Siren -Editing-

chapter fifteen

"Edelweiss, edelweiss

Every morning you greet me

Small and white, clean and bright

You look happy to meet me

Blossom of snow, may you bloom and grow

Bloom and grow forever

Edelweiss, edelweiss

Bless my homeland forever."

Mama's voice was hushed as she sang to me, her face dimly lit by the moonlight flowing through the window. The loose strands of hair framing her face had come out of the braid that clung to the crown of her head earlier in the day, and they only made her more beautiful.

Her exhausted eyes watched mine as she swept hair out of my face and gently fixed my pillow. "I'll see you in the morning, Lily." She leaned over and kissed my forehead, "Goodnight."

She almost looked like a ghost as her skirt swished around her legs as she walked out, like it was the last time she would visit me.

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"Ready? We don't have long until it gets too dark to see the garden." Blake cut through my thoughts, making me jump. I was torn between being annoyed I didn't notice him coming and being relieved I was relaxed enough to have missed his loud footsteps.

I gave a small nod, "And excited." I stood and took the blanket from him, letting him take the lead. Whatever he had planned seemed to have him over the moon, and I was all too happy to explore this side of him.

He was almost like a puppy, as he walked me around the gardens I had seen a million times with his mother by now. He showed me the few vegetable plants that were still hanging on this late, he wove me around some evergreens, and tall vines that clung to the posts.

There wasn't much to see anymore, but it was still beautiful when I was with him and watching him be so happy with so little.

"You're so cute."

He turned to look at me sheepishly, "Sorry, I got carried away, didn't I?"

I shook my head, letting the smile form on my lips as I hugged the blanket, "No, I like it. I love seeing you so happy after all the stress of everything going on."

He let out a relieved sigh and kissed me. "In that case, how about that picnic?"

We laid the blanket down in the first comfortable place we found and did exactly what he proposed. We talked until there was nothing left unspoken, and even then, he found new things to ask, like if I'd rather be a worm or a centipede.

He had mostly packed small snacks and tiny sandwiches I had no idea the pack had. There were berries and candy, chips and marshmallows, all the things he thought I'd like but hadn't gotten the chance to ask before.

The sun had set a long time before we got up from the blanket, a long time after everyone else would have been in bed or on their night patrols. I worried the others could hear us for a moment, but then I remembered the whole point of the picnic.

It had been a relaxing time I needed, time that I could forget about everything that had happened to me, the things that I worried could happen again. There was nothing to worry about while we escaped into the fragile bubble that surrounded us, waiting to be popped at any moment.

For a few hours, the whole world felt perfect—no intruding fathers, no experiments, no pain.

"Ah, Siren! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you."

But all good things must come to an end.

I turned to meet his glowing red eyes as Blake stepped in front of me, nearly blocking me from Alec's view. "What's up with your eyes, Alec? You should see the medics, that isn't normal."

It was silent as the two men stared each other down, seemingly content to wait the other out.

"Step aside, Alpha Junior, my Daughter and I have unfinished business."

"The hell you do."

Taking the chance, I rested my hand on Blake's arm to get him to back down. Whatever was going to happen between me and my father wouldn't involve him. I wanted him to go inside, to leave us to our own devices. Luckily for me, he caught my meaning before I had to say anything.

He gave a low growl, staring Alec down, but still left us. I knew he wouldn't go too far from me, especially not while knowing how little I trusted the man I stood in front of, but whatever distance I did get was good enough for me.

"You cannot ignore me now."

"I still can."

Alec's face twisted in disgust as I echoed the words from his mouth, a fitting reaction to how I felt after hearing them myself the first time. After he recovered and cleared his face of any emotion aside from the glowing red anger in his eyes, he began to close the gap between us that Blake had managed to keep with his presence.

Another attempt at conversation was made, and died, before he finally lunged. I wish I could say I didn't expect it, but I did. I knew it was only a matter of time before he finally attacked, and I still hesitated. Every one of his initial blows landed and devastated me.

The small part of me that still clung to the possibility of familial love, I hadn't felt any from him since Mama passed away, but reality wasn't nice enough to grace me with the bare minimum everyone else seemed to get.

After those few blows, I woke up to what I already knew, and the rest was hard fought and bloody. A flurry of claws and blood followed from both sides. Half shifting, useless upgrades, and teeth were all weapons at our disposal. I had the advantage of being a trained weapon because of him, while he had age and experience.

I didn't want him dead, not really, I wanted him alive long enough to see me heal from what he had done to me before he burned for the rest of eternity. I wanted him to hate every second I could forget he existed.

But as I rose to my full height and watched the pool grow, I doubted any of it would happen.

His red eyes locked with mine as we caught our breath. I could see him fading, I could see the damage he took from the fight, and I could only imagine that I looked almost as bad as he did.

"I really did try to do right by you." He gargled out.

"You know that's a lie." I spat out.

I didn't care how deep he was in his delusion, how honestly he believed what he had done to me was helping me. Even putting it all aside, he still attacked first and continued through each blow with lethal intent throughout the fight.

Closure wasn't a thing I expected as Blake took me into his arms, or as I watched the pack medics take Alec to the medical wing. Nor did I get any closure; all I was allowed was a few breaths before I was whisked away in my mate's arms.

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Edited