Trigger warning: mention of s/a in the second paragraph

Storie did not shift. Paloma's touch had forbade her from this. But with all of the strength of a huge, athletic woman just over the peak of her prime, she swept her arms across the desk and smashed off every trinket, every book and globe until they clattered and shattered to the floor.

"Maniacs," she hissed. "We could have been raped. We could have been killed! There were six of them and one had a gun." Storie gestured to Sam. "What good are all of the fangs and claws in the world to a gun? It is by pure luck we survived!" She reached for Sam, who didn't move as she wiped the pale powder off of his face with her sleeve. Sam's big blue eyes were wide with fear and betrayal as the Waters pair took in his injuries. "You absolute fucking monsters."

Beulah shook her head. She was cool and calm, unimpressed by Storie's fit and unafraid of her aggression. "You did not survive by luck. We knew you would protect yourselves and the crew. A human man, even one with a gun, is no match for a werewolf woman, let alone two."

"Fuck you," Storie spat. "Lunatic!"

"Ladies, may I go wait with the ship?" Sam asked quietly. He was revisiting his old memories again. He was trying very, very hard not to cry. The young man had undoubtedly seen endless cruelty in his life, but Storie doubted he had ever been hurt in the pointless game of people far more powerful than him.

Storie's fists clenched. She howled and bared her teeth in rage.

From childhood, there had always been one thing Storie Lovejoy could never stand to witness, and this was violence against innocent people. She could not bear being in the same room as the people who had orchestrated the plot that had injured and traumatized sweet Sam, nevermind the other happy and spirited members of the crew who donned injuries from the attack. Worse, it was the implication of what could have happened. Paloma and Storie could have been placed lower in the ship, unable to hear the sounds of violence until it was too late to intervene. Until the blood of dozens of innocent men stained the decks red.

And for what purpose? To audition for the mermaids?

Storie was sick with rage.

Paloma stood up. "Calm," she said simply, using the authoritative power of an alpha to soothe the mind. Storie straightened herself and stared hotly at Martin.

Paloma looked to Sam and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Sam, I would like you to stay with us. I will escort you to the ship myself if you truly want to leave, but I would prefer you stayed."

Sam looked up at her. His lip quivered before he clenched his jaw to stop the movement. "I will stay."

Paloma regarded Martin. "I truly believe that an alliance would make us an unstoppable force. It has been made clear to me throughout our time on this island that your kind and my kind have different cultures. My kind are honest to a fault, fiercely loyal and unquestioning of the orders of the alpha. Your kind are duplicitous and rely too heavily on their own decisions, which can lead to them holding lethal weapons against visitors. I was prepared to put aside these differences for the betterment of my pack. However..."

Paloma looked down at Sam, then over at Storie. "The top moral of the wolf is respect. Respect to everyone and everything until we are given a reason not to respect it anymore. We respect every human life unless the human has harmed others. We would never allow harm to come to anyone innocent. Sam Maldin is a prime example of innocence. An unmarried young sailor with a bright smile and happy disposition. And due to your decisions, he witnessed violence beyond description and suffered agonizing injuries. You did not show him respect. You did not show any of his crew respect. You did not show us respect."

Martin stood up. "Alpha Delgado-"

"I am not finished," Paloma said coldly. She pointed in the direction of the dock. "The men on that ship are precious. Their lives are irreplaceable. You gambled them to test our abilities and this is unforgivable. There will be no alliance between us. I hope you crumble as beneath the weight of your fear and your cold, callous kind go extinct. I hope you see disappointment in the eyes of your followers and watch their houses fall empty as they seek refuge from you."

Paloma stared Martin straight in the eyes as she took a step forward. Only the desk separated them. "And if you retaliate against that ship, or any innocent vessel, I will know. And I will hire a fleet of ships you could never hope to ruin with your fins. I will come back here and I will burn your town to the ground. Our men will piss on the ashes. Our children will make a game of slaughtering any of your kind who creeps back onto the island. You may wreck one ship. You may kill one of us. But you simply cannot kill us all."

Martin swallowed. "Alpha Delgado-"

Paloma raised her hand. "We are done here." She gestured to Storie and Sam. "Come along."

Storie slung a protective arm around Sam as she followed her alpha.