entered the warm evening and turned toward Serin’s family home.

It was time for a little light housekeeping.

Serin nodded to the door of the sprawling home. “Open the house, please.”

Aeryn waved her hand, and the front of the house came off.

Serin smiled and walked into the house with her assistant behind her.

Sara and Ulo came running to the front of the house, and they halted in shock. Sara gasped. “Serin, what are you doing here?”

“It is my house. Given to me in preparation for my union to Ulo, this home is mine. I want you out. Both of you.” She looked at them with what she knew was a cruel smile. “Now.”

Ulo stepped forward. “Just because I chose Sara, don’t pitch a fit. It is all in the past.”

“Yes, it is. I was standing a few feet to the left of you when I started to lose my child. The pain remained for days, but it started there when you rejected your mate and turned to her half-sister instead. So, since you took my child from me, I am taking your home from you. Find somewhere else to live. In five minutes, this house will be destroyed, and most of my rage will go with it.” She smiled. “Most, not all. Gather what you can. Your five minutes starts now.”

Sara gasped. “You can’t!”

“Why? Is it your family home? You have filled it with the laughter of children? I was his destined mate, and he rejected me. There will never be children from those loins. Not now. The very island we stand on has rejected his bloodline. I am guessing that his siblings haven’t had children either. I wonder if they know why?”

Ulo stared at her in horror. “No.”

“It wasn’t me. I wasn’t even here. The island wanted tiny heirs, and you took that from her. Your kin will pay the price. Four minutes.”

Sara opened her mouth, but Aeryn extended two fingers, and a hole was bored through a series of walls, creating a viewing window to the lush greenery outside.

The two scrambled to the bedroom to get clothing and bolted outside with armloads of clothes as the five minutes ended.

Serin nodded. “Go ahead. Start with the kitchen, and then, work your way to the bedroom.”

“Yes, boss.”

Serin walked out of the home and got to a safe distance. She turned and watched the wind tear the house apart to set it down in neat piles of bamboo and woven reeds.

In ten minutes of cracking and howling, the home disappeared.

Serin closed her eyes and exhaled. That had been wearing on her. The thought of the house haunted her memories.

Aeryn was floating in the middle of the wreckage and looked at the assembled crowd. She gestured, and they got out of the way. She floated with the entire pile wrapped in water and escorted the wood down the hill and onto the open ocean. The water carried the wood, and Aeryn flew to the smallest island with the open lava field.

Sara muttered from behind her, “You bitch!”

Serin lifted a finger, and vines snaked down and grabbed Sara, hoisting her skyward. Ulo put his hand on Serin’s shoulder, and he was grabbed and yanked upward by his appendage.

Her grandmother stared at her and gasped. “Serin? They told us you were dead.”

“No, Gran. They wished I was dead, but their wishes don’t mean shit.”

“Language.”

Serin smiled shyly. “Yes, ma’am. I am back and here to stay.”

Her grandmother looked at the empty lot being stared at by Sara and Ulo from their upside-down position. “Does your father know?”

“No. He’s still wherever he was with her mother.”

“Oh. They are on Emerald now. Retirement estate.”

Serin patted her grandmother’s shoulder. “Good for them. I have confirmed that I own the land and will build my own house.”

“You will? You are staying?”

“I am. The rest of my life is on this island.”

“Who was that... uh... person?”

Serin chuckled. “That is my assistant, Aeryn. She is my strong right arm and my legs until I can recover. That will be soon, and she will be free to go on her way.”

Her grandmother shuddered. “Oh, good. She is frightening.”

Serin looked out at the flare of light that indicated combustibles hitting the lava. “She is an excellent assistant and a great friend. I would not have been able to return without her. She also was born in the islands. They know her as she knows them.”

She smiled as the last flickers died in the distance. The vines lowered her stepsister and ex-fiancé to the ground, and they scrambled to their feet.

Ulo slowly turned and looked at Serin. “Sara was pregnant.”

“Sara stole my little blue stick with the blob of pearl-coloured enamel on the cap so that I could keep it for the baby book.” Serin looked at him.

