The boss…I thought as we sauntered through the woods together on the way to Blue Hole. It was a strange thing to think of one’s self as “the boss.” I found myself wondering if Tate, alpha of the Scarlet Mountain Pack, thought of himself that way. He sure lead the pack with perfection, and I hoped one day I could be a leader like him, but I never thought of him as a boss.

To me, boss had a negative connotation. It felt like I was ordering people around, telling them what to do, and made me feel too much like Kade, who had ruled this pack with an iron fist before I took over. And that was something I never wanted to do.

Leader felt better, and that’s what I was doing now as I made my way down the path toward the swimming hole, followed by my two alpha seconds in command, and the healthy group of omegas behind them.

It was a gorgeous day, and the sweat running down my cheek didn’t even bother me, as I knew I was about to plunging into the cool waters beneath the waterfalls. I could hear its sound through the trees as we approached, and when the trees opened onto the small golden beach beside the lake, I couldn’t help but smile.

It wasn’t really a lake. It wasn’t really a pond. It was…a hole. Aptly named, Blue Hole was just that, a swimming spot that seemed to have been carved into the rock over however many hundreds of years of the water spilling down from above. It flowed out gently on a small stream to that lead down the hill, and was small enough that you could easily swim from edge to edge without running out of breath.

“All right!” Charles bellowed from behind us. Even I jumped at the volume of his voice as it echoed off the trees. Sometimes I thought Charles had been a Roman gladiator in a previous life, and sometimes forgot he wasn’t back in the Coliseum and didn’t have to shout so loud. “That water’s calling my name!”

The ground practically shook as Charles barreled past me, already completely naked. It was a funny sight, but I couldn’t help but marvel at just how insanely built he was. The guy looked like he could pick up two grown men in each hand and slam them together like an ogre.

With a howl, Charles rushed up the bank to the left and leapt off the rock toward the water.

“Cannonball!” He roared, wrapping his arms around his legs. He hit the water like an artillery shot, sending a massive splash of water rocketing into the air.

“Holy shit,” Dwayne cried out as the rest of us sauntered up to the water’s edge waiting for him to appear. But he didn’t. The waves subsided and the water was still. Blue Hole was fresh and clean, but this was Maine, not the Caribbean, and the water was dark and hard to see into.

“He drown?” Dwayne asked, a nervous whine behind his voice as he stepped to the edge of the water.

“Don’t even joke about that!” Patrick scolded, stepping up from behind and looking out across the water. “Deep water scares me. You can’t see into it…you never know what could be down there.”

“What? Like a sea monster?” Dwayne scoffed.

“You never know!” Patrick replied.

“Oh, come on. Gimmie a break—“

But Dwayne never got a chance to finish his sentence. A hand rocketed out of the water and snatched him by the leg.

“Fuck!” He gasped as the rest of Charles’s body emerged from the surface.

“Gotcha!” He shouted as he pulled Dwayne, still fully clothed, into water. The omegas squealed with delight at Charles’s prank, and I couldn’t help but laugh as well as I pulled off my shirt and kicked off my shorts.

Dwayne’s head surfaced, followed by Charles, who was all smiles as he kicked backwards.

“You son of a bitch,” Dwayne growled. “These are the only clothes I brought!”

“Cry about it,” Charles laughed as he continued to swim. “Just wear your fur home.”

“Who’s gonna drive then? You?”

“Why not?”

“I wouldn’t trust you behind the wheel of a go kart!”

The rest of us stripped down and made our way into the water. There was no need for modesty within the pack. It’s not like we hadn’t seen each other naked a thousand times by now, between life at the lodge and shifting for a run.

The water was cold, but it was like Heaven compared to the roasting summer sun and the stuffy cab of the truck. Paddling out from the shore, I took a breath and let myself sink beneath the surface, feeling my entire body cool down. Cold water didn’t do much for your dick, which I felt shrivel up in the cold. Whatever. It’s not like there was anyone here I needed to impress anyway.

Kicking hard, I surfaced and took a breath, filling my lungs with air. The warm sun flashed in my eyes as it bounced off the waves around me as the rest of my pack swam about. I paddled to the shore, suddenly realizing just how drained I was from the last few weeks.

It had been a lot of work getting the camp together and making it livable for everyone, and I guess I hadn’t given myself any real break time or a moment to think. Now, on the first real day off I’d had some taking over the pack, I realized just how badly I’d needed a break.

I crawled back to the shore, feeling the sand squeeze beneath my toes as I stepped out onto the beach and lay down on my back, basking in the sun. Nothing beat skinny dipping and having the privacy of Blue Hole all to ourselves meant not having to worry about spectators. Not that I’d really care. I had nothing to be ashamed of.

But then, as the wind blew, I felt my wolf stir within me as a set of scents filled my nose. They definitely weren’t ours, and were close. I could make out at least two alphas, but there was something else behind that…something sweet…

I heard the chatter from the rest of the pack stop and turned to see all their eyes on me. Obviously they smelled it too. Martin’s eyes were fierce, ready for battle, and Dwayne was stone faced and serious. I motioned to them and they started to swim over, but before they could reach me, I heard a shout from the waterfall.

“Here I fucking go!”

Seconds later, someone leapt from the falls and plummeted toward the water. He hit, causing a huge splash, then emerged seconds later.

“Fuck yeah!” He shouted, raising a fist high in the air, looking back up at the top of the falls. My eyes followed his, and it was then I saw the source of the other scent.

An omega peered over the edge of the waterfall, and I felt my heart leap like I’d never felt before. His scent filled my nose and my body reacted, forcing me to inhale it deep into my lungs. It swam through me like a drug and I felt my head start spinning.

The boy looked like a model, with beautiful curly hair and blue eyes and a body to die for. He wasn’t big like an alpha, but he still looked like he could be one of those guys standing outside the store at the mall doing pull ups with his shirt off.

The wind blew again, and his scent washed over me like a wave of bliss. I was helpless.

What is this!? I thought. I couldn’t move. My naked body was laid out before him, and I felt my cock jerk, swelling with my arousal, and when he turned to me, and our eyes met, I realized what was happening.

My mate! I thought, my stomach a sea of butterflies. My fated mate!