CHAPTER TWO

"Let me get this straight," Jared folded his arms tightly across his chest, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Embry and Quil. "You're telling me you found her... on the beach?"

"Yeah," Embry nodded, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice as he glanced over at Quil, who mirrored his expression.

"Completely naked?" Paul chimed in, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," they both confirmed, the response automatic at this point.

Jacob, arms crossed and expression sceptical, leaned forward slightly. "And the water burned her? You're sure about that?"

"Yes, yes, and YES!" Embry said, his frustration bubbling over. "For the tenth time, yes! We found her on the beach, naked, and the water burned her! What part of that don't you guys get?"

Sam, who had been standing just outside his bedroom door, quietly listening to the conversation, frowned. Emily was busy inside, tending to the mysterious woman they had found. The female had been brought to the pack with the hope that Sam—someone with more knowledge about the strange and supernatural—might know what was going on. But as of now, he had no clue either. From what Sam could tell, she seemed like a regular human, except for the fact that she was harmed by water.

"So, no one has any idea what she is?" Embry asked, his tone growing impatient as he looked around at his packmates. One by one, they shook their heads, all sharing the same confusion.

"No," Jared answered simply, shrugging his shoulders.

The room fell into a heavy silence. The only other unusual thing they had been able to confirm was that when the woman had woken up, she seemed to freak out about her legs. They had no idea why. Maybe it was related to the way she had appeared on the beach, but they couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"She also said 'What in Poseidon's name?'" Embry added, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yeah, that," Quil echoed, though his tone was more curious now.

The silence stretched on until Jacob, clearly trying to lighten the mood with his usual dry humour, spoke up. "So... what is she, a mermaid or something?" he joked, but the room fell completely silent. No one laughed.

To their surprise, Emily, who had just stepped out of the room after finishing with the woman, looked directly at Jacob and spoke up. "You might just be right," she said, her voice serious.

Everyone in the room turned to her, stunned by her sudden contribution. Sam, who had been trying to digest everything they had said, raised an eyebrow and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Emily looked from Sam to the group, her expression thoughtful. "Well, in the Makah tribe, we learned a few things about sea-dwellers. A sea-dweller, or what most people call a mermaid, didn't really exist until the late 1700s. According to the stories, there was a woman—heartbroken over the loss of her lover—who sought out a witch in desperation, hoping that she could erase the painful memories."

There was a brief pause, as everyone absorbed the weight of Emily's words. Paul, ever the sceptic, muttered under his breath, "Now there are witches?"

Before anyone could respond, Jared elbowed Paul in the stomach, giving him a warning look to keep quiet.

Emily continued, unfazed. "Unfortunately, the witch she sought out wasn't just any ordinary witch. It was an Enchantress—someone who despised humans, especially those who came asking for her help. In her anger and disgust, she cursed the woman, transforming her into a being with the upper half of a human and the lower half of a fish. But what the Enchantress didn't know was that the King of the Submerged was watching. This King... he was the ruler of the ocean, the one who governed the vast, submerged world. And he ended up falling in love with the woman who had been cursed."

Sam, who had been quietly listening, raised a hand to halt her for a moment. "So, this King of Submerged—is that supposed to be Poseidon? Like the Greek god?"

Emily shrugged, her expression open but still thoughtful. "I would assume so, but in the stories we know, he's just referred to as the King of the Submerged. We never really made the connection to Poseidon, but it's possible."

The room was quiet for a moment as the group tried to process the new information. Quil, who had been thinking intensely, spoke next, his voice low but full of concern. "If she really is a mermaid, or whatever she is... then what do you think happened to her? How did she end up on the beach like that?"

Sam, who had been deep in thought, finally turned to him. His eyes were serious, the weight of the situation not lost on him. "I don't know, Quil. Only she can answer that." He glanced around at the others. "For now, I guess we just wait."

Embry's frustration was still palpable, but he could feel the urgency in the air. There was so much they didn't understand, so many questions still left unanswered. How had this woman, who was potentially a mermaid or something akin to one, ended up so far from the ocean? Why had she been harmed by the water? And what was her connection to the mysterious King of the Submerged? All these questions and more filled the room, but the only thing they could do now was wait—and hope that the woman would wake up and provide some answers.

As the group fell into a sombre silence, everyone knew that the mystery of this strange woman was far from over. It was just beginning.