Page 91 of The Alpha's Mates

Atlas

My head snapped up as I caught my mate's scent on the wind. It was the next afternoon and I was out in the forest, letting my wolf run. Even though being near each other meant we strengthened each other, we'd all been exhausted yesterday and had just spent a lazy day hanging out with our new friends and allies. By the time we'd gone to bed, Reese had been out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Later today, we were going to be prepping and making a plan to leave early the next morning. So I was using the free time to let my wolf release some tension. It was going to be a long road home, because we were likely going to be traveling in human form rather than as our wolves.

Creeping forward, I followed Reese's scent until I found her walking along a nearby river. The water flowed lazily on the surface, but I knew with how deep and wide it was, the undercurrent would be strong. My eyes narrowed as I watchedher crouch by the water. Katashi had promised us that with him and Calix there, none of the monsters in the forest would bother us. It was a confirmation of everything we suspected. Monsters did live here. They did harass travelers. The woods themselves fed off those using its paths. It was fucking unsettling. But with the two Gods with us, none of that was happening. We were free to roam and explore without fear. If Lyas was at full power, we probably wouldn't have even needed to pass through the woods at all.

Reese swirled her hand through the river's surface, creating eddies and disrupting the flow. She was so damn beautiful. Her dual colored hair framed her face as she looked down at what she was doing. I wanted to feel her gaze upon me. Her gray eyes were soft and sweet now, so different than when we first met her and there was nothing but suspicion and anger in them. Her body was all lush curves that I knew from experience fit my hands perfectly. I planned to spend a lot of time memorizing every inch of her skin. I was going to spend the rest of our lives learning everything about her.

I crept up on her, keeping my steps silent as I moved closer to the water's edge. My belly nearly dragged on the ground as I stalked closer. She didn't hear me coming. Too busy playing with the water, she didn't realize how close I was until it was too late.

Rearing up, I leaped and landed in the water right next to her. I'd already taken a bath in the freezing water earlier, more to invigorate myself than anything, because George and Maria had indoor running water out here in the woods, so I knew the river was shallow at the edge.

Reese's squeal had my tongue lolling out in a doggy grin. She glared over at me, her hair dripping in her face. "Atlas!"

I stepped out of the water, and one by one, shook my paws, spraying her with more water. A chuff of laughter escaped my chest when she cupped water in her hands and tossed it at myface. She was smiling and laughing. Considering I'd felt the soul crushing loss when she'd died only a few days ago, I was going to do everything within my power to keep her heart light. Her love strong. Nothing would separate us again.

Right as the promise formed in my mind, something in the middle of the river caused the water to swirl. My hackles rose and I growled at whatever threat was moving toward us.

Get behind me.

"I'm an alpha, too," Reese reminded me. "And Lyas's High Priestess."

She had a point. It didn't mean I didn't want to protect her from...the world. I wanted to keep her locked up in some fucking tower where nothing could touch her again. Only, that would mean she would slowly die. Reese was as much a protector as I was. She needed to connect with others and she needed to help, or she'd wither away to nothing. It was hell having a strong, capable mate, because it meant you had to let her be strong and capable.

We faced the threat together, my muscles coiled tight, ready to pounce on whatever came out of the water. An alligator? Piranha? Something worse? If golems and sprites and griffins were real, it meant that the sky was the limit. Maybe it was some kind of water dragon, so big it would swallow us in a bite. Another growl split the air as I waited, vibrating with impatience.

When the small, furry head broke the water and the otter gave a happy squeak, all I could do was rear my head back in shock. Out of everything I'd been preparing for, that wasn't what I expected. Reese's gasp had me searching around for something else. For something...bigger, more dangerous. But it was just the otter.

"You're alive!" she barked out, words sounding husky, as though she was biting back tears. She began to rush into thewater, until I reached out and snagged her leather shirt with my teeth, holding her back. She glared at me over her shoulder. "Let me go, Atlas."

I shook my head and then pulled on her shirt again, gently tugging her back to shore. She didn't need to take the chance that something else was waiting there in the deep. The otter swam toward us, his eyes locked on Reese as he made his way to shore. I let her go as he approached.

They ran to each other and much to my surprise she collapsed down onto her knees in the shallow portion of the water and held the otter close. The animal's happy squeaks matched the intensity of Reese's words as they reunited. I wasn't sure how she knew this animal, but it was obvious that they had bonded.

"I thought you were dead," she whispered into his fur. "I thought I'd lost you."

He nuzzled into her neck and then began making a series of noises that sounded like a purr mixed with a little bark. She laughed, a watery sound, and pulled back to stare at him again.

"You're okay?" she asked, before looking him over from muzzle to tail. He wiggled in her grasp as if trying to show her that he was fine. When he bumped her chin with his head, she laughed again. "I'm okay too, promise."

She looked over at me and I realized that I was staring at the pair of them, mouth hanging open. I couldn't help it. The way she was with the otter was...beautiful. She was so gentle, so soft, and it made something inside my chest ache. It was obvious that she cared for the little otter, and he cared for her. "Squall sent him to help me," she explained, "when I had to go into the ocean to find Lyas."

I nodded my shaggy head, finally understanding. She'd told us yesterday, everything that had happened to her after she dove into the sea. I just hadn't put together that this was the otterwho’d helped her. She didn't know what had happened to him after she'd drowned. My chest tightened as I watched her pick him up and walk toward George and Maria's home. She had herself a new pet. I knew for a fact she wasn't going to let him go.

What will you name him?

She smiled down at me as I kept pace with her, grateful that I understood without her having to explain that this otter belonged to her now. "Gleam."

I frowned at the creature's dark brown coat, and dark eyes. He was content to be carried and settled into Reese's arms. Gleam seemed like an odd name until I remembered her story. He was glowing in the water, guiding her. It made me want to grab him by the scruff of the neck and toss him back underwater to see if he'd glow again. I had a feeling my mate wouldn't appreciate that very much, so I kept my maw to myself.

Considering he'd done his part, even risked his own life, to help our mate during her quest to find Lyas, it wouldn't be very hard to make him a part of our life.

She must have picked up on my feelings on the matter through our link. "Thank you," she whispered as we walked up the steps to George's porch. The others were all sitting around, talking and eating lunch.

Katashi's eyebrows shot up when he saw Gleam in Reese's arms. "That's Squall's right hand. What's he doing here?" Katashi stood and went to the door. "Is Squall here, too?"

"Right hand?" Soren asked. His eyes narrowed on Gleam. "Is he a God? Some kind of shifter?"

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