18 ↣ Family Introductions
∾ 𝔼𝕡𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕕𝕖 𝟙𝟠: 𝔽𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 ∾
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 immense with fear creeping in her heart. Esmeray didn't like the feeling of worry and terror plaguing her mind since the time she had been lost. But knowing that your existence is a part of a prophecy that could potentially destroy the world, is terrifying.
She knew that the monstrous hybrid, Damon, couldn't possibly be her mate. Triton was her mate, the love of her life. So, how is she linked to the demonic hybrid?
Questions filled her mind, but there was no answer. No matter the countless books she read with Ben, all they could hit was a dead end. Hours were wasted away trying to find a connection between her and Damon.
Yet, there was none.
"We need to get going, Ray. I have pack duties to perform too. If I am late, my sister will kill me," Ben says as he gets up from the floor.
Esmeray nodded, knowing that it was late and it was time to go. She sighed as she got up too, then helped him to keep the books back to their original places.
"You should come with me, though. Don't you get bored from staying in your room all day long? We aren't that scary, are we?" Ben says with a smile. His canines were in a display, but for some reason it didn't scare her. It didn't remind her of the siren Queen - instead, it angered her.
She needed to get back home and get her revenge.
Triton needed her to start the war, the blood of the sirens will be on her hand. Esmeray had never been the violent one but now, they had attacked her and her home for no reason - that meant war. Hurt her family, she will break you beyond repair.
"No, you aren't. In the beginning, I was terrified that I was some kind of a sacrifice for you all. But seeing now that we belonged together and somehow, I am a part of a disastrous prophecy for which you very much need me alive, I can somewhat trust you. But I have a concern.... How am I able to bond so easily with you considering that I was scared around Alpha Lucian and others when I first saw them?" she asks.
They walk out of the library side by side. The sun was now gone, replaced by the serene moon. Somehow, the night always comforted her even though she knew evil lurked around in the darkness. But the moon was her savior, and it was her own way of reassuring herself that Goddess Selene will be there for her.
"We were created with the same element - water. Consider us droplets of water in the sea, even if we are in different parts of the world we are connected and no one can tell us apart. Our powers tie us and since the Merfolk defend the sea we derive our power from, we are linked to them by an invisible bond. You find it easy to be around me because of that bond. It's weird I know. As for others, they possess the power of different elements. So, you have no connection with them," Ben explained.
She hummed in response.
Today had been a usual day since the demons she was once scared of wasn't demons at all - they were mythicons just like her, created by the blessings of Goddess Selene. There were black and white sides in between them as well, and the black side was hunting for her.
The rogues, as Ben had called them, had been hunting for the crown of the sea since the time the whispers of her arrival started erupting. He claimed that they wanted to have her since they believed that she was mated to Damon and she could be used to wake the hybrid from his slumber.
Esmeray didn't know why they even wanted to rise up such a monster, but it seemed to her that Damon might have manipulated their minds.
"Here we are," Ben says as he points towards a house.
The house was fairly large, perhaps designed for a humongous family with wooden walls and warm settings. Flowers decorated the porch and she could smell the roses even from a distance.
"Is it your house?" she asks Ben.
"No, that's my family house. It's owned by my parents, so technically it's theirs, but you get what I mean. I was raised here till I turned of age and my parents kicked me out of it. I live in the packhouse now since I have to shift and buying a new house will be stupid. I know it's huge for two people but then, my parents never live alone. I have three more siblings, so they are practically live in this house most of the time even though they have their own," Ben explained.
Ben knocks on the door and within seconds it opens to reveal a middle-aged woman with the warmest smile Esmeray had ever seen.
"Benny! I missed you!" the woman says as she grabs Ben in a tight hug.
"Mum, I was there yesterday. And how many times do I have to tell you to not call me by that stupid name?" Ben complains as his mother releases him from the hug.
"You are no one to tell me when to miss you or not. And I gave birth to you, so I have the right to call you by any name I want," his mother says.
The resemblance between Ben and his mother was too much, they had the same eyes and hair. It was clear that Ben inherited his powers from his mother.
"And who might this stunning young lady be?" his mother asks.
