Chapter Eighteen: The Waterfall

An hour later, I am finally showered and dressed, checking out my appearance in the full length mirror. Ben did an amazing job picking this out. The sundress fits me perfectly and matches wonderfully with the sandals. I style my hair into a side braid and decide to put on some eye shadow to feel a little fancy. For the final touch, I grab a pair of sunflower earrings.

“You look amazing,” Leah comments and moves closer as I put the earrings on.

I smile softly as I watch my eyes flash, “Thank you, Leah.”

“How are you feeling?” She asks.

“Nervous,” I admit, “but also excited.”

She smiles, “You are going to have a great time.”

“I hope so. Hopefully, we can forget about the threat for half a second,” I sigh, straightening out my dress.

She settles down in the back of my mind, “I know it’s hard, but you guys should try. You both deserve a break and some alone time.”

I don’t get a chance to respond, because at that exact moment, the doorbell rings. I go to walk out of my room when I hear the front door open. I hadn’t realized someone came home.

“Good afternoon, Ben. Come on in. Don’t you look nice,” Mom comments as she closes the door.

“Thank you, Mrs. Solomon,” Ben responds.

Mom scoffs, “Please, call me Hannah. There’s only one Mrs. Solomon, and that was my precious mother-in-law.”

Ben chuckles, “As you wish, Hannah. I assume Annie is still upstairs.”

“She is. I assume you guys are going somewhere?” Mom questions.

“Yes. I was going to take her to the waterfall for a picnic. Dad already knows we won’t be there for dinner,” he says, walking into the living room.

I can practically hear the smile on Mom’s face, “Oh, how wonderful!”

Taking a deep breath, I grab my phone before walking out. Once I reach the bottom of the stairs, I walk towards the voices still in conversation. My feet stop as soon as I reach the threshold.

There stands Ben in a pair of nice jeans and a white button up, both accentuating his muscles perfectly. His hair is slicked back and his face freshly shaved. A mixture of his scent and his cologne invade my senses, not helping my entranced state.

Shaking my head clear, I speak, “Hi.”

Two emerald eyes meet mine. I watch as his jaw slowly drops, his gaze moving down to take me in. When they meet my eyes again, I can sense the love and desire hidden within.

I guess I’m not the only one affected.

“Sorry you had to wait,” I whisper as I shift on my feet nervously.

This snaps him out of it. He smiles brightly at me as he quickly approaches, “Don’t apologize. I haven’t been here long. We are in no rush.”

I smile back at him as he places a gentle kiss on my forehead, “Well then, I’ll make sure to take longer next time.”

He smirks, “Next time?”

“Of course, depending on how this goes,” I tease.

He chuckles then takes another look at me, “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

I feel my face slightly blush as I force myself to not look away, “You look pretty handsome yourself.”

Grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers, he asks, “Are you ready to go?”

I nod, before looking at Mom who is watching us with a joyous expression, “We are going to head out. I’ll be back later, Mama.”

“Okay, dear. You two be careful and keep each other safe,” she responds as we walk to the door. We say goodbye and like a true gentleman, Ben opens the door for me.

We walk down the path, hand in hand, when I have a thought, “Wait. How are we going to get to the waterfall without our wolves?”

Ben smiles down at me, “You’ll see.” When I raise an eyebrow in question, he lets out a chuckle, “I have a plan. Trust me, Annie.”

Before I can respond, we reach his truck. Opening the passenger door, he gestures dramatically towards the seat, “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”

I giggle at his antics, grabbing his hand as he reaches for me to help me get in, “Why, thank you, kind sir.”

Once I’m settled in my seat, he closes the door and jogs around to the driver side. Looking in the back seat, I see a picnic basket, blanket, and mini ice chest.

He jumps into his seat with excitement shining in his eyes, “Ready?”

“Let’s go,” I smile.

We start driving down the road, music softly playing in the background. He rests one hand on the steering wheel while the other grabs my hand. I smile softly at him as he brings it up to his lips to place a kiss, before coming to rest on the center console.

We drive in comfortable silence for about forty-five minutes before we begin reaching the far east of the territory. Ben suddenly begins slowing down, pulling over to the side of the road. I recognize the area and know that the waterfall is about a thirty minute walk from where we are.

“Crap. When did that happen?” He says mostly to himself. I glance towards the forest, not sure what he’s meaning.

“Sit tight,” Ben tells me as he hops out of the truck.

I watch him curiously as he walks to the forest line. He finally reaches a fallen tree. It shouldn’t surprise me, considering he’s an Alpha, but I can’t help the shock of seeing him effortlessly picking up the log and setting it to the side.

As he begins walking back, I realize there is a dirt trail that was hidden behind the tree. My mouth is still hanging open when he gets back in the vehicle.

