Moonlit Waters: His Mermaid Luna

Chapter 3: Insecurities

LYKOS

A moment of silence followed as the echo of my questions lingered in the air before Calista took a deep breath, meeting my gaze.

"Wealthy families are selfish," she said with a humorless chuckle before walking, prompting me to join her. She explained that her family does not believe in the mate bond because they only form alliances for their own benefit. The mate bond complicates matters, which is why they had to abandon it.

“For instance, my fated mate could be someone around here. Someone who is going through the same issues as I am, and getting involved with them would be counterproductive," she said before stopping and facing me again. “That’s why I’m not waiting for my mate.”

I began to speak, but she interjected. "To answer your second question, 'Why am I marrying you even though you have nothing to give'—come for a walk with me." She led me down to the beautiful gardens, and as we arrived, I suddenly felt something was amiss. And it hit me when I looked around. There was no scent. All the beautiful flowers had no scent.

My eyes widened as I reached for one with my paw, and I realized they were not real, and just then, Calista spoke, drawing my attention away from the flowers and toward her.

"This is how desperate we are, Lykos," she said, calling my name for the first time and causing my heart to race. “You are wrong in thinking you have nothing to offer. Fertile land is more valuable than any gemstone. Food is more than just a means of survival; it is the essence of life, and our wealth has stripped us of it.

You stated that we have enough money to buy, which is correct, but the humans who sell us fresh produce demand more each time they come. They see our desperation and exploit it, leaving us fearful that one of these days their price will be too high, and it may not even be the money they seek. We are desperate, Lykos, and if you could feel our hearts, you would understand why I am marrying you."

Her words struck me deeply. The Crystal Caverns Pack was surrounded by an extravagant and wealthy façade, but it was only that—a façade. Underneath it lay a harsh reality of struggle and desperation.

The fake flowers in the garden served as a poignant symbol of their plight, and I realized that the adage "money isn't everything" was true. However, a voice in my head questioned this notion, pointing out that their money was the reason they had no contender for my hand, indicating that it had purchased them the necessary land.

I paused to process what she had said, feeling the weight of her words, before nodding in agreement. “I understand now,” I finally responded, my voice soft. “I had no idea things were this bad. I only saw the surface and assumed you had everything you needed.”

Calista nodded, her eyes reflecting a hint of vulnerability. “It’s not just about survival, Lykos. It’s about dignity and ensuring our pack’s future. Your fertile land represents hope for us, a chance to break free from this cycle of dependency.”

Her honesty touched me, and I realized the depth of the responsibility I was about to take on. This marriage was more than just two people joining together; it was a critical alliance that could change the fate of both of our packs. “I promise you,” I said, meeting her gaze, “that I will do everything in my power to honor this alliance and ensure our packs thrive together.”

Calista smiled with a genuine expression of relief and gratitude. “Thank you, Lykos,” she said before we resumed our walk in the false garden. It may not have been real, but it was still a spectacle. However, we only took two steps before she stopped and looked at me, causing me to do the same.

“Why?” she asked. “Why are you not waiting for your mate? Why are you so eager to get married that you can’t wait.” Her questions were fair, and I smiled, acknowledging that before replying to her question.

“Eight months ago, I lost my grandfather,” I began, and Calista offered her condolences, to which I thanked her before continuing. I told her the story of my uncle and father—everything that went down after my grandfather died.

My uncle had become something dark after leaving our pack. He joined the mob and led a life of crime that made him feared and connected him with other dangerous people. I recounted the damage his goons inflicted upon our pack during his fight with my father. Lives were lost, not just my father’s, and my uncle’s men wreaked havoc among our people.

“Now we all fear that his sons will come after the title or continue what their father started,” I explained. “If that happened before our pack had the rightful alpha, we would face it alone. But if I were already in place, all the alphas from neighboring packs would stand with us. I’m afraid that my people won’t survive another blow, and so, for them, I make this sacrifice.”

She nodded with somber eyes. “I’m sorry for the troubles that befell your home,” she said, and I thanked her again. A moment of silence followed before she spoke up once more, shooting another question at me.

“I hear you, and I don’t doubt that you want to make this sacrifice for your people. But what if you can’t? What if you find her before we get married? What if you look into her eyes and feel all the things you’re said to feel? Will you have it in you to reject her? It's one thing to convince yourself that you're ready to make a sacrifice without fully understanding what you're giving up, but it's another to truly execute it when the opportunity presents itself."

Her questions were piercing, and through them, I gauged her level of maturity and reasoning, and I was impressed. When I came here, I expected to find a spoiled princess who had no idea what real life entailed since she had everything handed to her from birth. But as we spoke, I realized how wrong I was, and it made me like her even more.

“That’s a hard question,” I admitted. “I suppose it's something I won’t truly understand until I’m faced with it. But I do know this: My pack's well-being comes first. It comes before my well-being, and I’ve seen the devastation that selfishness and greed can cause. If making this sacrifice ensures their safety and future, then I believe I can find the strength to do it.”

As I said that, she looked at me with a mixture of respect and empathy before nodding. “I hope you don’t have to face that choice, Lykos. But I admire your courage. Your people are fortunate to have you as their leader.” Her words warmed my heart, and I felt a deeper connection forming between us.

But Calista’s question had awakened my own. I wanted to know what she would do if her mate showed up before we got married and marked each other. I asked, and she admitted that it was a fair question before she responded, saying the mate bond wasn’t a factor for her.

“The mate bond is as powerful as you allow it to be, Lykos,” she began. "To you, rejecting your mate would tear you apart because you had already let her in before meeting her, giving the bond life within you," she explained. "You have fed and strengthened it, but I have not. As soon as I could comprehend anything, I knew it was not a factor.