Horror crossed his face, and Sara rushed forward. “No, I lost it, baby. You got me a hot pack and chocolate.”

Serin snorted. “That’s called a period, idiot. You should know; you have one every two months. Did he think you were just really unlucky? It’s been years.”

Ulo was numb. “She said the first loss damaged her, and she kept losing them.”

“And you were too dumb to learn about beta biology. I am guessing that the implant she gets has stopped the sad losses. Right?”

Ulo swallowed. “Yes. Not for years. We were content just to be destined for each other.”

Serin nodded. “Yes, I remember. She read my diary and was very convincing and exaggerated. You fell for it aside from the drunk night when you came to me on reflex instead of her. Your instinct took you to me, and it wasn’t exactly a night to remember, but I was left with something that would haunt me.”

“You were really...”

Sara darted forward. “She’s lying, baby.”

“Ulo, no child has been born to your family since. Not nieces, nephews, cousins, or distant cousins. Sara, none of our cousins have had children that they did not adopt.” Serin leaned on her crutches. “And none of them will until I have my baby in my arms and the island gets her heir.”

Ulo frowned.

Serin laughed. “Oh, not you. You have betrayed the life of the island. You don’t get to breed. Enjoy life placating the whiny little bitch you let lure you away from me just because we were destined.”

Sara’s eyes went dark, and she lunged. Serin whipped up a crutch, caught her under the jaw, and then snapped it down, slicing open her face.

She placed the tip against Sara’s throat and pressed. “So, seeing me on crutches, you thought that this was a fair, fight? You haven’t changed a bit. A lawsuit is in place for you two to replace my trust. All seven million. You may want to get a job because if you think I am going to forgive anything you have done, you have another thing coming.”

Aeryn landed next to her. “Are you good, boss?”

“I am. Let’s get back to the hotel. You have an early morning. Ulo, Sara, if you want to appeal decisions to the king, you are welcome to do it.” She paused. “Grandma, this is my friend Aeryn. Aeryn, this is my mother’s mother, Aluen.”

Aeryn gracefully took Aluen’s hands and bent down to touch her forehead to the old woman’s knuckles. “Good evening, madam. I will endeavour not to creep you out more than I already have.”

She slowly straightened and smiled gently at the old, small beta.

Aluen was dazzled by the smile. “You are... stunning.”

“So, I have been told. Thank you for the compliment. I am sure we will see each other in the next few days when the construction begins.”

Sara was sitting on the ground, her hand on her split cheek.

Serin whispered something, and Aeryn nodded. She made a slice with her hand, and a cut that matched Sara’s opened on Ulo’s face. Water mixed with the blood that dripped down his cheek.

Serin smiled. “There. Now you match, and no healer on the island will be able to close the wound without a nasty scar. Since you two are so incapable of seeing your wrongs, they are now visible on your faces.”

Sara sobbed, “You can’t do this to me! To us!”

Serin snorted and turned to walk away.

Ulo shouted, “Why are you doing this to us?”

Aeryn calmly answered where the entire gathered population could hear her. “Because despite the fact that you cheated, despite you forcing a pregnancy, and despite your betrayal causing the loss of the baby, her family, and her home, you haven’t once apologized for destroying her life and stealing the funds in her trust.”

There was a collective gasp as Serin slowly made her way down the pathway to the village. Her smile was slow as she felt the comforting presence of Aeryn at her back.

“How did they take it?”

“The locals were surrounding them, and questions were being thrown. They are going to have an interesting night.”

“Good.”

Serin felt another knot in her soul unravelling. It felt good being home, but change was difficult. The mean part of her was happy that the difficulty was being shared.

Aeryn asked, “Did you want me to get you up before I leave?”

“If you like. Are you ready to have a fun day? I hear the floating island is amazing.”

“What is it?”

“It is something that occurs once in a lifetime.” Serin smiled and looked at her friend. “It is a reminder that not everything in life needs to be explained.”

“Right. See the wonder; don’t hit it with the jet ski.”

Serin smiled. “That’s the spirit.”

They laughed, the unpleasantness of the last hour fading fast.

The Dark Well was just the place to spend the rest of their evening. Morning would be there soon enough.