By Waters Edge

Prologue

The sweet smell of the ocean waters invaded Naia's senses as she breathed in deeply. Everything was glittering from the haze of the sun shining down on the water. Almost like magic.

She looked around her, everything was familiar and felt like home. The ocean was where she belonged. A young promising siren with talent and beauty, just like all others of her kind.

Everyone had smooth skin, washed over and rubbed against by the currents and waves that swept around. The place where they all grew up. Resting on rocks just below the waters surface, almost sunning their chiseled skin. Soft and barely visible scales glittered and danced around the bodies of the mercreatures.

Almost looking cashmere.

Naia had milky skin, so pale despite being in the reflection of the sun constantly. Hair such a fair blonde it almost looked white when looked at in a certain angle and deep, dark eyes that were unlike those of the bright luminescent eyes of her friends. Her tail opalescent, glittering against the light.

She was so similar to everyone around her, and yet, so different.

As she swayed gently in the calm waters, her long pearly hair gently moving whilst covering her breasts, she saw something. Right along the shores, something so small walking on two legs, hopping around from rock to rock.

She was so far away, yet her vision is clear as day and able to see the distance.

Almost looks human.

Slowly, she began trailing through the waters, curiosity pushing her towards the stranger lingering by.

The closer Naia got, the more she could recognize that it was a girl. So small and fragile. Deep caramel skin, short black hair in braids and a small giggle.

Just a child.

Naia watched in amusement, mesmerized by the way the youngling hopped from rock to rock, swaying to balance herself. She held a little doll in her hand, chatting to it about how pretty the water was. And then the little girl lost balance, a shrill scream escaping her lips as she plunged into the water at the end of the rocks.

Watching the occurrence, Naia surged forward, her tail whipping through the water at lightning speed to go retrieve the young girl.

She dove underwater, eyes scanning for the girl and found her rapidly kicking her legs, trying to escape the tide that was pulling her deeper under.

'She's so lucky I am here.' Naia thought, swimming faster. She kicked into overdrive, surging forwards and grasping the arm of the girl who was losing oxygen. Her eyes beginning to close, a scream exiting her lips.

Gotcha.

Naia swam towards the surface as quickly as she could, her heart hammering in her chest. 

Don't die.

The surface was so close yet so far away. The tide having taken them both very deep underwater in such a short period of time. 

She finally broke through the surface of the water, wrapping her arms around the girl as she was propelled into the air. The sheer force of her tail had sent them both flying. She did her best to protect the child from the force.

Looking down, she realized that they were very likely to land on the rocks and panic made her heart hammer in her chest when she realized what was going to happen.

'Protect the girl'

She turned her body so her back would hit the rocks rather than the girl, who would be crushed under her weight.

And then they struck the rocks. Pain seared through Naia's body, causing her to gasp for air due to the force of the landing. Gritting her teeth, she needed to move and fast, she could hear the sound of running feet coming towards the rocks from the treeline. She pushed the young girl off of her and attempted to roll her body off of the rocks and to the water.

The water would heal her.

At the last second, she slipped into the water, plunging down. She hardly had the strength left in her to even move her own tail but pushed through the pain to get herself to swim.

The water felt soothing against the cuts all over her body despite it being salt water. She was more than accustomed to the slight stinging feeling it held after living in it for so long. The surface was close by but she didn't want to be seen, she just wanted to make sure someone got to the girl.

Slowly moving to the far side of the rocks, she peered up, seeing legs running on the rocks towards where she just was.

Some human.

Some wolves.

Naia almost gasped at the sight infront of her.

Werewolves.

The rulers of the lands. Packs that stretched for miles. Humans that could turn into wolves and go from 2 legs to 4 legs in a matter of seconds. Teeth that could rip flesh straight off the bone without even trying. She had read all about them, but had never seen any in her life as she never usually strayed too close to land.

Sirens and Wolves never usually got along, despite living so close by. One on land, one in water.

"Sierra!" Naia watched as someone presumed to be the little girl's mother raced up and scooped the barely conscious child in her arms. Sighing in relief, pulling her into a hug as a sob escaped her lips.

Naia could feel the fear radiating off of the mother's body, so much that it stung.

She could see something floating in the water from the corner of her eyes and looked. It was the child's doll, face down in the water. She picked it up and observed it. It looked just like the little girl she had saved from drowning.

Caramel skin, short hair in braids and a little denim dress with sandals on it. Such a weird sight.

Naia was never familiar with things like this. She played with shells when she was younger, had a collection of pretty shells with so many colours and swirling patterns that were no longer inhabited by sea creatures. Some she used as cups to hold pearls that she found scattered around on the sea floor.

This doll was unlike anything she had ever held in her hands in 22 years.

Looking back up to see the scene unfold infront of her, she quickly realized that it was a mistake to have come so close to watch.

Wandering eyes were met with hers.

A man. 

Skin just like the little girl, black marks all over his arms, swirling and creating patterns and shapes. Dark brown hair, dark eyes. He stood towering over many of the others who were at the rocks.

A tingling feeling rang through her body, causing her teeth to chatter.

'What is he doing to me?' 

Panic flew through her body as she slipped down into the water out of view. She needed to get out of there before she got hurt.

Diving down deep into the water, she escaped into the depths wishing that she had just stayed far away today. But the other part of her felt a pull like nothing she had ever felt before, far stronger than the currents rippling through the water, twisting and turning with such force it would take any human straight to the bottom.

This pull was unfamiliar, it was inside of her. Almost like an elastic being stretched out the further she swam away, ready to snap her straight back to the shore.

Once feeling like she was in the clear, she let her body sink to the sandy ocean floor. Letting out gasps as her heart hammered in her chest, still holding the doll that resembled the little girl.

What was that feeling that she felt inside of her when she met the eyes of the male wolf?

And why did it make her feel so warm inside yet so panicked?