Ben looked at her and silently asked for Esmeray's permission. She knew that they had a pact that he would hide her true reality from everyone but the fact that Ben had to lie to his mother irked her. Even then, his mother could sense her like Ben had.
"I am Esmeray, the Queen of the sea," she replied in a low voice.
But by the look of surprise on the lady's face, she knew that she had heard Esmeray wide and clear.
"My Queen, we have been waiting for you. Please come in," the woman said, " We have so much to discuss."
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𝐁𝐄𝐍'𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 friendly and easy to get comfortable around. His two older brothers were handsome, perhaps it was the genes in the werewolves to be so attractive. They were twins and for some time it was even hard for Esmeray to tell them apart.
The elder twin is Nathan, who was the pack warrior. He was well-built with scars adorning his arms and face. Even though he looked intimidating, he was soft at heart. Like his twin, he had dark brown hair with hazel eyes that could leave any girl mesmerized. They didn't look much like Ben, considering that they looked too similar to their father.
The younger twin was Nate, who was training to be a pack doctor. He had a soft smile with your typical boy-next-door features. Although he looked well-trained and built, he wasn't as bulky as his twin brother.
Nathan was mated to Amanda, who wasn't present since she was away visiting her parents at the Ventus pack. Nate was yet to find his mate - his constant flirting attempts with Esmeray made her laugh though. He was really a charmer.
Then came his sister, Regina, who was the Gamma of the Ignis pack. The she-wolf looked rather intimidating at first, with her blue eyes that bore into Esmeray's soul and brunette hair that looked flawless. Her aloofness towards Esmeray confused her since she didn't remember doing anything to offend the Gamma, but she was still respectful towards Regina. Thankfully, the Gamma had to leave for her duties so Esmeray had successfully avoided talking much to her.
Ben's father was a kind and a wise man, as Esmeray observed. The twins had inherited his dark brown hair and hazel eyes, and even though he was older now, he looked pretty handsome for his age. For Esmeray, he was the light and joy of the De Luca family. She wondered how he fathered someone so stone-cold as Regina.
"Get me some sausages for the dinner, Jake! I will make some spaghetti with sausages tonight. Also, Nate be kind and get me some delish wine. And where the hell is Nathan?" Ben's mother, Lily, shouted on top of her lungs.
She was currently in the kitchen while the others were seated in the dining hall and discussing pack matters among each other. Everyone made Esmeray feel welcomed, as they briefed her up with the latest happenings around the kingdom. Besides Lily and Ben, no one knew that she was a mermaid.
Lily felt that only the Aquas deserved to know about her existence as of now since the protection of the prophecy had been entrusted to them.
"Yes, darling!" Jake replied, but with the expression on his face, the old man wasn't ready to leave the comfort of his couch. He didn't even make any attempts to get up.
"Get up from the damn couch, Jake! Don't make me come there! And where is Nathan?!" Lily shouted again from the kitchen.
"I am getting up, woman! Can't a guy get some rest? I swear she has a third eye in the back! She sees everything," Jake said grumpily.
Esmeray chuckled with Ben and Nate. Ben was lying next to her on the sofa with his head again rested on Esmeray's lap - it seemed to her that he really enjoyed that position, or perhaps lying down.
"Nathan is out for his duty, Mum!" Nate replied back.
He got up with his father, as they got ready to head out.
"Don't miss me much, baby doll," Nate said as he pecked her cheeks and winked at her.
"Says the one who will do the missing. Nate, the person should be loved in order to be missed. And I don't even like you, Nate De Luca," she replies with a teasing smile.
For some reason, she enjoyed being around Nate. Somehow, she felt close to the entire De Luca family, except Regina of course.
"We will see, baby doll," he says but his father interrupts him.
"She is way out of your league, son. Now, let's go or your mother will be angry with me, again," he says as he grabs Nate by his hand and drags him out.
Ben chuckles beside her which causes Esmeray to laugh. The family was surely the one she wanted to have - they were five different individuals with one heart.
Esmeray hears footsteps behind her, signaling the entry of Lily. She takes a seat on the couch opposite her and by the serious look on her face, Esmeray knew that they were about to talk about her.
And more importantly, what chaos her arrival had bought.
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