I was taught and trained not to give it life, not to let it seize control of my soul. So, as much as I don’t know how I would feel, I know without a shred of doubt that I would turn my back on my mate. If he’s from around here, then he grew up being told the same things I was, so it would make it that much easier.”

I nodded, but my heart clenched as she spoke about how she was denied the opportunity to experience true love. Yes, I was sacrificing my mate, but I knew there was no love like mate love. It felt wrong that her family had deprived her of that. I had made my own decision, not my family. If I wanted to risk it all and wait, my family would have let me.

However this was not the case for Calista, and it was unfair that her family had placed such a heavy burden on her shoulders. So, as I stepped up to her, I looked her in the eyes and promised to be good to her. "I will learn to love you as you deserve and become a husband capable of making you happy." My words brought tears to her eyes, and we caressed each other tenderly, rubbing our heads and sides together as much as our wolf forms would allow.

After that, we continued our walk in the garden, and Calista eagerly pointed out various features and shared stories about the place. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself appreciating the surrounding beauty, even if the flowers were artificial. Her voice had a warm tone that put me at ease, and I began to see the garden through her eyes.

THE FOLLOWING DAY

“Are you ready? Our transport awaits us,” Argon asked as he stepped inside the room. Felix and I confirmed we were ready; the elders had now shifted back to their human forms.

Men entered and offered to carry our luggage, which we accepted. Escorted outside, we encountered a farewell that reflected the warm welcome we had received. Once again, the young women lined up outside, beaming as we made our way to our vehicle.

We had completed the final negotiations, and the wedding preparations would commence as soon as we arrived at our destination in two days.

We entered our transport and began our journey out of the village, leaving behind the smiles we found when we arrived. Our own faces were also lit up with smiles, and I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Talking to Calista and getting to know her better helped to alleviate some of my insecurities. I shared this with Felix, who asked why just some instead of all, before asking what insecurities remained.

Sighing, I reminded Felix of everything we had just seen and experienced. “Calista is used to luxuries. The fact that she is eager to marry me despite my lack of wealth does not mean she will not miss her previous life. I am afraid I will not be able to give her everything she wants." I explained but he interjected, saying I would do my best and that’s what mattered.

“Stop worrying so much.” He smiled to reassure me, and I took his advice, and we started reminiscing about everything that had happened.

The celebrations carried through the night; it was early morning when we finally retired to bed. Calista even took us on a midnight drive around the city and we toured the village.

The elders joined in, impressed by what they saw and the warm welcome we received. Time flew by, and before we knew it, we were at the airport. We exited the car and boarded our plane, eager to get some rest.

As I lay there, I thought back on my talk with Calista. Her pragmatic approach to the mate bond and her understanding of our mutual responsibilities impressed me. Despite the artificial luxuries of her home, she had a depth and wisdom that made me feel more confident about our future together.

Soon sleep started to take over, and I let it claim me.

HOURS LATER

A violent rocking startled me out of sleep, sending me flying off the bed and smashing into the plane's wall. A gasp escaped my lungs, my eyes wide and disoriented as I struggled to my paws, wondering what was going on as I skidded across the shaking floor.

The cabin door flew open, and Argon entered, his eyes wide with fear. "The storm has returned," he said, but could not finish as the plane tipped to the side, sending him tumbling and sliding into me.

A sense of horror descended upon me as we collided with a painful thud, both of us frantically attempting to regain our bearings.

“We need to get to the front of the plane,” he said, getting up and grabbing onto anything stable as he tried to assist me and we stumbled our way out of the cabin. The plane lurched violently again, and I nearly lost my grip, but Argon pulled me up, and we pushed forward.

We finally made it to the front, where Argon secured me in my seat and I looked at Felix, already strapped in to find his expression mirroring my own fear. The elders were also seated, their faces tense as they assured us that the storm would pass, but their words did little to calm the rising panic in my chest.

Argon settled into a seat just as the plane tipped over, leaving us hanging upside down. Emergency sounds blared throughout the cabin, a chorus of alarm warnings that added to the chaos.

The plane shook violently, and I could hear the wind howling outside, battering the aircraft with relentless force. The turbulence was far worse than anything we had experienced previously.

Helpless, I prayed to the gods as the plane swung back and forth, throwing us against our restraints while blood rushed to my head from the dangling upside down.

“Hold on!” Argon shouted over the noise as the plane suddenly tilted back to its normal position, and we all let out a collective sigh of relief. For a brief moment, I dared to hope that we were through the worst of it.

But then, a deafening bang, like an explosion, shook the very core of my being, and my heart stopped as I watched in horror.

The plane broke in half as if sliced through by an invisible, razor-sharp blade—the separation was clean and brutal, and screams filled the air as the two halves of the plane began to plummet towards the earth.

Time seemed to slow down as I watched the elders in the forward section, their faces etched with terror, get violently torn away from us. Felix, Argon, and I were in the rear half, and I felt a sickening lurch in my stomach as we started to freefall while the wind roared around us—a deafening howl that drowned out our screams.

“Hold on!” Argon yelled, his voice barely audible through the chaos, and I clung to my seat, my claws digging into the fabric as the force of the descent pinned me back—the plane's interior a maelstrom of flying debris.

But just then, the two halves of the plane collided midair with a sickening crunch, throwing us around like rag dolls. The impact was bone-jarring, and I felt a sharp pain in my side as something heavy slammed into me. The lights in my head flickered and I tried to resist but darkness claimed me.