three

A thudding headache from the right side of my skull dragged me into consciousness. I forced my eyes open, and my vision was blurry. The surroundings around me were unfamiliar. Finally, all the blur cleared into focus and I immediately saw three pairs of brown eyes staring at me.

"She's awake!" The smallest girl smiled down at me, then nudged the others who were still staring at me in awe. "Mama, she's awake!"

They ran off, shouting, "Mama! The sea lady opened her eyes!"

I tried to sit up bewildered by what it was they were saying. What did they mean sea-lady? What was I doing here? The last thing I remembered was sitting on my favourite nest on the sea-cliff and crying. The rest was fuzzy. As I sat up, there was a sharp pain in my lower belly. I flinched, shutting my eyes as the pain almost demoralized me.

A woman appeared in the doorway, clearly their mother from the resemblance.

"Easy now," she said, settling into a chair. "I'm Fatima. You've been asleep for a very long time."

"I..." My head was still spinning as she talked to me, I looked around to see if I could recognize where I was at, but nothing. "Where am I?"

"Safe." She poured water into a cup, then handed it over to me with an outstretched hand. "Drink slowly."

The water tasted sweet, but there was something more salt in it than the normal water. The memory hit me.

"The sea," I gasped. "I remember the sea."

Fatima's face grew serious. "I found you washed up on our shore three moons ago. More dead than alive."

"Three months? I've been unconscious for three months?"

"Your body needed time to heal. Whatever happened to you out there nearly killed you."

The memory crashed back with a blinding flash of pain, and I nearly toppled the cup as I ground my teeth. Fatima's hands steadied me.

I had been sitting on my favorite perch at the sea-cliff, the wind whipping my hair as I stared out at the endless horizon. The tears wouldn't stop coming. How long had I being played for a fool? Weeks? Months? But hearing them say it this morning was like a knife to my chest. My sister. My own blood. And my mate.

There was a sound of footsteps on the rocky path behind me, light and soft, I suspected that it should be Layla but I didn't turn when I heard her approach. I was too lost in my grief to care.

"Cecelia." Layla's voice was soft, almost gentle. The way she used to speak when we were children and she was trying to coax me into some mischief.

"Go away." I didn't want to see her face, didn't want to see those perfect features that everyone always said were more beautiful than mine.

"We need to talk."

I finally turned, wiping my eyes. She stood there in a flowing white dress, her golden hair catching the afternoon sun. Even now, even knowing what I knew, she was breathtaking.

"About what? About how you've been sharing my mate's bed while playing the devoted sister? About how you smile at me during pack meetings while plotting behind my back?"

Her face didn't change. That was what chilled me most; the complete lack of surprise or shame. "You don't understand the bigger picture, Cecelia."

"Enlighten me."

She stepped closer, and I should have backed away. I should have listened to the warning bells in my mind. "The pack needs strong leadership. You're too emotional, too volatile. Look at you now, crying on a cliff like a child."

"I'm crying because my sister betrayed me!"

"I did what was necessary." Her voice was cold now, all pretense gone. "Zeke sees it too. You're not Luna material. You never were."

My anger spiked, and my voice was above level now. "He's my mate, Layla. The Moon Goddess chose—"

"The Moon Goddess makes mistakes." She was close enough now that I could see the glint of wickedness in her eyes. "But we can fix them."

I started to stand, some instinct finally kicking in, but she was faster. Her hands slammed into my chest with surprising force. For a moment, I teetered on the edge, arms windmilling, the cliff's edge crumbling beneath my feet.

"Layla!" I reached for her, desperate, but she stepped back.

"Goodbye, sister," she whispered, and there was almost something like sadness in her voice. "I'll take good care of what should have been mine all along."

The world tilted. I screamed as I heard the roaring waters beneath me. The last thing I saw was her silhouette against the sky, watching as I fell.

"Someone threw me in. They pushed me into the sea." I could recall hands pushing me, the shock of cold water. "My sister pushed me off the cliff."

Fatima's eyes widened. "Your own sister? This wasn't an accident?"

"No. She wanted me gone so she could take my place as Luna." The certainty settled in my chest along with grief I couldn't name. The betrayal cut deeper than the physical wounds. "She was sleeping with my mate."

Fatima's face hardened with righteous anger. "Blood betraying blood. There's no sin worse in the eyes of the sea spirits."

"I'm so sorry," I said, looking at her ashen face. "You saved my life. But I need to find my way home, so I can remember who I once was. I promise I'll find a way to repay you—"

I tried to stand but the world tilted. I was falling until strong arms caught me.

"I won't allow you to leave in your condition. You have to be hale and hearty. You've been still for months so you will not be able to walk around as you normally would."

I closed my eyes, as I tried to catch my breath. "Being in a coma so long, my muscles have forgotten—"

"Cecelia." Her voice stopped me. "That's not the only reason you're weak."

Something in her tone made my blood run cold. "What do you mean?"

She took my hands. "You're carrying a child."

I shook my head, desperately. "That's impossible."

"Yes." She nodded, "For about four months along. The babe is why your body fought so hard to survive."

Four months. Golden eyes flashed in my memory. Zeke. And then my sister's face, Layla with her perfect smile twisted into something cruel as she pushed me to my death. The timeline made terrible sense now. She must have known. She must have seen the signs I was too naive to recognize.

"I can't go back then," I whispered. "Not like this. Not when I'm pregnant with his child and she's probably Luna now."

"Back where?"

"The Brooke Pack. My sister... she's probably Luna now. I can't compete with her anymore. Not with a baby." The injustice burned through me. She had tried to kill me, and she still got everything she wanted. "I had every right to that position."

"Then don't compete," Fatima said. "Choose something different. Choose your child."

"Why are you helping me?"

"I believe the sea brought you to us for a reason. And everyone deserves a second chance." She moved toward the door.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This is the Seacreek Pack. Most of us are fishers and farmers. We are simple folk, but good people." She paused. "Rest now. When you're ready, I'll introduce you properly."

I settled back, one hand on my barely visible belly. The child of the man who had betrayed me, but innocent of his father's sins, who was also innocent of his aunt's murderous ambition.

The pain in my heart began to ease, just a little.

"Just you and me now," I whispered to the tiny life inside. "We'll make our own way.”