CHAPTER TWELVE
- Tallulah -
We head away from the Alpha’s quarters. The guys lead, and I trail along behind them with the pups on either side of me. The walls are the colour of soft sand and decorated with numerous family and pack photos taken over the years.
As we come to two doors further down, three security guys exit, allow me to pass, and follow closely behind me. When Theo opens the exterior door ahead of us, sunlight floods across the warm wood floors. For the first time, I realise it’s a perfect day for a swim at the waterfalls.
Excitement zips through me; I’ve missed going there more than I first thought. We used to go there all the time when we were little, spending hours goofing around. We’d jump off the rocks that overhang the deeper water to see who could make the biggest splash. I’d always make the smallest. Theo, being the next Alpha in line and having his father’s genes has made his height, mass, and body type different to others who aren’t in line to be a leader. He’ll naturally surpass his pack in weight, stamina, and strength, so his splashes were always the biggest.
We’d always end up drenched after he cannonballed off the edge.
My stomach starts to knot as we walk. They picked out this tiny scrap of a bikini especially for me. They must have had some sort of reasoning when they picked it out. Were they trying to impress me? Or, was I supposed to impress them? Which is stupid.
With the hurt from their protective lies, I shouldn’t feel like I need to impress them, but a part of me wants to. I want them to see me as someone who’s worthy to be their Luna. Abruptly, I shake my head to rid myself of those thoughts.
Mylo and Nash, both dressed in little swim trunks and t-shirts, help take my mind off the depressing thoughts as they run circles around me. Mylo, clad in a bright orange and blue shirt, reaches out to catch Nash, who’s dressed in yellow and blue, narrowly missing his flapping shirt. Both boys screech with excitement.
They remind me of what we used to be like.
Will we ever be carefree and joyous like that again?
The guys have been brilliant to me so far, but it’s only been a day since they declared they are my mates. Will it even last? We’re in what humans would call the honeymoon phase, and it’s likely to wear off. What will happen then? Will I be cast aside?
My knowledge about mates is limited to what my father told me. But he’s proven shifters can go on to live a normal life without a mate. At this rate, I’ll drive myself mad overthinking every aspect of this. I need to enjoy the day and take it a step at a time.
Today is about my agreement with Rosalina, to give Theo, Kenji, and Quimby a chance. It’s what I need to do for myself, too. If I constantly second guess their motives or how they coped without me, then this mate thing might be doomed.
Watching the muscles in Theo’s legs as he moves over a branch on the trail, I flash back to this morning. Warmth pools at the junction of my thighs, and my limbs throb. What will happen if we become intimate? Will it be one-on-one, or will it happen as a group?
I’ve seen the easy, physical affection between Rosalina, Henrique, and Leverette; their love for each other is clear. But is that what it’s like for all the coupled mates? And how does it work? There’s three of them and only one of me. What happens when they want to cuddle? Do I cuddle all of them, or will one be okay? And kisses, if I kiss one will the others become mad if I don’t kiss them?
Why didn’t I ask Rosalina when we were alone?
The familiar tingles shoot through my body. All three guys stopped slightly ahead of the pups and me. Their eyes trained on me. Three identical smirks on their all-to-knowing faces, with a touch of desire to make me flush with warm pleasure.
Sniggers behind me break me out of the boys’ spell. Instead of ignoring it and being on my way, curiosity wins out. Casually taking in the wide paths and thick forest around me, my gaze briefly locks of the security before it settles on three girls around my age. Each one is barely dressed, their assets on full display in scraps of cloth even smaller than mine, and they have no cover-ups. They don’t pay attention to me or the security. Instead, they’re openly googly eyeing the guys.
My guys.
Instant anger and jealous sweep away the pleasure of the moment. My muscles tighten in preparation to stomp over and rip their hair out. The sensation is so strong it nearly suffocates me. One of the scantily clad girls peels her eyes off my guys and cuts me an evil scowl. If looks could kill, she’d have gutted me alive, but I don’t feel intimidated or terrified by her.
My anger sparks, but I stop. I take in the pups and the guys, eyes still trained on me. They haven’t noticed the giggling tramps. Do I really want to cause more problems for everyone here? Not really, so I dismiss them and push the unwanted feelings away, then continue to follow Theo, Kenji, and Quimby up the rise, pups to either side.
If I had drawn attention to the barely covered girls, would the guys still want me? Or would they rather have one of them? More and more doubts enter my mind, and I struggle to push them away. The guys haven’t publicly claimed me in front of the pack. Do they really want to claim me when they can have their pick of a more appropriate mate, one who can physically shift?
And really, what do I expect when the guys are all gorgeous and the girls here aren’t blind?
Finally, we step into the clearing. The gentle sound of the waterfall splashing onto the still water below pushes all the negative thoughts temporarily from my head. Rooted in place, I gawk in awe at how amazingly beautiful this place still is. It’s exactly how I remember it from all those years ago.
A stone platform hovers barely above the waterline, but slopes ever so slightly at the end. Just enough to allow the water to gently lap at the edge. It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before and will probably ever see again. My attention pulls away from the calm, blue water.