He takes a look at me and chuckles before turning onto the dirt road, “You alright over there?”

“Yeah…actually, no. You just picked that up and didn’t break a sweat,” I gawk at him.

“I’m an Alpha, Annie. Supernatural strength is our specialty,” he says with a smile.

I shake my head, “I mean, yeah…but still!”

He smirks, “I’m just that good, sweetheart. If you don’t believe me, I can show you again. Better yet, you can touch my muscles and make sure they’re real.”

I roll my eyes, “And just like that, the magic is gone.”

The genuine laugh that comes out of him causes me to laugh along with him.

After a couple of minutes, I say out loud, mostly to myself, “I don’t ever remember there being a road here.”

“That’s because there wasn’t until about a week or so ago,” he answers. I look at him, waiting for him to explain, but he doesn’t.

Before I can question him, the truck slowly comes to a stop.

“We’re here,” he announces with a big smile. Looking straight ahead, I realize that we are about a hundred feet from the base of the waterfall.

“Stay here,” he says, jumping out.

I look at him confused as he shuts his door to open the back driver side door, “I can help you set up.”

He meets my eyes as he grabs everything, “I know, but I don’t want you to. I got it.”

“Okay,” I simply say, letting him do what he wants.

He closes the door and heads to the edge of the river. I watch as he spreads the blanket out and sets everything up. It’s only a few minutes later when he comes jogging up to the truck.

He quickly opens my door and bows with his hand out, “My lady.”

I snicker at him but grab onto his hand. We walk hand in hand to the picnic, stopping right at the edge of the material.

“What do you think?” he whispers, nervousness laced in the question.

I squeeze his hand and meet his gaze, “I love it.”

Relief washes over his face as we walk onto the blanket. We kneel down on it and start pulling out food and drinks.

“I wasn’t sure which sandwich you would want, so I just made a bunch of different ones. There’s also potato salad, chips, and fruit. Hopefully you’ll like it. I can always run and grab something else if not,” he starts rambling.

It’s actually kind of cute. I’ve never seen him like this, but at this rate, he’s going to give himself a heart attack.

“Baby?” I say softly to get his attention.

He doesn’t hear me as he reaches for the cooler, “There’s soda, tea, and water. I also made a cheesecake for after. I brought extra ice, too.”

“Ben?” I try again, chuckling.

“Oh, shit. The radio. It’s still in the truck. I got batteries for it and everything and I forgot it. I’ll be right back,” he goes to stand, completely oblivious to me talking.

I reach out and grab his hands to stop him, “Benjamin!”

He finally stops and looks at me, “Huh? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“I need you to breathe,” I tell him with a small smile. “You are going ninety miles per hour.”

I watch in mild shock as a light blush appears on his cheeks, “R-right. Sorry.”

I shake my head, “Don’t apologize. I just want you to take a step back and relax.”

“I don’t think that’s possible. I’m nervous as hell,” he admits shyly.

I tilt my head in confusion, “Ben, it’s just me.”

His expression turns serious, “It’s not JUST you, Annie. You are my mate, my heart. I want...no, NEED this to be perfect.”

The statement melts my heart as I squeeze his hands reassuringly, “But, it is perfect. Any time with you is amazing, whether we are on a picnic date or watching a movie on the couch. I love that you want to spoil me, but we both know I don’t need all of that. I just want to be here with you.”

I watch as the nervousness in his eyes is replaced with adoration. He stares at me silently for a moment before he moves so quickly that I barely register his movement.

Suddenly, I am spun around as he pulls us down to sit, slamming my back to his chest. His scent and cologne engulfs me, making my head spin. Two strong arms wrap around my waist holding me close as gentle kisses are placed on my neck.

I sigh at the sensation as my body relaxes against him, “See? Like I said, perfect.”

I feel him smile and place a couple more kisses before he pulls his head away. We spend the next hour in this embrace, talking and taking turns feeding each other. Every so often he’ll kiss my neck or temple, steering clear of my lips.

I want to ask about his behavior back at the house, but I don’t want to ruin this moment. The last thing I want to do is make him feel forced to tell me something he may not be ready to talk about, no matter how much I may want to.

Glancing up, I see Ben is looking straight ahead, lost in thought.

“I have an idea,” I tell Leah.

She regards me for a second before she smiles, “Do it.”

Without saying a word, I slowly pull myself out of his arms and stand. This pulls him out of his head and he looks up at me, “Where are you going?”

I smirk at him, but I don’t respond. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I throw it down onto the blanket and slip off my sandals. He watches with a confused expression as I walk back to him, standing in between his legs where I had been sitting moments ago.

Reaching down, I cup his face and slowly bring my head down to his. I see the desire and slight panic in his eyes as my lips get within an inch of his.

