Carter POV.It has been a few weeks now since Asteria has begun working at the company. She thinks I don’t see the hostility she has been shown by my staff; she is wrong.Jerome has helped where he can. She showed us what we missed and how we can all benefit from what she had suggested. It is safe to say that Jerome has seen her in a different light.I enter the office and hear her giggling at something Jerome has said, and she is explaining something. I stand and listen to her.“No, we sometimes use spears, not nets.” She says as she shows him something. I watch as he looks at her like she is crazy.“But the blood, doesn’t that attract sharks and other predators?” I move further into the room and listen. Asteria laughs, holding her belly.“Sharks and other predators. Gods above, the sirens are an apex predator. In both the water and on land. Animals on land and in the sea know this. The sirens create balance. We only hunt what we need. The sirens don’t need to use nets to catch the f
Asteria POV.I’m standing on top of a hill looking over the glistening blue waters. I hear laughter coming from behind me. I turn and see a black-haired little girl running with a boy. I smile at the image.“Janny, stop! I can’t run that fast!” the little girl laughs as she pushes faster away from the boy. They both run past me and I follow behind them down the hill towards the village. I stop in my tracks when I see her. My mother.She catches the girl who I know is my much younger self as I try to run past her. With a squeal, she sweeps me up into the air, away from my brother.“There you are, my little sea flower. Where have you been?” she coos and kisses my cheek before she sets me on my feet.“Janny was chasing me. We were racing. I won, mamma. I did it.” I laugh as Janis picks me up and hugs me. Before they take off again. I walk closer to my mother and look at her.She is beautiful, brown eyes and olive skin, long deep brown hair that is nearly black, the sun catching red under
Carter POV.Watching Asteria fight and argue with her father was something else. I knew she needed to get this off her chest, so I wasn’t going to intervene. I know Asteria can handle herself. Even so, I will be there for her.“Asteria is going to leave.” Lykos says in my head with a whimper when I see her turn to walk back to the steps.“We will be there no matter what she needs, but she isn’t leaving.” I say to him as he hums. Asteria moves closer to me, and I wrap a blanket around her shoulders. Her full lips are slightly blue, and her legs are shaking. I move aside for her, and she follows me in. I move towards the kitchen and make us both a drink.She is sitting on the sofa. Her elbows were on her knees with her face in her hands.“Asteria, I got you this.” I hand her the mug, and she smiles at me and takes it. And visibly shivers with the heat of the mug and sits, bringing her legs up onto the sofa. I sit beside her but give her some space. She blows the steam from the mug and t
Asteria POV.Horror and shame wash over me as Carter places me in the shower. The slight cramping in my stomach makes me groan out as I clutch my stomach.“It’s ok Asteria. This is normal for human women.” I snap my head to him as he enters the shower behind me. I try to scramble away, but he stops me.“Look at me, Asteria, you have nothing to be ashamed about. This is called a period. It is your monthly cycle.” I blink rapidly at his words as I tilt my head to the side.“Period, what is its purpose? Why does it hurt?” I ask him as I whimper. I move to the floor and curl up in a ball as the hot water beats down on me, offering me very little relief.“Every month, human women go through this cycle. It is completely normal. The purpose is to shed the old lining.” I look up at him.“What old lining?” I ask through gritted teeth as the dull ache continues. Whatever this period thing is, I feel like I’m dying and I’m sure I will with the amount of blood that I am losing.“Your womb, when y
Carter POV.“What the fuck Dani? Why did you tell her you are my girlfriend?” Dani rolls her eyes and folds her arms over her chest. She is in no way shape or form my girlfriend. She is a girl who is my friend, not the other kind.“Oh please Carter, you know what I meant. Didn’t you want to see how she felt about you, well I think it is safe to say you have your answer. Besides, Jerome told me she is a nice person.” I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose.Jerome and Danielle are engaged, and he has told her about Asteria, well not everything about her but the basics. Dani doesn’t know that Asteria is or was a siren. The less she knows, the better, especially when it was Asteria who nearly killed Jerome.“No, you have just made it worse. She was finally coming out of her shell and you have to pull a dumb stunt like that.” She rolls her eye again and I swear to all that is good if she was a man, I would knock her ass out.“Carter, it worked. Yes, I shouldn’t have sat on your lap, but y
Asteria POV.Walking along the path to the settlement. I stop and turn to look at the glistening waters across from me. The sun is high in the sky. I lower my head in defeat and turn to continue my journey towards the settlement.I follow the path around and the cabins come into view. The only sounds are the birds in the surrounding trees, no sound of the children playing or the residents chatting or doing their daily routines. The place is abandoned.I walk into the middle of the settlement and it looks how it always has, yet I know I’m here on my own. I sigh and walk towards the cabin of the chief. My feet ache as I walk up the wooden steps and open the door.I step inside and look around and everything is in its place; I walk to the windows and open them. Dust lines the surfaces. I run my finger over the window-sill and fight the need to cry. The sting in my nose tells me I am fighting a losing battle.I blink rapidly and take a few breaths to stop the tears from falling as I move
Carter POV.I pace in the office. I have not been able to relax, and I didn’t sleep well last night knowing how badly I fucked up. I don’t know where she went or if she is ok. I only hope I will see her soon. I tried getting in touch with Gaia last night, but I couldn’t reach her. Even her mate Calista couldn’t tell me where she was. So now I have to wait and hope Asteria comes to me.The office door opens and I turn with a smile, thinking it’s Asteria, but my smile slips off my face when I see Jerome standing there looking at me with an eyebrow raised.“Well, I heard you fucked up. What were you thinking? Dani told me everything and let me tell you, I gave her up and down the banks. You are both like children.” He says and I growl at his tone with me. And he just tilts his head and points a finger at me.“You can stop that shit, right now Carter. Or is it Lykos? You are both to blame for her leaving you,” he says, and I sit in my chair.Everyone in the company knows I am a Lycan, no
Asteria POV.It has been a few weeks since I moved to the settlement, and it has been what I needed. Being out in nature has helped me to stay calm. Gaia has been training me. I’m happy to know that I still have some of my strength and I never lost the ability to fight. It just had to be slightly modified. Considering I don’t have talons and fangs, so I have adapted like all humans do.As far as the people in the company are aware, I am nothing to Carter, just another worker who is helping make more profits and so far it is working. I get the stares of the workers and I don’t flinch when they say hurtful comments that try to rile me up. I just take it.They know who I am and make no attempts to hide their hatred towards me. In a way, they are playing at their own game. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I can handle them and they know it. One look from me has them cowering until they realise I am just like them in a sense, but so far, no one has tried to openly attack me. I know i