Page 54 of Those That Defy the Realm

I’m trying, and clearly failing, not to think about it too much. I need my patience to hold until she feels comfortable enough to tell me.

“Let’s go to the waterfall,” Ash says as he bounds into the upstairs makeshift office I’m using. He doesn’t even knock, knowing I’m the only one up here currently. Most of the pack are out working or doing work to the outbuilding today.

“Which waterfall?” I reply looking up from my laptop. I’d been getting some edits done on my next article for the historical journal I have a regular feature in.

He bends down to kiss me gently in greeting before replying, “The one Ty and Atlas are always going on about. Atlas told me how to find it and it sounds awesome.”

Stretching out my neck, I quickly save my work and close the laptop. The article can wait. “Let’s do it.”

“Yes! My brother and his mate are out in the city with Emmerson, and Claire has set Ty and Rory to work on painting the downstairs, so we should be able to sneak away easily.”

“Claire’s coming?” It’s the middle of the afternoon. Normally, we can’t get her to play hookie with us.

“Yep, I got her to pinkie-swear it so she can’t back out. She’s finishing up downstairs so I came to get you.” Ash’s lips split into a grin that I can only describe as conspiratory with a huge side of smugness at getting his own way.

It’s so adorable my chest tightens with a feeling I’m starting to recognise whenever I’m around either of them. It’s not a bad feeling, the opposite in fact. It’s a tightness from my heart feeling fuller, warmer and content.

I’m falling in love. And whilst that is terrifying, it’s also the most wonderful feeling in the world. And it makes me more determined to hold onto them with each passing day.

“You mean you whined until she gave in.” I laugh, bopping Ash on the nose.

He rears back out of my reach. “I would never whine.” I scoff. “Fine, yes. But she’s agreed and now so have you, so come on! Let's go!”

Laughing more, I gather my things and return them to my room. I also have the forethought to grab a towel, which I tuck under my arm.

We find Claire on the porch. She’s wearing a pale blue sundress and sandals with straps that wrap around her feet and up past her ankles. The light catches her light blonde hair and gives her an ethereal glow that makes my chest ache once more.

Little freckles are also appearing across her cheeks with the summer sun. They dance over her skin as she smiles at our approach. “Ash managed to pull you out of work as well then?” She tilts her head up as I get close, catching my eye contact and making me want to kiss her.

“He made a convincing argument.” I tell her playfully.

“Yeah?”

“He mentioned water, and you.” I gently run my fingers up the underside of her jaw and let them linger on her chin for a second. I want to lean down and capture her lips so badly but can hear others nearby, so I hold back. Although, if anyone saw how I’m looking at her right now, I don’t think I’d be able to deny anything.

Claire gives a tiny shake of her head, blinking like she can’t believe that I’d ditch work just to see her. I wonder how far she’d run if she knew exactly what I would do for her, because the list is somewhere between everything and murder.

Ash’s hands land on both our sides, practically shoving us off the porch and out into the sun. “Come on, get moving.”

We break into laughter and start walking, only to have Ash leap round us and take off in the lead. My fingers brush Claire’s as we stride along, following our wolf, and I take those fingers and entwine them with mine as soon as we’re out of sight from any onlooking eyes.

“This is amazing,” Ash looks down over the ridge into the pool below.

We find the waterfall easily. It seems it’s a fairly popular hangout spot for members of the pack. I can faintly scent some of them on the rocks and grass surrounding the water, but Ash got us here using his nose alone.

The water flows in a constant stream from a rocky outcrop in the base of the mountainside. We're nearly a couple of miles from the house, farther out into the valley behind the pack land. The waterfall isn’t huge, maybe fifteen feet or so. It hits the pool below in a steady whoosh. The pool itself looks practically still until the far side turns into a stream and continues the water’s journey, where it eventually joins the much bigger river that flows through Froan city and into the ocean beyond.

We’re standing on a ledge overlooking it, one I know Ty and Atlas love jumping off of.

A rustling pulls my attention away from the water to find Ash stripping off his t-shirt at the same time as kicking off his shorts.

In seconds he’s down to his boxers and is taking a running leap over the side of the ledge with a whooping howl.

Claire is laughing as he hits the water. “Oh, my gods.”

Agreeing with the sentiment, we watch as Ash surfaces, fully disturbing the relatively calm water by making as much of a splash as possible.

“Fuck, that feels good,” he calls up to us. “Your turn.”