His breath hitches and just when he thinks I’m going to kiss him, I rub my nose against his and whisper, “Come get me, Alpha.”

Turning on my heels, I run full speed away from him and jump into the river. When I come back up, he is staring at me in shock. I laugh at his expression as Leah moves closer to the surface, causing my eyes to flash.

I watch as his eyes darken as he stands kicking off his shoes and emptying his pockets, “Oh, so this is how you want to do it? Teasing me like this?”

“Of course,” I snicker, “it’s my favorite pastime.”

“I thought I told you no more running,” he playfully growls, his eyes flashing as Felix moves closer.

“And I thought I told you that I know better than that. You love the chase just as much as I do,” I tease, slowly moving deeper into the water.

His smirk causes goosebumps to pop up on my skin as he slowly approaches the water, “I guess I will have to punish my Luna for disobeying my orders.”

“Well, come on then, my Alpha. If you think you’re big enough,” I taunt with a smirk of my own.

“That’s it!” he growls, jumping into the water.

I squeal and head straight for the waterfall, swimming as fast as I can with Leah’s help. There’s some rocks concealed behind that I can use to hide from him.

He quickly gains on me, but I don’t stop. I maneuver around the falling water and climb up the ledge, running for the largest and farthest boulder I can get to.

My back presses against the stone just as he emerges from the water. My heart starts pounding out of nervousness and excitement.

“Where did you go, little mate?” Ben’s distorted voice calls out, Felix coming out.

I try to hold my breath, desperate to not make a sound.

He slowly begins to walk towards the rocks, “So you are ignoring me now? You just keep digging a bigger hole for yourself, Annabeth.”

I know he’s toying with me, pretending to search and looking behind every boulder. He knew where I was the moment he emerged from the water. My scent gave me away instantly, but just like I knew he would, he is enjoying the chase and is drawing it out.

Once he gets close to me, I tiptoe around the large rock, keeping myself concealed. I try to think of a way to extend the game, too. Glancing back towards the river, I decide to make a run back for the water.

Before I can, I am grabbed from behind and pinned back against the stone. I instinctively grab his shoulders as he uses his body to keep me trapped. Looking up, I am met with black eyes and a smirk.

“Gotcha,” he whispers.

Before I can give him a sassy remark, my eyes trail down his soaked shirt, taking in every muscle that is on full display. The bond flares, and I am becoming very hot and bothered by the Alpha pressed against me.

“Like what you see?” he teases, pushing himself closer to me.

I bite my lip in response. When I meet his eyes again, they are back to green and he lets out a low growl.

Reaching his hand up, he gently frees my lip, “I wouldn’t do that unless you want me…” He trails off as his nostrils flare, sniffing the air, “...to lose…control…”

Much to my embarrassment, I realize that my body is releasing pheromones, signaling to my mate just how excited I really am. I see it click in his head, and he lets out a pained groan as his eyes flash, trying to stay in control, “Annie…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to!” I rush to apologize.

My eyes widen, now smelling his excitement in the air. I quickly bite my lip again to hold back a moan threatening to come out from the smell.

“Fuck it!” he snarls.

Reaching down, he grabs me behind the thighs and picks me up. My legs wrap around him out of instinct as he keeps me pressed against the stone. His head shoves into my neck where he lightly nips on the sensitive spot at the base. My fingers weave themselves into his locks as I gasp.

This time, I don’t tell him to stop. I can’t. My body has a mind of its own, and all I know is that I don’t want him to stop touching me.

He growls against my neck, “You are going to be the death of me, Annabeth. I can already barely control myself around you, and now you…shit.”

“Benjamin,” I whimper, feeling his body shutter against me.

His head moves up and locks eyes with me again. He makes a quick glance to my lips before he says, “I really want to kiss you. Would that be okay?”

Unable to form any type of sentence, I nod.

He shakes his head, “No, Annie. Use your words, so there’s no question. Yes or no.”

“Y-yes,” I choke, lost in the emerald eyes that are piercing my soul.

He leans down and I crane my head to meet him halfway.

Before our lips touch, his body goes rigid and he suddenly pulls back. I look at him confused and notice his eyes are glazed over.

“Someone is mind-linking him,” Leah says.

I internally growl, “I’m going to kill them. This is the second time.”

“Oh? So you want to kiss him now?” she teases.

I ignore her and focus back on my mate. When he comes back a few moments later, all that tension and desire is gone and is replaced with anger.

“Whoa. Baby, what’s wrong?” I ask, lightly cupping his cheeks.

His eyes snap to mine as if he’s just remembering he’s not alone. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he apologizes, “but we have to go back now.”

“Why?” I question.

His jaw clenches, eyes flashing, “Dad found something.”

“Found what?” I press.

“Another letter.”