Rowan sat peacefully on the rocks. His shorts had dried, Wez and his soulmate had gone, Braiken and his son and his soulmate were further along the beach, throwing stones into the water. Kaerius returned when Rowan started wondering why he was gone for so long. Two more heads surfaced. Rowan said hello to Jaiker and Laiken who's attention immediately gushed over Mandy, the princess of the sea.

Kaerius swam to Rowan and gently touched Rowan's leg. They both shivered, and their eyes connected. Kaerius held onto Rowan's ankle with a webbed hand.

Rowan tried not to seem so excited about his physical touch, though it was all he could think about. "Do you want to sleep in the sea again tonight?" he asked.

Kaerius shook his head. "No. Take turns." Kaerius gripped the bottom of Rowan's foot with his other hand, simply enjoying being close. "Will you come on land?" he asked Laiken in the Thalassic Tongue.

"I'm not sure. I might faint if I see myself with legs."

"Or scream like a whale like you did that time Rowan threw a spear at you."

Laiken dunked Kaerius underwater, and he almost pulled Rowan off the rocks. Kaerius let go of his soulmate and started fighting with Laiken.

Jaiker groaned and dipped under the water, returning with pinched ears in each hand. Kaerius squirmed to get away, but Jaiker's grip tightened. "Behave in front of princess," he hissed.

Mandy chuckled as Kaerius released himself and retreated to Rowan to hug his legs and glare.

"I suppose we should get legs. We'll have to if we're coming to help you find the culprit," Jaiker said, looking at Laiken who mumbled something about legs being ugly.

"The culprit?" Mandy asked.

"Yes. We want to help you find who cursed you. If they're not caught soon, I'm scared they'll do the same to Kaerius and Rowan. My heart would break if they had to live through that."

Kaerius looked up to Rowan with worry. Rowan didn't understand the language. "I don't want to be cursed!" Kaerius thought.

"You won't be," Rowan thought back and helped Kaerius onto the rock so they could sit together. "I would never let that happen."

Kaerius flicked his fins in the water when Rowan kissed his cheek.

* * * * *

The next day, Kaerius went down to the rocks to help Jaiker and Laiken get used to their human legs. Michael had given Kaerius some clothes for them to wear, which Laiken didn't enjoy and tried to undress three times before they reached the dunes.

By the time they made it to the porch, Mandy's brothers and Jack had arrived to track down the werewolves. Kaerius stopped by the front door, watching Jack approach Rowan who stood further down the hallway.

"Have you heard anything from Mandy's hunters?" Jack asked.

"No. Wez said he told them that Mandy was stepping down, but, weirdly, they've accepted it so well," Rowan replied, and changed the topic when he saw his mother. Jack left to look around Rowan's house. "The werewolves are based in the town. Are we going soon?" Mandy nodded and stared at Rowan for a little longer than intended. He stared back and awkwardly patted her shoulder. "You don't look okay. You can stay home if-"

"No. I'm coming. I would make myself sick worrying about you and Michael." Mandy stepped back with a small smile. "Speaking of Michael, I'll go see if he's ready."

Kaerius watched Rowan's eyes follow her to the stairs. Rowan had taken his bracelet from his wrist and tangled it around his fingers. He rubbed one of the purple stones nervously. If his emotions didn't stream from his mouth, Rowan would fidget until his hands hurt. Kaerius watched him until Rowan saw him standing by the door. He smiled, and Kaerius's felt a vibration of love down his spine. He approached Rowan, untangled the bracelet and placed it back on his wrists. Kaerius held Rowan's waist and listened as Rowan's anxious thoughts changed immediately.

"After this is all over, can we go on a trip? We can swim to Spain?" Kaerius thought.

Rowan laughed at the thought of swimming his way to another country. "That would be great," he said, looking around Kaerius's face and subconsciously zoning in on his mouth. "Where's Jaiker and Laiken?"

"Touching grass."

Rowan shook his head with a big grin. Once again, he had relaxed in Kaerius's presence despite having many things to feed his worries. "I just want to spend the day sitting on the sand," he sighed and dropped his forehead onto Kaerius's forehead. Kaerius's arms wrapped around him.

"Soon," Kaerius mumbled and thought, "I'm just pleased that the curse is gone, and we can fight to keep it that way instead of living with the illusion that everyone was cruel."

"You're right. I'd rather it be this way than my mum hating me for having a Thalassic Mortal boyfriend."

Rowan's skin felt warm against Kaerius's head. Rowan smelt of soap and the strange spray he put under his arms each morning. Even his clothes had a scent. Kaerius would have felt overwhelmed if the bond didn't let him detect Rowan's natural human smell before any others. Kaerius didn't have words to describe it, but his scent was better than swimming into a shoal of fish.

