Chapter 21

21. The Siren Killer YILEYNA Three days had passed, and I had been immensely busy. Not only was Theon’s Beta ceremony delayed, much to the court’s surprise, but we had been notified that we would set sail at sunrise on the fourth day.

The King had found a crew to take us. In total, there would be twenty-two of us on board The Siren Killer. A name that intrigued me, I was not expecting the king to have chosen something like this for our trip. But I guess a ship that was going to brave this journey had to be as dangerous as The Siren Killer looked. The body itself was dark and sleek, it looked like a formidable beast.

I could see it was equipped with heavy weaponry and its three masts had deep red sails.

The crew consisted of nine men and three women, which included the captain of the ship. I didn’t recognise any of the ones I could see from Westerwell, they all looked as threatening and hostile as the ship itself. From their tanned skin, tattoos, and sharp eyes, I doubted any of these werewolves were from our pack.

I would ask Theon about their origin when I had the chance.

Aside from them, there was Raiden, and the son of the other Gamma, Ryan. Then there was one of the king’s mage Madelia, and four of the king’s most trusted royal guards. Which meant our trip included the two future Gamma’s, the future Beta, and the rest who were hand chosen by the king, well aside from me. It was obvious that this was no small mission or trip.

The future of Westerwell was on this ship, although Charlene had come onto the ship in disguise before dawn and was currently waiting under deck in her room, no one was to know that she was making this journey. She was the future of the Silver Storm Pack and the Kingdom of Astalion.

No one else apart from Theon, me and Madelia, knew the true purpose of our journey.

I now stood to the side on deck, the cold morning wind blowing through my hair that was braided into a loose fish plait, my hands folded behind me, dressed in a long-sleeved jacket with matching deep blue coloured pants and knee-high boots. Under my jacket, I wore a black corset top that left plenty of my cleavage on show. I planned to give Theon an answer today and I wanted his attention on me.

The smell of the sea filled my nose, like always, it elated me. I loved the sea and this was the perfect time to enjoy the time we had here. We would be at sea for almost a month, an adventure my heart yearned for, something to keep my mind distracted from everything else.

The fifteen of us on deck now watched each other wearily. Raiden was standing next to me, with Ryan on his other side, both of whom seemed to be assessing the nine crew members that were on the opposite side.

“You’re a pretty one. What’s your name, lass?” One of the women asked me.

She had cropped brown hair, brown eyes, arched brows and plump lips, wearing fitted pants and a tunic. From the piercings on her face and the way she was playing with the little knife in her hand, I could tell she wasn’t the type you would want to cross.

“Yileyna, and yours?” I asked.

“Cleo.” She crossed her arms and jerked her head to her teammates. “Bobbie, Jack, Aeon, Leto, Barbara, Sam, Zen, and Anton.”

Each one gave a little nod, save Barbara, whose blue eyes seemed to be fixed on the far end of the ship where Theon and the Captain were talking.

“Raiden, Ryan, Madelia, Bruce, and Nate.” I introduced our own people.

“Handsome bunch.” Cleo smirked, “Who’s he?”

I glanced to where her attention was now fixed on Theon, and I felt a flare of jealousy shoot through me. It was weird, I should be used to it, Theon’s cold behaviour only made him a fan favourite of the she-wolves in Westerwell.

“Our leader and the one in charge of this trip, Theon.” Bruce said with a nod.

In his black pants, white shirt and jacket, he looked incredibly handsome, as always. He had his arms crossed, and just then, as if he knew we were watching, his smouldering amber eyes met mine.

My heart thumped, I knew everyone here could probably hear it. Well, all the werewolves present anyway. I hadn’t been around him alone since that day in his cabin when he had given me three days, my stomach knotted as I watched his eyes skim over me.

The spell only broke when he looked away, making me let out a breath I never knew I was holding. I looked away, quickly feeling several other pairs of eyes on me and one pair of eyes that belonged to Raiden...

I wonder what he thought. He had seen Theon walk off that night at the festival. He had seen the state I had been in about the Beta title. If anyone, he knew there was something between us.

“Alright, who is ready to set sail?!” The captain shouted, and for the first time, I got a proper look at him.

He looked to be in his late thirties, he was large, muscular with tan weathered skin. Scars littered his face, but the most prominent was the long thick, puffy scar along his neck. He smirked, flashing his gold tooth at me, his piercing green eyes bore into me. “That’s a story for another night lass. Now tell me, what is your pretty name?” His voice was deep, guttural, and he had a rough accent.

Theon’s dangerous glare turned on him.

“She’s off-limits.” He said coldly, walking past the captain and towards us. “Call the rest of your crew on board. I will have a word with them.” He added, crossing his arms as he looked at the captain.

“It’s Yileyna, Captain.” I replied, ignoring Theon. The Captain grinned. “Pretty name for a pretty lady, I’m Flynn.”

“Nice to meet you, Captain Flynn.” I smiled sweetly, trying to suppress my giggle at Theon’s growing irritation.

“Barbara, call the rest.” Flynn said, his eyes not leaving mine. “Nice to meet you too, Yileyna.”

He rolled my name on his tongue, and although it sounded nowhere near as amazing as it did from Theon’s lips, it was satisfying to see Theon’s jaw tick.

We smiled at each other before I made the mistake of glancing at Theon, my heart skipping a beat at the anger in those eyes.

Something told me I’ll be paying for that later. Well, we weren’t together or anything, so I could talk to whoever I wanted.

I turned when Barbara returned with a young boy who looked about my age, and to my surprise, the woman next to him was one I recognised.

“Ailema?” I asked, stunned.

She chuckled.

“Ah, my sweet, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“You two know one another?” Flynn asked sharply. “Yes, we do, I was selling some goods and she was my one and only customer.” Flynn shook his head. “You never get business. I don’t get why you even shop when we travel.”

HSS “You need not tell me what I should or shouldn’t do.” She waved her hand. “Oh, you are as pretty as ever, but something has changed... What is it...”

Her eyes ran over me thoughtfully, and I felt guilty, as if everyone would find out about what happened that night.

“Enough.” Theon’s cold voice cut in. “Everybody has been informed of our journey to the Purien Isles by order of the king of Astalion. I expect everyone to obey the rules that I set out.”

“Aiy... I’m captain... but Commander Theon here is in charge.” Flynn forced a smile, I knew he was probably not happy with that.

But I’m sure the king was paying him a pretty penny for this.

Theon’s face remained impassive as his eyes pierced into each person present. Only Charlene and two guards weren’t here, but I had a feeling they were getting the message through the mind link.

“There will be no playing around, I expect everyone to do what is expected from them, the Silver Moon Pack members will respect the crew of the Siren Killer and I expect the same treatment back. The women of the Silver Moon Pack are off-limits. If I find anyone even trying to get close...”

Raiden chuckled slightly before coughing to cover it up. “That rule surely doesn’t go for us though, right?” He smiled. “We are on a mission, Bolton. This is not a joke.” Theon replied.

His eyes flashed and Raiden simply nodded. I could tell Theon’s anger was at a breaking point already, so I dared not add anything to trigger him.

“This is a vital and dangerous journey. Be prepared for the worst. As for the rest, just obey the rules you were given prior to boarding.” He finished, turning away. “Yileyna.”

“Yes?” I replied realising he was done.

“Follow me.”

I raised an eyebrow as he began walking towards the lower deck. I glanced at Raiden and gave Flynn a nod before I followed, a few steps behind him, making my way down the narrow stair ladder carefully. I was almost to the bottom, when Theon grabbed my arm, roughly yanking me off the steps and into his arms, a hand clamping over my mouth before the scream of panic could even leave my lips...