Page 70 of Welcome to Seaman’s Cove: Part Two

I walk across the stage to the sound of clapping and cheers, silently reminiscing on another day I stood in front of a crowd like this, a day that kickstarted my career.

Hunter’s been shaking hands with the other students in our department as he delivers their diplomas, but I throw my arms around him and kiss his cheek. It’s not like everyone doesn’t know about us already.

No one was happy when we first made our relationship public. Hunter was suspended for a few weeks while the board deliberated, but ultimately they decided scent matches are an exception to the normal rules. Ever since then, they’ve cracked down on students not wearing scent blockers on campus, though. I think they’re worried about this happening again. But that’s a problem for them, not us.

“I’m so proud of you,” Hunter says against my ear. He sets me down and kisses my cheek, then hands over my diploma.

I smile out at the crowd, pausing like I promised I would, so that Caspian can get a picture.

They don’t have doctorate degrees in the sea, so it took him a long time to understand our education system, but he’s been the most excited of my mates. He’s standing up in the first row past the graduates, yelling at the top of his lungs. Phoenix and Seb are next to him, each whooping and hollering.

In the seats to their left, Caspian’s family looks a little shell-shocked. It’s not the first time that Nero, Farra, and Amalie have visited us, but I’m pretty sure they’ve never seen so many humans in one place before.

“That’s my girl!” Phoenix yells louder than anyone else.

I giggle and slip past Hunter to go back to my seat. Evie waves at me as I walk down the steps. She’s sitting off to the side by a few friends of ours. We grin at each other over the heads of the other graduates. She’ll walk this same stage tomorrow with the med school students.

“We did it,” I silently mouth.

A look passes over her face that I can’t quite interpret before her smile returns, and she gives me two thumbs up. She’s so fucking awkward sometimes. And I absolutely adore her.

The rest of the ceremony passes in a blur, and then the university president is saying, “You all have worked hard to ensure you have the tools to make the world better. Graduates, please move your tassels from the left to the right.” President Sherman pauses to allow the collective group to follow his instructions. “Now, as the saying goes, leave the places you’ll go better than you found them. Congratulations.”

Caps flood the air, then I’m moving, grateful to be on the aisle and eager to get to my mates. Seb meets me first, swooping me into his arms.

“Congratulations, ocean.” He kisses me as he carries me back to our little group and sets me on my feet.

My gaze catches momentarily on my parents hugging Branson. We rarely speak anymore, and they officially disowned me when it came out that I’d packed up with a professor, but they’re still close with the Prescott pack. It doesn’t surprise me that they’re here, but it still stings.

My thoughts are disrupted by Amalie throwing herself at me with such force I almost topple over. She wraps her arms around my waist, and it’s the perfect reminder that this is all the family I need. She’s become the little sister I always wanted over the past couple years. She visits more often than Nero and Farra, since they have an entire kingdom to run, but it’s still not often enough. I know she’s hoping to convince her brother to let her stay for the rest of the summer. We’ve been working on him together.

“Missed you, Ama.” I rub her back, and her hold on me tightens.

It hasn’t been easy for her since her brother took the throne and her mother was exiled. Nero’s a good sibling and king, but he and Ama are as different as they come, and he hasn’t known what to do with her curious, adventurous spirit. It also doesn’t help that Caspian is here, too.

“That’s enough, squirt,” Phoenix ruffles Ama’s hair. “I want to hug my mate.”

Ama scowls, her lilac hair falling in her face. She pretends to hate his nickname for her, but the two of them are thick as thieves, plotting mischief whenever she comes to visit.

She lets go of me, and Nix takes her place, dipping me into a movie-worthy kiss that leaves me winded when we straighten back up. He doesn’t say anything, just smiles with that glint in his eyes that lets me know he’s got plans for me later.

“Well, I do not understand what all this was about exactly,” Farra waves a hand at the stage, “but congratulations.”

We don’t hug, but she offers me a smile and a dip of her chin. Over the past two years, I’ve learned she’s not a particularly emotional woman. I’m not sure we’ll ever be close friends. But there’s a mutual respect between us.

Nero gives me a side hug before stepping back to his mate and wrapping an arm around her. Despite the distance she keeps from everyone else, she’s affectionate with him, and it warms my heart. They bonded an omega last year and seem happy together. Their other mate is still afraid of humans, so I haven’t met her yet. Between classes and the continued work on Ocearus, we’ve been too busy to go back to Tythas, but we hope to make the trip soon.

A disc found in the library at Ocearus explained that after mating, the more DNA we exchanged with our mates, the more we’ll be able to survive their world. According to Phoenix, that’s why they need to keep me full of their cum at all times. I’ve tried explaining to him that isn’t how it works, but he refuses to listen. Not that I mind.

Caspian only needs to swim in the ocean once or twice a month now to keep from dehydrating. My human mates and I don’t change into merfolk underwater, much to my inner child’s dismay. We still need air, but we can withstand the harsh environment of the ocean and free dive without worrying about the pressure. Nix and Caspian have apparently had a lot of fun testing our limits together. It’s a marine biologist’s dream come true.

“Are you ready to go?” Hunter asks, coming up behind me and wrapping me in his arms. “The beach should be empty now.”

“Lead the way,” Nero says.

“I can run ahead and tell them we’re ready,” Ama volunteers.

Nero looks like he’s about to protest, but Farra touches his arm and he relents. “Go ahead.”