When it was time to go, Rowan intertwined his fingers with Kaerius who at first, hated how it felt. He kept pulling his hand away until he realised that physical contact felt much better.

"Don't feel good about this," Jaiker said, looking behind him, watching the sea move further away with each step.

"It okay," Kaerius said, giving Laiken a hard shove forward. "Won't kill Jaiker."

Jaiker ran fingers through his long grey beard and pressed on with a hand gripping Laiken's shoulder, scared that he'd sprint back to the beach.

Before they even reached the town, Laiken almost got hit by a car, and Rowan wasn't sure if bringing them was a good idea. Though he wasn't sure that he should be worried about the werewolves. They had every opportunity to hurt Rowan last time he visited their pack.

Michael, Rowan, and Wez entered the abandoned shop first. Rowan had once barged in through the back, intruding on a werewolf meeting. Now, he imposed for the second time. Around twenty werewolves scrambled to their feet and coward by the back wall when Michael kicked the door open.

"Hello," Michael said, waiting for his eyes to adjust in the dull room. "Who is your Alpha?"

A tall woman stepped forwards. "I would ask who you are, but you look like him." She pointed to Rowan. "The Solar's are here."

Rowan tried his best to look friendly. "Hi- um, I don't think I got your name last time I was here."

"Call me Jenya," the Alpha said, and her eyes gleamed when Kaerius stepped through the door, desperately wanting to return to Rowan's side.

"I see you're still bonded, and even more in love than the first time I saw you. I'm glad," Jenya said with a genuine smile. "You can all enter. We know why you're here."

"You do?" Rowan asked.

"I do. But first, I want to know what you did with the claw I gave you."

"It's in my bag. I wanted to return it. What did you do with the poison?"

"It's somewhere safe. Unfortunately, we can't return that to you. The storm is closer now Rowan. We need it."

"Is this storm like some battle?" Michael asked, and Jenya's stare hardened. Her eyes lingered over him and Mandy for some time.

"Yes. And you are all at the centre of it. They speak of curses and bad intensions and even death. Who was cursed?"

All of us," Jack said. "The curse is broken now, but we don't know who did it. Do you or your elders?"

Jenya rubbed her hands together and noticed Jaiker and Laiken. "More Thalassic Mortals with legs. How is it you're able to do that?"

Braiken stepped forwards and puffed out his chest. "I'm Braiken, prince of the sea, brother to princess Mandrylikah and prince Wezarian. We are the descendants of the Goddess of the Sea."

The werewolves all laughed and mimicked him until their Alpha held her hand up to silence them. She walked closer to Rowan, intrigued by his seriousness. She looked and saw more than just him; Jenya seemed to stare right into his soul.

"She's the elder," Rowan thought to Kaerius.

"Wolves, kneel," she spoke with such authority, Kaerius almost knelt, but Rowan grabbed his wrist. Jenya knelt too and said, "We are in the presence of Royalty." Her pack whispered with excitement. "I see now why the storm is important. Humans fight all the time, but never with people like you. Royalty is usually so well protected. I know now why we help."

"You'll help us?" Mandy filled with hope until the Alpha looked at her again. Jenya looked wary, and Mandy knew this wasn't the first time they had met; Mandy just didn't remember. Her hunter life would haunt her for some time, she knew.

"Yes. We are peaceful creatures, and we like to have friends. Royal Thalassic Mortals will be great to have on the New Years party list."

Rowan chuckled. The more he surrounded himself with those of the supernatural world, the more he noticed how similar they were to humans. "We would really appreciate your help. We need to find out who cursed us before they find out the curse is broken. Do you know who did this? You're the elder, can you see it?"

Jenya wasn't surprised that Rowan knew she was the one with the awakening. "You'll make a great ruler one day," she said, though she continued before Rowan could ask what she meant. "I do know who cursed you. I've seen it already."

"Who?" Braiken asked and raised his fists to the air. "Let me squeeze the life out of them!"

Jenya sighed and kept her eyes on Rowan, wanting to speak to only him. "I believe it was within the lies of your curse all along. As bad as the curse was, I saw how intricate and complex it had been to make. A work that great requires a signature."

"A signature-" Rowan's thoughts suddenly came together like a tangled ball of string straightening itself. He gasped and stared at his parents.

"What?" Jack asked. Everyone else looked just as confused.

"The signature," Rowan said, but nobody had pieced it together. "All along, there was a blame. I've heard it this whole time."

"What do you mean?" Braiken asked.

Rowan looked at his father, who had given him his last name, "The Solar's."

Michael then understood.