Page 12 of The Alpha's Silent Mate

His frown deepens. “I don’t think Shay will be happy if I leave you.”

I turn the page and hurriedly write another before I run out of time.Shay will be here soon. I’ll be okay.

But Ewan doesn’t move, so I return the pad and paper to the pouch and slip it over my head. Once I’ve tossed it to the ground beside me, I step out of my sandals.

He gets the message then. “I’ll give you privacy.”

But he doesn’t say he will leave, just melts back into the trees which surround the lake.

I know he’s still there, but if Ewan said he’ll give me privacy, then he will. He’s always taken Shay’s orders to heart and his one order before we left the courtyard twenty minutes ago was clear.

“Watch her, Ewan. No harm comes to her.”

And none has.

When I can no longer see or hear Ewan, I turn back to the lake. His scent is still there, so I know he hasn’t gone far.

Beneath the pale blue-green surface of the lake, brightly colored tiny fish dart about, almost too quick to spot. Yellow. Red. A neon striped orange one catches my eyes before I lose it. My hands grip the hem of my cotton dress, but I hesitate.

There’s no one else here. But I should check. Just in case.

As I scan the surrounding forest, the only sounds are the fish in the water, and a soft wind blowing through the trees. With the heat of a bright spring morning bearing down on me, it’s peaceful here. I’m alone.

Or nearly alone. Ewan isn’t making a sound from where he’s tucked himself behind a tree, but I know he’s still there, keeping watch over me.

And I’m close to the heart of the pack. Nothing will happen to me here.

It’s safe.

Before I can change my mind or talk myself out of it, I pull the thin cotton over my head and toss it on the ground beside my pouch.

I should tie my hair in a braid so it won’t dry tangled, but that will take more time than I have. In the near distance, twigs snap and leaves rustle, growing louder with each passing second.

Shay is nearly here, which means I’ve just run out of time.

I ease myself into the lake, one step at a time, holding my breath as the cold works itself up my legs, my thighs, and eventually my hips.

Small pebbles dig into the soles of my feet, but they aren’t sharp or slippery, so I move faster, holding my arms out wide for balance. After sucking in a deep breath, I plunge beneath the surface of the water until it covers my head. When it has, I start to count down from five.

My dad once told me that if the water feels too cold, the sooner you get in, the sooner your body can get used to the temperature. By the time you rise, it doesn’t feel as cold anymore.

I get to number two when powerful hands grip my hips and pull me against a hard, muscled chest. Shay. The moment I break free from the depths of the water, I draw air deep into my lungs as I smooth back wet hair from my face.

“Hold on.” His voice is a soft growl I feel against my breasts.

I slip my arms around his shoulders and my legs around his hips as he moves further into the lake until the water reaches our neck.

For several seconds we float, pressed tight against each other in silence, and then Shay strokes one hand up my back and collars my nape, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

I shrug, so he knows it’s no big deal.

“No,” he says with a line between his brows, “it matters. Sometimes being alpha is…” his voice trails off.

Hard. Never-ending. Exhausting.

I can see that it must be all of those things and more. Sometimes days would go by when I wouldn’t see Dad. Maybe others in the pack wouldn’t understand the way I do, but being the daughter of an alpha, I get it.

Shay has the same weight on his shoulders.

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