MATED TO THE ALPHA AND HIS BETA - Season 5 Episode 41

Mason

Under any other circumstances, being on this luxury yacht would’ve been the vacation of a lifetime. The skipper, Captain Jon, greeted us with glasses of champagne and explained apologetically that he’d be the only crew on board for this trip. He said the words with a hint of confusion in his voice, like he didn’t quite understand what he was saying.

He showed us belowdecks to the small but fancy cabins. None were big enough for all four of us, but we’d have to deal. This trip was only about luxury on the surface. We all had other things on our minds rather than who got to cuddle up with who.

The tour included a peek into the galley, a small dining room, and then abovedecks to take a look at the wheelhouse. Captain Jon briefly demonstrated the helm and all the equipment.

“How is she in storms?” Xander asked. He sounded a little nervous.

I couldn’t blame him. I was, too. Even the minor rocking of the boat at anchor was enough to get my heart racing. Out of all of us, only Stella and the captain didn’t seem at all worried.

Jon grinned. “She’ll weather storms just fine. Why? Are you expecting some?”

“I guess I should ask you that question,” Xander said.

The captain’s gaze turned a little foggy. “No. No storms.”

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I looked off to the horizon and the dark clouds there. “You sure about that?”

“We have to go, no matter how bad the weather gets. I’m making him see only sunny skies. Don’t poke him, Abba,” Stella scolded through our family link.

It turned out that Stella was doing more than making Captain Jon see only sunny skies. She was making him believe he could crew this yacht all by himself, a feat that was only possible because we were not the usual crew of rich tourists demanding gourmet meals and turn-down service.

“But…he really can sail the ship. Right?” Xander asked when we were all gathered on the back deck, watching the land recede into the distance.

Stella shaded her eyes for a moment before taking a seat in a padded deck chair attached to the deck with a chain. There was a bit of exasperation in her tone, but also fondness. “Yes, Daddy.”

“She doesn’t want there to be more people involved than have to be,” Lanie told him.

Xander frowned and stared out over the water. “How long will it take us to get there?”

I could tell he was hating how little control he had over any of this. I felt that, too. We were supposed to be the ones leading, and all we’d been doing since we left Brightsky was following. Blindly, at that.

The yacht hit a wave, and we all grabbed for the closest solid thing to hold onto. I gripped a small cafe table bolted to the deck. Zane fell backward into another deck chair. Lanie and Xander grabbed the railings.

Above us, the sky got darker.

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The storms held off, though, until night. Captain Jon had powered us miles out to sea, then prepared an easy dinner for us and served it in the dining room. As he filled his plate, he dropped a steak knife. It landed point-down, stuck in the floor.

“Oops,” he said. “Clumsy. I’ll take my plate to the wheelhouse. Leave you folks to your meal.”

Stella watched him go. She wasn’t eating anything. She rubbed at her head, her eyes squinting. Finally, I called her out on it.

“I’m keeping him on course, that’s all,” she said. “Suppressing his concerns about the weather and our destination. He thinks we’re just taking a leisurely cruise along the Alaskan coastline. But in order to keep him thinking that, I have to concentrate.”

“And use energy,” Lanie said firmly. “Which means, young lady, that you need to eat something. Come on. Fuel yourself.”

Stella rolled her eyes, and this small expression of annoyance with her mother lifted my spirits. Things couldn’t be too bad if our daughter was rebelling against her mom in such a normal way.

Lanie went to the sideboard and piled a plate with rich-looking desserts. “You don’t even have to eat your veggies. Have some sugar.”

Stella laughed, her eyes aglow as she looked around the table at all of us. She reached to take Xander’s hand, since he was the closest to her. Then she stretched to take mine too.

“I know you’re all doing your best to look out for me. I love you,” she said.

“We love you, too,” Zane replied.

After a few bites, Stella got some color back in her cheeks. She laid out the plans for us heading to the island and what to expect after. She told us several times that anything could change at any time, based on what the High Council decided to do or how other choices led to different outcomes.

No matter what happened, we were looking at a battle. First, against the undead or living dead or spirit dead or whatever the hell occupied Fallen Crest. And of course, the High Council themselves.

“It’s Grammy!” Stella gasped in the middle of her sentence. “The High Council’s scrying tool has been destroyed! Her third eye is closed!”