In awe for a different reason, I stare.
Theo, Kenji, and Quimby shake the hands of the security before the team disappears into the woods to patrol the area. I’d wondered where they got to, but overhearing one of them mention the group of girls, I realise they must’ve been moving them along before catching up with us. Once they’re out of sight, the guys drop some towels down on the dry end of the platform. One by one they take their t-shirts off. Time seems to slow down as their upper bodies are revealed. They each raise a hand behind their heads, grab the back neck of their tops, and pull up painfully slow.
Their identical wolf head tattoos slowly become visible.
My eyes move rapidly from one to the other in an attempt to soak up every bit of bare skin. A natural disaster couldn’t pull me away from all the flesh in front of me. Their muscles bunch as they pull their tops off the rest of the way. My mouth instantly goes dry, and it’s hard to swallow, causing me to gulp noisily.
Oh, hell!
I force myself to look away, kick my flip-flops off, and scan the area for the pups in a vain hope it’ll distract me long enough to stop myself from gawking at the guys. I find the pups at the edge of the waterline, already dipping their toes. In an effort to gain courage, I shut my eyes tightly, pull in a deep breath, and yank the cover-up off.
In only the blue bikini, I silently count to ten before I finally look at the guys.
Shock shoots through me when my eyes immediately lock onto three lustful gazes. The air around us thickens, and tingles shoot all over my body. It’s hard to drag my mind away from the sudden urge to slide my hands over bare flesh and tangle my tongue with theirs. Forcibly, I remind myself the pups are here. Only my body is fired up and doesn’t want to listen to me. But I need to take things slow… Maybe just a kiss…
A splash and giggles break me out of my lust filled thoughts. Mylo bends over, laughing his head off, as Nash splashes him from the water.
“Did you push him?” I attempt to sound stern but fail.
After a short pause, “Umm, no!” A huge smile breaks free, and he sniggers again.
I take small steps towards him with my hands curled in the shape of claws. My voice drops with fake menace, hiding my humour. “Are you sure you didn’t push him?”
“Nuh-huh, he slipped in, honest!”
Mylo squeals as I dart forward to catch him and swing him up in the air as I walk to the edge of the platform. Cool water laps at my toes as I pretend to drop him, but quickly snatch him back up. Giggles and squeals burst out of him and echo loudly around us.
“Theo! Save me, get Lulu!” he shrieks while he wiggles to try and get out of my hold.
I make sure I have a firm hold on him, and happily call out, “One! Two! Three!”
Making sure we have enough clearance to not smash into the rocks close to the platform, I leap off the edge. The cool water quickly envelopes us, and we sink towards the bottom. Hurriedly, I kick my feet to propel us back up. Laughter floods my ears once we break the surface, and Mylo clutches tightly to my neck.
I pull back enough to check and make sure he’s okay. To only be met with a big cheesy grin and one of his fist pumps the air while he excitedly shouts. “Again, again!”
Before I have chance to climb out with Mylo, the guys all jump into the water, and a heavy splash soaks Nash, Mylo, and me.
I learn that Mylo and Nash have very little experience with water from where they came from, but it doesn’t take them long to learn how to hold their breath when the guys show them how to do it.
“I’ll be back in a sec,” Theo calls as he turns to get out the water.
My eyes stay locked to his back as he levers himself up onto the stone overhang with little effort, and an unbearable heat goes through me as waterdrops slide down his muscles and come to a stop at his shorts.
Arms wrap around my waist setting off the tingles. They pull me firmly into a warm body before they come to rest under my breasts. A husky voice whispers, “We can only hope you’ll continue to look at us like that in the years to come.”
I turn in his arms until my eyes lock onto the playful ones of Quimby. His hand rises until he can brush the wet strands of my hair away from my face. He leans in. Thinking he’s going to kiss me, I hold my breath, but his lips gently brush against the corner of my mouth before he pulls back.
My brain catches up with his words, and a cheekiness courses through me. “Oh, I don’t know. It depends.”
His eyebrows dip in confusion, and I barely smother the giggle wanting to burst free. “Depends on what?”
Trying to be vague, I answer, “Several things really…”
Quimby’s eyes darken, and I fight the urge to squirm in his arms. “Like?”
“Whether or not I can do a bigger splash than you!” I laugh and use his shock to successfully pull out of his arms before he has a chance to dunk me.
I let out a squeak in surprise when a hand snakes around my hip and pulls my body through the water. Theo presses a kiss to my shoulder. “What are you two up to?”
Nash grabs onto Quimby’s hair as he drags himself up onto Quimby’s shoulders. Quimby’s voice comes out slightly strained. “Tally thinks she can beat me at cannonballs.”
Theo laughs, and the sound along with his body pressed against mine ramps the tingling sensation up that were set off moments earlier. “I better let you two have your fun then, before I join in and beat all of you.”
Remembering what caused all this to begin with, I ask, “What did you get out for, anyway?”
Theo’s hand that isn’t holding me, comes up out of the water and produces two pairs of children’s swim goggles. “I wanted to show the pups the fish on the bottom.”
