Page 27 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

“She’ll be with me,” I growled. “If Farrow or any unfamiliar shifter comes anywhere near us, I’m going to teach them a lesson they’re not going to forget. And if you need us, Evelyn and Oliver both know where it is.”

Jameson nodded, knowing better than to question me. “Just be safe,” he cautioned.

I turned back to Stella. “It’s up to you.”

She licked her lips, and her eyes darted to the door as if imagining Farrow on the other side, waiting to grab her. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she said she wanted to stay inside for a week.

But she took a deep breath and nodded. “That sounds nice,” she said.

“All right,” I said. “Let’s get going.”

Jameson muttered something under his breath, but I ignored him.

“Let’s go,” she said, taking a deep breath. We moved toward the door.

I took Stella’s hand, and I smirked. “Got anything that would work for a bathing suit?”

Chapter 13 - Stella

It was a waterfall. An absolutely gorgeous waterfall deep in the woods. Water cascaded down the stone into a crystal-clear pool. The trees all around it were various hues of orange, red, and yellow, though was still warm enough that the water was flowing freely. There was something serene about the area, and just being there made me feel calmer.

“I can see why you come here,” I said. “And why you asked about the bathing suit.”

Sam grinned mischievously. “I’m always up for a little skinny dipping if you’d prefer. But I figured I would give you the option.”

“How did you find this place, anyway?” I asked, looking around. It wasn’t necessarily far from Brixton, but it wasn’t easy to get to, either, as it was nestled up in the woods. But Sam hadn’t struggled to get there at all. He clearly came here often.

“I found it a couple of years ago, not long after we moved here,” he said, stretching and looking out at the view. There was a soft smile on his face. “I like coming here when I need to think. I figured you could probably use that right now.”

He wasn’t wrong, and there was something touching about the fact that he’d brought me here. He hadn’t always been great at opening up to people, me included. So the fact that he was sharing this private space with me was sweet.

“Yeah,” I said. “I do. That whole thing with Farrow...it…” I trailed off, unsure how to articulate how much the incident with my old alpha had gotten to me. The thought that I’d nearly been dragged off against my will was enough to shake anyone, I knew. But something about it hit deeper with me.

Sam wrapped a comforting arm around me and pulled me close. “I know,” he said. His voice was low and soothing, but also filled with undisguised anger. “I completely understand.” He glanced up at the waterfall. “Want to jump down?”

He was trying to get my mind off things, and I appreciated it. I nodded.

We climbed up to the top, both in swimwear we’d carried with us. The rocks were cool and slippery against my soles, but somehow soothing, like a balm.

We got to the top and looked down. It looked higher from up here, but in a way that instilled adrenaline rather than fear. My pulse quickened with excitement.

“Ladies first,” Sam said, the sound muffled by the roar of the water.

Looking at his mostly bare body, I felt my wolf stir with interest. I thought about how his body had felt against mine, and my mind went back to the way his hands had moved against my skin and the way he’d felt inside me.

No. I wasn’t going to think that way.

I closed my eyes and ran, jumping over the edge of the waterfall. The wind whipped my hair above me as I soared through the air. A split second later, there was a crash of water as I was submerged.

The cold water cleared my head, and by the time I emerged, worries about Farrow and thoughts about Sam were no worse than a dull prod at the back of my head.

A moment later, Sam followed. The resulting splash hit me in the face, and I laughed as his head popped out of the water. He grinned, wiping the water from his eyes as we bobbed in the water.

We stayed like that for a long time, swimming and floating in the water, jumping from the waterfall and splashing one another when we thought we could get away with it. As time passed, the more the anxiety and frustration over what had happened back in Jameson’s office slid off me like the water I was now wiping from my face.

“How are you feeling now?” Sam asked as we lay on a large rock, letting the sun dry us off.

“Better,” I admitted. I glanced over at him, unable not to notice how absurdly attractive he was in just swim shorts. And how much my wolf wanted to take off that final bit of clothing.

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