The Unexpected Mate

Part 27

I stopped with the strawberry half way to my mouth, "I'm sorry what?" There was no way I had heard him correctly.

Troy gave me a shy grin, "Well, it's no big deal really. My parents are just kind of considered royalty in the mer world." He shrugged at the last part as if it was no big deal.

"What do you mean kind of royalty? How are you just kind of a Highness? I thought you said they were on a research team!" I was starting to panic.

"Shhh little fish, breathe." Troy pulled me into his lap, his touch instantly calming me. "Eat while I explain." He shoved a strawberry in my mouth effectively shutting me up.

"Okay, so you know how every pack has an Alpha?" I nodded yes since my mouth was full of strawberry. "Well it's like that for mer also, except it's divided up by the Oceans. Every Ocean has a king, so there are four kings total."

"There are more than four oceans." I interrupted.

Troy shoved the PB&J in my hands, I took that as a sign to eat and listen. "I know there are technically more oceans recognized now a days but we've been around for centuries. Long before it was decided that they would split up the original four Oceans into seven or however many different ones the humans think there is." Troy rolled his eyes at the last part. "So, there's the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Artic kings. My father is King of the Pacific. Let's be real though, my mom is the one who wears the fins in the family." He started laughing.

"Your dad is a King? How is being a King kind of royalty?" I asked him, I couldn't believe this.

"Okay fine, he is royalty. He does a lot with the research team too though so I wasn't fibbing about that." Troy defended himself.

"So if he's King, why isn't he in the Ocean ruling? Why aren't you in the ocean?" How did one rule a people if they weren't in the same place? It may answer the other question I had been thinking about, if they were meant to be in the Ocean, why weren't they there? Werewolves were meant for land so that's where we were, we weren't hanging out in the ocean.

"You'd actually be surprised to know that most mer live on land." He explained.

"They do? But why?" I asked.

Troy turned a little red, "Uh well, to raise a family is the main reason. We have to be in human form to uh, you know, make a baby."

"Oh." I'm sure I was beat red now also.

"So anyways, over the years Mer found it easier to raise their families on land. We work, play, and do things just like humans so we blend in. When mer get older and have had enough of the human world they 'retire' to the ocean. My grandparents moved to the Ocean a few months ago, I miss them but it gives me an excuse to be out in the ocean more to visit them." He smiled, I could tell he missed and loved them. I wondered if I would ever get to meet them, most likely not. Wolves could swim but not that well.

"So if you have to blend in with the human world does that mean you all have jobs?" He nodded yes since his mouth was now full. "What does your family do?"

"Have you heard of Trident cruise ships?" I nodded yes, that was one of the biggest cruise lines in the world. It was well known for its different excurses across the globe, you could go anywhere that touched the ocean. I know people from our pack have gone on their cruises for anniversaries or just to get away.

"I figured you might." Troy reached for a strawberry, "My father owns and runs the company. The cruise ships are all staffed by mer's. It gives us reason to be out in the Ocean all day, and who else better to give people a good time in the ocean besides mers? We also have cargo ships, boat building factories, pretty much anything involved with the ocean mer's have their hand in it."