Chapter 46

Rose

Without the chance to prepare and plug my nose or even take a breath, I suck in a gulp of water. We're a tangle of limbs and clothes, and I panic because I can't get to the top. Strong arms push me to the surface, and I suck in oxygen and immediately cough up water. Those same arms push me to the side of the pool, and I pull myself up on my elbows and try to stop choking on the water I swallowed.

"You okay?" a deep voice asks right next to me. I turn my head and see Maverick right next to me at the edge. I nod, unable to stop coughing. He pushes me over to the ladder and supports me as I climb out of the pool. Once I'm on the side of the pool, I bend over and cough up the rest of the water and try to clear my lungs. I stand up as Mav comes out of the pool. I bite my lip at the sight of him. I don't know how in the world he managed to not drown on the bottom of the pool wearing those heavy boots and cargo pants. He looks so funny climbing out of the pool, fully dressed for combat. I laugh; I can't help it. It just sneaks out of me. At the sound, his head jerks up; and his dark eyes meet mine. His eyebrows rise. "You think this is funny?"

I shake my head, but it's negated by the laugh that sneaks out. "I'm sorry," I say. "You're just dripping everywhere, and you just looked hilarious climbing out of the pool in all...that." I motion to his outfit. He stalks toward me, and I take a step backwards. There's a gleam in his eyes that I don't like. At all. "Mav, let's not be hasty," I say as I take another step backwards. "Just remember, it wasn't me that pushed you in."

"Oh, I know; and I plan on tracking them down, believe me. But you...you laughed." He stalks towards me, and I realize I'm in big trouble. I turn to run, but he's on me in less than two steps. He picks me up.

"Mav! Put me down!" I yell.

"Oh, I plan on it." He gives me a look, and I see the devilish look in his eyes. "Plug your nose and take a breath." That's the last thing he says before I'm suddenly flying through the air. I feel like I'm in the air forever before I finally crash into the pool. At least this time, I have my nose plugged and a lungful of air. When I come up out of the water, I turn myself around until the beta is in my gaze.

"You are in so much trouble!" I shout out as I swim across the pool.

"Get him, Rose!" somebody shouts from across the pool, but I don't take my eyes off him. He watches me as I climb out of the pool and stalk towards him. His eyes are dark when I finally stand in front of him.

"What are you going to do, Healer?" he asks in a low voice.

I stare up at him with absolutely no idea what to do to get him back. There's no way I can get him in the pool by myself. "That wasn't nice," I say, poking him in the chest. "And I'm going to get you back, Beta."

His eyes dance. "Is that right, Healer?"

"Yes, Beta!"

He leans close. "I'm looking forward to it." His words are spoken right against my ear, and I can't fight the shudder that runs through my body. "Did you eat yet?" he asks suddenly.

"No, but I'm starving after swimming."

"Let's go get some food." He puts his hand on my lower back and guides me over to the food.

"I'm going to grab a towel." I head over to the chair where I left my towel and tie it around my waist before heading back over to the food tables. It takes me a second to find Mav. He's over behind some of the chairs, trying to get his wet shirt off. Finally, he succeeds and puts it on one of the chairs. Then he kicks off his boots that have to be absolutely waterlogged. I realize I'm staring, and yet I don't look away. When his head comes up, he locks eyes with me. I don't look away as he strides towards me. "Feel better?" I can't help but ask with a grin.

He scowls down at me. "I'm still soaked, but this will have to do for now."

I take in the beautiful markings on his chest over his heart, down his arm and over his right shoulder. I always forget about them until he takes his shirt off, and then I can't seem to stop staring at them. Somebody bumps into me, and I startle. "You're staring," Sara whispers with a shameless grin. I feel my face heat, but I force myself to stay relaxed.

I shrug. "He's nice to look at."

Sara's eyes widen comically large before she breaks into a loud laugh. "Are you both okay? I saw you go in."

"Yeah. Who pushed us in anyway?" I ask.

"Somebody who's going to regret it," Mav says with a determined look at someone or something over my shoulder. I turn and see Eli walking towards us.

My eyes widen in surprise. "It was Eli?" My eyes take in the normally stoic pack enforcer.

He gives us a slight smile when he gets close. "How was the pool, Mav?"

"You were the one that shoved us in?" I can't help but ask.

Eli turns guilty eyes on me. "Sorry, Rose. You weren't my intended target. That was all him; he took you in with him."

"Because I was going to flatten her," Mav says with a scowl. Eli shrugs, looking completely non-repentant. "You know payback is coming," Mav says. Eli chuckles, not at all looking scared.

I take a look at Mav's face and grin. Eli is so going to get it. I meet Sara's eyes, and she must be thinking the same thing I am because we both start laughing. "Come on," Mav says with a scowl. "Let's get food."

"If you feed him, he won't be so cranky," Sabrina says in a loud whisper, joining our group.

"I mean if you bed him, he'd be a lot less cranky for the rest of us," Sara adds.

I squeak and whirl around. "What is wrong with you?"

