Chapter 7: Fishy Business

-LEENA-

“Take your time, Leena. You’ve got all the time in the world. Take. Your—”

I see the flash of bright scales and react before I can think, stabbing the small hunting knife into the water and missing the fish entirely. Alec growls by my ear as we wade together in the shallows of the small inlet, frustrated at my impatience.

“Too soon, Leena. You’ll never catch anything if you don’t take time to feel it.”

Alec shifts until he’s pressed against my other side, holding my hand that’s gripping the blade in his, guiding my movements. And my heart beats honey thick in my chest as the smell of Alec comes over me in a warm wave.

“Again.” He says, quiet and close as the ripples around us disappear entirely.

We’ve been at it for the better part of an hour, and I’m honestly impressed with Alec’s patience, my failure irking me far more than it does him. It’s a waiting game, fishing like this, and I’ve never been good at waiting.

“Remind me again why you don’t use a rod and reel like a normal person?” I whisper, trying not to move my torso as I speak.

Alec doesn’t respond for a moment, his eyes flicking across the water in a pattern my own eyes can’t track, years of experience making this a reflex rather than a skill, and it shows in Alec’s concentration and absolute stillness.

“You wanna hike with a long rod, Leena?” Alec’s eyes are still on the water, but the sharp grin that curls his mouth is engaged in the conversation, double entendre making me flush.

“Be still.” He reminds me as I shift the smallest bit with my embarrassment, sending ripples through the water and fish scattering that had begun to come in close.

Magic buzzes where we touch; where he’s clasping my hand, on my side where he’s pressed against me, and the hot brand of his palm on the skin of my mid back where a crop top doesn't cover. It’s all very sensory, and despite not being on perfect terms with Alec, the past two days have been enjoyable; Alec’s company, while boisterous and flirtatious most of the time, is accompanied by content silence and thoughtful conversation.

I feel Alec’s fingers flex over mine, bringing me back to the present, and before I can even spot the fish, Alec’s moving, snapping my arm and hand out and sinking the blade into a fish and then down into the sand. I feel it more than I see it, and though it’s a little off-putting, the constant growl of my stomach overrides my uneasiness. Now if only I could do it myself.

“Feel it?” Alec asks, pulling the blade from the water with the fish giving one last flop before stilling. He pulls it from the blade and tosses it to shore where the other two sit, letting go of my hand and gesturing to the water.

“We’ll stay here all day if that’s what it takes, Leena. But you need to catch something.”

Alec shifts again, coming around to my left side and away from my strike zone, keeping a hand on the small of my back and eyes moving from the water to my face and back, checking my focus.

It’s all very distracting, and I know that Alec is doing it on purpose. Maybe not the distracting part, but keeping close like this, being in my personal space and touching my skin is intentional.

“Take your time.” He says again, hot and close as his nails run softly along the skin protecting my spine, sending shivers up my back and standing my hackles on end.

It takes a few moments before I can still my racing heart and calm my mind, eyes focused on the water and the task of catching something to fill my stomach. But after moments of stillness, the fish come in close again, and I see my opportunity.

What would Alec do? I ask myself. And instead of thinking about striking, I just do, lashing my arm and hand out and sinking the blade into the fish and then down into the sand, effectively pinning it.

“Yes! Leena! I knew you could do it, so proud of you!”

Alec explodes with excitement next to me, jumping out of the water and knocking me over and onto my side with the motion. He’s standing now, hovering over me for the briefest of moments before reaching down and scooping me out of the water to continue his celebration, spinning me in a quick circle and placing my feet firmly on the dry shore. It’s a miracle I didn’t drop the hunting knife in all of the chaos.

He joins me there, soaked to the bone and water droplets dripping down his face and neck in a way that shouldn’t be as enticing as it is. He drops down onto the sand and lays back, looking up at me as I sigh and fold my arms down at him, shaking my head with fondness.

“It’s one fish, Alec.”

Alec laughs, sitting up on his elbows in a flex of muscle, “To you, it may only be a fish, darling Leena. But it’s your first fish. And I was here to witness it! I count that as a major win.”

And it’s the way Alec says it, like he plans on being there for more fish, more firsts, that reminds me of his intention for this whole trip. It sours the victory.

“It’s just a fish, Alec. It’s not like it’s the first fish I’ve ever caught.”

“Oh ho ho,” Alec hops up to standing, a grin of the shit-eating variety plastered on his handsome face, eyes bright against dark skin, “Don’t try to take this away from me, let me have my little wins, Leena. I’m being good…as good as I can be, given the circumstances.”

And, fair.

“Yeah, alright. Come on, I’m starving, let’s get these on a fire so my stomach stops growling. Pretty sure if we were hunting in the woods I’d alert any potential prey to our location with how loud it’s been today.”

