The Mermaid Stole My Alpha

Chapter 10

•••Arrissa Forrest•••

Cameron keeps changing pace, and giving me weird looks. He's been very alert ever since Keenan's discussion five minutes ago. I hope I didn't worry him. Well actually now that I mention it, I probably did worry him. 'Oh hey Cam, lets go to Keenan's house where he'll tell us that the so-called-wolf we are letting stay in our house is actually a mermaid! And she could even be one of those dangerous ones too! Yay how fun?'

I just can't believe that we didn't find this out sooner. How can we be fooled like this? How could she be so...stupid? I mean if I were a mermaid impersonating a wolf, I would change my name.

I feel Cam tense; so I grab his shoulder reassuringly and say, "hey it's okay. We don't even know if she's dangerous. Wolf or not, she hasn't harmed anyone or anything."

"I know," he replies. "I just want to keep you safe."

I smile. Then he grabs me from out of know where and hoists my body onto his, wrapping his arms under my legs to give me a piggy-back ride. I laugh the whole way home, my wolf paw glowing in the orange morning sky.

••••
We reach home hesitantly. Knowing what awaits inside. The break of dawn casts morning colors in the sky; and the smell of pine needles and mountain air is strong. We both look at each other.

-stay alert. You never know what will happen next- says my wolf.

I roll my eyes.

We step into the house. I've done it thousands of times, and I don't know why it's so hard now. Maybe because I know that there's a possible danger in the house, one that I want to keep away from the pack; from my family. But then again- even when I keep telling myself this- maybe I'm being too captious about the situation. She could probably just be someone looking for people to call family.

Cam motions me down the hall. I walk as silent as possible, but my heart beat ends up being louder then my own footsteps.

I start to hear bird songs and the squirrel's too familiar morning chatter. I glance out the long window as I get closer to the end of the hall.

Mrs. Fritz stands out in the front yard, with an old rusty water can. She stares at our house for a while. I make eye contact with her through the window. It seems like she's shaking her head slightly in disapproval, but urging me to go on at the same time.

Mrs. Fritz has been a good neighbor. Her is house in front of ours a couple hundred yards away. She is an old wer. Though, not as old as Claudia. She always talked about her past, and how much time went by over the years. Always about her near-ocean-pack. She could talk for hours. The way the salty spray of the ocean felt between her fur as she raced up and down the shore, or how her and her brothers would fish in the shallow jetties, soon coming back to their pack with teethfuls of fish. If Arctic really was a mermaid-wolf hybrid, she had it good. Why would she want to leave?

I think back to my childhood for a brief moment. And I could understand.

I then reach her room. I carefully, and quietly, open her door, where I find her sitting on the bed, head low. "Hey we need to talk." I say a little strained. She nods her head and follows me out of the room. I notice that her hair is now bone strait. Not wavy like it was the night we found her. And it's tinted a light blond. Must of been too dark the other night to notice.

Once we reach the living room, I sit on the red couch next to Cameron, while Arctic sits across from us, hands on her legs, staring at the ground.

"We need the truth. Now."

Her face edges in sadness, a taste that leaves my mouth bitter.

"I wasn't lying. I just didn't tell you everything." She replies looking at the floor. "I'm a mermaid."

"Yeah. We know." I say.

"I figured it wouldn't take long."

"Why did you come here? couldn't you've-" I rest a hand on his leg.

"Why didn't you just come to us in your full state?" I say in a soothing voice.

"Because I thought you'd reject me. I thought you would of sent me back to my shoal. I thought if I showed you my werewolf side, you'd except me."

"We would of no matter what." I reassure her. Cam raises his eyebrow, leans forward, and intertwines his fingers before speaking, "we just need to know if you'll be a threat or not."

"I'm not. Absolutely no threat. I wouldn't hurt a clam." Her eyes shift to a soft velvet, and she smiles, and I stare at her in awe.