Cherry #3
Trying to shake the thoughts away, I stand and follow the path in the direction the twins went as Maddox silently watches me.
I hear him, Gage, and Bain following behind me, and I try to push the sad thoughts from my mind.
If I want to move ahead with my life, I need to start living more in the present.
And I know if I ever want to shift back, I need to stay away from thoughts of my past and stop living in fear.
Easier said than done.
Within a couple of minutes, I see the path opening up to a gorgeous pond with a stunning waterfall. I can’t believe this is so close to where I’ve been staying for the past week.
Moving up to the edge of the pond, I stand on a rock that overhangs a few feet above the surface of the water as I gaze around.
This place is beautiful. The waterfall is about fifteen feet high and at least forty feet across.
The pond itself is probably fifty feet wide, and double that across, with rocks all around it.
One side looks more like a pebbled beach where you could wade in.
The water is a beautiful, clear blue, and staring at it, I can't help but feel a decade’s worth of dirt and grime on my body. I debate moving around to the beach area, but suddenly my skin is so itchy that I can’t think about anything other than being clean.
I take a couple of short steps backward, then throw myself from the rock, jumping as far into the pond as I can.
As I hit the water with a loud splash and my body starts to sink below the surface, my first thought is how amazing it feels to be in the water.
The second thought I have is that I had never swum as a wolf before.
As that startling thought hits me, I start to panic, unsure how to move this body to get to the surface. Trying to move it like a human doesn’t work, and sheer terror goes through me. I didn’t go through ten years of torture to finally escape and end up literally drowning myself from stupidity.
I thrash around, trying to move upward without progress, when suddenly there’s pressure around my middle, and within seconds, my head is pulled above the surface.
“Is she okay?” Hunter yells as I try to gulp in lungfuls of air.
“How did she fall in?” Chase asks from in front of me.
“She didn't, she jumped.” I realize the unfamiliar voice is from the person holding me. I tilt my head and realize it’s Bain, his voice less familiar than the others as he rarely speaks.
“Why would she do that if she can't swim?” Hunter asks as my breathing starts to calm.
“Maybe she forgot in her wolf form,” Gage says thoughtfully as he tilts his head, looking at me with a question in his bright blue eyes.
Bain’s arms tighten around me as he answers, “I hope so.” He supports me easily, one arm curved beneath my hips, the other steady around my waist, keeping me lifted with my head and shoulders safely above the water and my legs still submerged.
“You hope she forgot how to swim?” Chase asks him with a frown.
“It's better than the alternative.”
They share a concerned look before their eyes all turn to me. I tilt my face down and pretend I’m not listening to them by taking a couple of small sips of water.
I definitely hadn't been trying to kill myself.
I honestly didn't think about the fact that I wouldn't be able to swim.
I'm pretty sure I used to be able to, but most of the places we went as wolves were streams that weren't more than a few inches deep, and I don't think as a human we ever went to a swimming pool.
Shit. Do I not know how to swim? Even as a human? As if I’m not already completely incapable of taking care of myself, now I need to add drowning to my list of concerns.
This part of the pond seems to be pretty deep, and I realize Bain isn't standing but treading water with me in his arms. He turns toward the beach and starts moving us in that direction. Once he gets to a shallow enough point where he can stand while holding me in the water, he stops moving.
Movement has me glancing up as Maddox pauses in front of me, his hand gently stroking down the back of my head, freezing me with his intense green eyes.
“Are you okay, little wolf?”
I swallow nervously, but don’t respond. His eyes flick back and forth between mine before he nods, as if finding the answer there, then he stands up tall and walks past us farther into the pond.
That's when I realize he’s not wearing any clothes.
I stare through the clear water at his bare ass in shock.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man’s ass before.
But ass didn't seem like a big enough word for what I’m looking at.
It’s perfection, and I'm glad I’m covered in water so nobody will notice if I drool a little.
What is wrong with you?
It’s beyond rude to stare at him like he’s a piece of meat. I turn my head to the left, letting the side of my nose rest against Bain's bicep as I look back toward the waterfall. I watch the twins splashing under it and washing themselves.
They’re naked too!
Oh dear lord, I couldn't look anywhere. I turn my head again so I look to the side where nobody’s in my view and close my eyes tight, waiting for whatever comes next.