Sara's eyes are twinkling as she laughs. "What? It's true?"

"You know I'm right here," Mav says dryly.

Sara grins. "Yep, Beta. I see you." She dances away from him and gets a plate of food.

"Sorry about her," Sabrina says with a shake of her head. "She was dropped on her head as a child."

A laugh slips out of me as I grab a plate. I'm suddenly starving. The sisters keep a steady stream of conversation going as we fill our plates before heading over to one of the picnic tables.

"I'll get drinks for us," Mav says before I can say anything. I climb over the seat and settle myself on the picnic bench. Mav comes back a minute later with two bottles of water and a cup of lemonade. He places a water bottle and the lemonade in front of me. Sabrina and Sara sit with us and keep us entertained. I eat until I'm so full I can't eat another bite. I lean back and push my plate away from me. "You didn't eat enough," Mav says with a frown.

"I can't eat another bite," I say with a groan.

"Don't say that," Sabrina says. "You know you want an ice cream sundae."

"Maybe later. I can't right now, or I'll throw up," I tell her, earning me a wrinkled nose from her.

"Well, I'm going to get ice cream," she says, standing up.

"Me too," Sara adds.

I watch them go with a smile on my face. "You look like you're having a good time," Mav says from beside me.

I turn my smile on him. "That's because I am." I take a huge risk and lay my head on his bicep. He doesn't react in any way. I sit silently next to Mav, content to just watch the party continue on. Eventually, I get chilled.

"Come on," Mav says standing to his feet. "Let's go sit by the fire."

"There's a fire?" I ask in surprise. We throw away our trash, and he leads me away from the pool area to another open area that has a huge fire pit and chairs lining it. Mav and I take chairs next to each other, but I leave mine almost immediately to get closer to the fire. I stand in front of it, letting it warm me for a few minutes. When I turn back around, Mav is in deep conversation with a shifter I recognize but can't recall his name. Somebody is sitting in my chair now, and there are no other seats available. I'm just about to head back over to the pool area when Mav calls my name softly. When I turn to him, he pats his leg for just a moment before answering the shifter next to him. I stand there a moment, uncertainty weighing me down. When I don't move, Mav reaches his ridiculously long arms out and tugs on my hand, pulling me towards him and onto his lap. I sit on his hard thigh with my back ramrod straight and keep myself as far from him as possible. In the next moment, he reaches and puts his hand on my outer hip and slides my entire body closer until my body is snug against his chest. He does all this without breaking the conversation with the guy next to him. I hold myself stiff for a little bit.

"Relax," he says in a low voice against my ear. I'm tired after all the swimming. The fire is warm, and I'm safe here on Mav's lap. My eyelids begin to droop, and I reposition myself against Mav. His hand tightens around my hip, and he pulls me impossibly closer. I'm not sure how long we sit like that. His chest vibrates with his quiet words as he talks to the shifter, and I rest against him, dozing and coming in and out of it.

A piercing scream suddenly rents the air, and I jerk on Maverick's lap. More screams join in, and Mav jumps up, standing me on my feet. "What is—?" I don't get the question out before wolves come tearing into view. Chaos ensues as screaming continues, and shifters all around me transform into wolves. I stand there in shock, unable to move.

"Rose, get inside!" Mav shouts at me. He spins around as a wolf comes running at us. I stumble backwards as the wolf jumps at me, but a dark wolf appears where Mav was standing a moment ago and tears into the wolf. Mav's wolf turns to me and nudges me backward. I stumble a moment before I turn around. I know what he wants me to do; he wants me to get inside. I know I am of no use in this fight, so I begin jogging towards the house. Suddenly, a large wolf jumps in front of me. I scream and stumble backwards. I have no idea where it came from. And then it lifts its head and howls. The sound of it sends a chill down my back, and it begins stalking towards me.

"Mav," I call out as I back away, my heart thundering in my chest. I may not be a wolf, but I've been around a wolf pack long enough to pick up on a few things. And I'm pretty sure that was a call to the rest of the pack. Mav growls fiercely and places himself in front of me, but he doesn't attack and I'm scared to death to know why. Another wolf joins the one in front of Mav and then another. A low growl sounds from behind me, and I realize two more have joined ranks behind us. Terror rises in my throat, not for me; but for Mav. There's no way he can fight and win against five wolves. Another one joins the ranks, and I feel like I'm going to be sick.

For the first time, I wish Mav and I had a link. His wolf has gone unnaturally still next to me, and his hackles are raised. He's ready to attack, but I think he doesn't know which one to attack first. "It's okay, Mav," I say softly. "They won't hurt me." I don't know that for certain; it's more a hunch I have based on the fact that any one of them could have easily taken me down by now and haven't. The wolves continue to close in around us. I hear fighting and snarling all around us, so I know the others are busy fighting. I take a breath and try to still my racing heart. I recognize this for what it is. It's a coordinated attack in which they are keeping the rest of the pack busy while they corner Mav and I, knowing Mav can't fight this many wolves on his own.