My heart melts he considered doing something sweet for the pups. Without a conscious thought, my head turns, and I place a kiss to his cheek. Surprised by my actions, I pull back, a little unsure, only to see his eyes are closed.
“I… I’m—”
Theo cuts me off with a whisper, “Please don’t ruin it by saying sorry.”
I don’t bother to say anything more to him. Instead, I embrace him in a quick, short hug, then swim over to Quimby so we can climb the rocks and jump off. When we make it to the top, though, he doesn’t jump straight away, and it leaves me confused.
Concern goes through me when he finally turns to me with sad eyes. I fight the urge to run over and comfort him, and my voice comes out barely above a whisper. “What is it?”
“I know we’ve been assholes, Tally, but—” His shoulders droop with a sigh. “But give us a chance, a chance to prove to you we won’t ever hurt you again. I know we don’t deserve it, and you have every right to say no and never speak to us again. But let us make it right. Let us show you how much you mean to us. How much we—”
Before I realise what I’m doing, I move from my spot, and my fingers press to his soft lips. “Don’t. Not yet, I don’t know if I can handle whatever it is you’re going to say next. Give me time to get my head around it, but I promise Quimby, I’m not going anywhere.”
~
A couple of hours later, we’re all sleepily sprawled out on the platform, soaking up the sun to dry us off.
Theo’s stomach rumbles in hunger, and mine follows with its own empty growl. My face heats because of how loud it was, but Quimby just chuckles and stands. He gathers up the sun-dried towels and suggests, “Let’s head back, it’s about time for lunch.”
As we start back to the pack house, the guys chase the babies in a friendly tag game.
Today has shown me how things can be between us. I need to seriously consider what I want from them, to get my heart and head on the same page. My heart wants to forgive their deception instantly, but my head is fighting me. A little voice of doubt constantly whispers, Mates don’t hurt mates. Still, I’m drawn to them, my mates.
As we start to make our way back, we take a different route, and for a moment, I’m left confused as to why. It’s not until we round a couple of trees blocking my view I realise we’ve come to a patch of the forest covered in bluebells, and the soft floral smell finally registers in my head.
Ahead, Theo and Quimby carry the pups and swing them round. They occasionally bump into Kenji, and he comically stumbles, which only causes their infectious laughs and giggles to burst free. As I watch them crouch with the pups in their arms to allow them the chance to smell the flowers, I’m startled to realise I want this, a family of my own with Theo, Kenji, and Quimby, and eventually the pack.
I’m ripped from my musings when someone sharply yanks my hair. A surprised yelp escapes me as I fall backward. I try to correct my balance, but step back on my injured leg. Not healed enough, it buckles, causing me to collapse into a heap on the hard-packed ground.
Anger races through me when the girl from earlier steps out of her hiding place in the bushes. Her lips curl in wicked triumph as she peers down her nose at me. Surprisingly fast, she reaches down and grips my hair tight in her fist.
Looks like the girl from earlier didn’t give up her chase of the guys so easily after all.
I open to my mouth to ask her what she wants, but Theo cuts me off.
“Let her go, Lana!” The growl that follows is both a warning and a promise of wrath.
Nash, who Theo had held up until a moment ago, now curls around Kenji in fright. The skin around Kenji’s neck turns white from the strength the little guy uses to hold on.
“I demand you fetch the Alpha!” Lana shouts back as she gives my head a jerk. “I’ll prove to the whole pack this mongrel doesn’t belong here!”
Before I’m able to rip myself free, her other hand snakes down and takes hold of my throat; her fingers bite painfully into my windpipe. It’s not enough to hinder my breathing, but the threat is clear. One wrong move, and she’ll rip my throat out.
Theo’s rage is palatable. It’s unwise to ignore the bitch at my throat, but I can’t help but be riveted by Theo. He turns briefly, some unspoken exchange passes between the brothers, and Quimby passes Mylo over to Kenji. He immediately turns and races out of sight, towards the Alpha’s house. Little howls and cries of despair echo back from the pups.
My heart breaks. Twice now, I haven’t been able to protect them. Twice, they’ve been in danger because of me.
“Let her up! We’ll walk to the house, and you can speak to the Alpha about your fuckin’ concerns,” Theo’s voice roars out as he steps forward. “If you hurt her, I promise you, I’ll rip you limb from fuckin’ limb!”
I swear my organs rattle around in my body from the force of his roar. My ears ring, and I fight the urge to cover them.
His skin ripples across his chest. As he nears, claws grow from the ends of his fingers and fur spouts out of his normally silky-smooth skin. I’m riveted by how he maintains complete control over his partial shift, only my mind keeps babbling, Oh shit! She’s gone and pissed him off!
Lana forcibly drags me up by my hair, and my scalp throbs in agony. Once I stand, she purposely angles my body in front of hers to use as a shield.
“Lead the way, baby,” she sasses.
Can this chick really be blind to the seven-foot, half man, half wolf who foams at the mouth in anger at her just a few steps away?