Alec laughs, a genuine sound that makes my toes curl with its deep timbre, “If I were hunting in the woods you wouldn’t be tagging along, let alone with a knife. Hunting deer or similar animals is no easy task, it takes years of practice. Which you, fortunately, don’t have.”

“Pardon? Is that a challenge?” I jest as we start to walk back to camp that’s just out of sight.

“It is most definitely not a challenge. Not even a challenge I’d pose to myself without a gun or bow.”

That stills me for a moment, Alec continuing his steps as I ponder.

“How do you hunt if you don’t have weapons?” I try not to seem overly curious, but my tone gives me away.

Alec stops, letting me catch up, and turns to face me, a sly expression on his face.

“Do you really want to know, Leena?” He asks, coming in so close so fast that our noses almost brush.

“Oh f—” I stumble, taking a quick step back only to have Alec behind me pulling me to his chest in a hot press of skin.

“Because I can tell you,” He muses, breath hot against the shell of my ear, “Or I can show you.”

Before I can answer, he’s pulling away from me, and when I turn he’s no longer human, he’s a wolf, trunks being kicked off a hind leg as his pink tongue lolls out, a bright flash against black fur.

“Ah,” I say, hesitating, unsure how much he understands in this form, “Well, that certainly explains how you hunt. A little dramatic though, Alec.”

He whuffs when he hears his name, butting his cold nose against my thigh to usher me towards the small fire now just a few feet away. I drop the handful of small fish onto a plate and pull the skewer off its perch, getting ready to cook them, stomach rumbling relentlessly.

Alec bumps his nose against my stomach before circling in the sand and curling up in a ball by the small fire, closing his eyes and ears flattening to his head. In this form, it’s easy to look at Alec like a large dog, all the mannerisms are the same. But he’s so much more, even like this.

“Hey, Alec?”

He perks up, ears high and head raised. I take a deep breath and ask the question that’s been burning since we embarked on this adventure.

“Why me? I’m nothing special, how can I possibly be an Alpha’s mate?”

Alec gets to his feet, stretching with his front legs forward, and then comes to stand directly in front of me. I wait, wondering if he’s going to shift back, but he doesn’t move, just stands there.

“Are…you telling me something?”

He huffs, dropping his head before lifting it back up and snapping his teeth in a clap sound, it would be adorable in a dog of regular size, on Alec’s wolf it looks terrifying, “If you don’t want to answer the question you could just tell me, Alec, no need to actively avoid talking to me just so you—”

I don’t get to finish, Alec growl is deep and threatening, lips pulled back in a snarl, it’s intimidating, even though I know he wouldn’t hurt me. Quite the opposite.

Alec comes in close, pressing his muzzle into my shoulder where my hair is in a messy tie and makes a sound like he’s sniffing.

“My scent?” I try, it’s like playing a weird kind of charades. But somehow it’s easier like this, having this kind of conversation. Where Alec can’t bombard me with dry humor or sarcastic comments that derail me. It reminds me of late-night car rides with Bri where we’d tell each other secrets in the dark, being unable to see one another clearly and having an alternative focus making conversation easier.

And maybe that was Alec’s intention with this in a very roundabout way, giving me a time and space where I can ask questions and work through them on my own without his constant chatter. It’s genius in the same way it’s devious.

Alec finally shakes his head again, another whuff, and bumps his nose into my chest, barely missing a covered nipple, “Hey, hey. Easy on the goods tough guy.”

Somehow, even in this form, Alec’s eye roll is nothing but human.

“Alright. Um, so not just scent right?” An affirmative shake spurs me on, “It’s my body?”

Alec pulls his lips back in a snarl, apparently not.

“My chest…my heart?” He tilts his head to the side, almost. “My—”

I pause, the realization hitting me, “My magic. You know I’m your mate because of my magic, how it feels with your shifter magic, maybe?”

He lolls his tongue out again, dropping down into the sand at my feet and curling up, the smell of fish cooking coming to me on the sea breeze as I ponder the answer.

“Then why don’t I feel it?”

Alec cracks an eye open, looking unimpressed, and then closes it again; like he answered the question and isn’t going to repeat himself just because I’m too dense to realize it.

“Do I feel it?” I ask the empty air as I turn my head towards the sky and away from the fire, closing my eyes and listening to the buzz of my magic, hoping for an answer. And when I feel nothing but normalcy, I realize that is my answer.

Alec feels familiar, like home.

He seems to feel my realization, huffing an amused, knowing sound as he dozes, waiting for the fish to finish cooking. Meanwhile, I’m trying to pretend that I didn’t have one of the most, if not the most, important epiphanies that I may ever have in my life.

There’s no way I can tell Alec this, not yet, he’d be insufferable; but there is no doubt that our night together awoke something in me, something between us, and once the door has been opened, you either go through or close it entirely.

I don’t want to close that door.