The Alpha's Bride

Tony didn't approve of Tatiana's bossy attitude, but she was Kalina's sister, so he didn't want to argue with her.

He turned to Talia. "Is Lisa causing problems?"

Talia was not an alarmist, but she couldn't dismiss Tatiana's worry either. "We are not sure. Max is in the bar, and we found Lisa chatting with him. It could be a coincidence, but just in case, we would like to warn you and Lina that Lisa is on the beach and that you should be careful. That's all."

Tony understood that this was not about him. Why would he be wary of Lisa? "Do you think that Lisa will harm Lina?"

Tatiana was irked by his casual tone. Are all Alpha guys ignorant in terms of how women work? "Your ex-girlfriend is having difficulty accepting that you moved on, Tony. What do you think, where will she direct her grievances?"

Tony's irritation was bubbling. He didn't want to talk about Lisa, but Tatiana was pushing his buttons. "Even before we started dating, Lisa knew that only my fated mate can be my Luna. From the moment I found out Lisa was not my mate, I told her that we should break up, but she was the one saying how it's OK for us to be together until one of us finds his or her mate. I found mine. Lisa knew it was coming. End of the story."

Tatiana frowned. Sure, Tony told Lisa what was coming, but that didn't mean Lisa was not upset when it actually happened.

Kalina was her baby sister, and Tatiana couldn't stop herself from worrying. "Aren't you concerned about Lina? What if something happened?"

Tony shook his head. "If Lina is in distress, I would know it. Mates can sense each other's emotions, and I can tell you that Lina is fine. But let's assume that someone will dare to confront my Lina... she can take care of herself."

Tatiana knew that Kalina has a quick mind, a sharp tongue, and she can throw a wicked punch. No one can bully Kalina, but... "What if Lisa doesn't play fair? What if there are several of them and they catch Lina by surprise?"

"Come on, Tanya. Don't create drama when there is none. Lisa might be bitter, but she won't be able to find a group of people who will help her attack the future Luna. We are in the middle of the Dark Howlers pack, and everyone knows that Kalina is my mate. Besides, you should trust your sister more. Lina is not a baby."

Seeing that Tony didn't care, Tatiana turned to Caden. "Maya is with Lina. Where are they? Why can't I see them?"

Caden glanced at the lake. "They could be underwater. We were competing who can hold their breath longer, maybe they are doing the same."

Tatiana didn't like this. Why was everyone so easygoing? Was she the only one seeing this as a problem?

"What if they are in danger?"

Caden waved his hand like it was not a big deal. "If they are in danger, they are pretending."

"Why would she pretend to be in danger?", Tatiana asked dryly.

"So that I can get a chance to be her knight in shining armor and save the damsel in distress.", Caden said like it's a totally normal thing. "Don't you do roleplays? Guys like to feel they are in power. It's good for our ego."

Tatiana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What nonsense was Caden spouting?

Everyone here was crazy!

…

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Tatiana wondered if she was overreacting.

Was she on the edge because of her situation with Maddox?

Her wolf was protesting that they were apart, and it was affecting her more than she wanted to admit.

Seconds turned into minutes, and Tatiana continued looking at the surface of the lake. Why couldn't she see Maya or Kalina?

"How long do werewolves hold their breath underwater?", Tatiana asked Talia. The guys were relaxed and focused on the card game and she decided not to talk to them.

"I'm not sure.", Talia responded.

"Maya's record is twenty-two minutes.", Caden said proudly.

"Wow!", Axel exclaimed. "Maya is impressive. Mine is twenty-seven minutes and twelve seconds."

Caden puffed his chest. Yes, Axel can stay underwater five minutes longer than Maya, but considering that Axel is an Alpha, that's expected.

"I can go nineteen minutes and twenty seconds.", Tyler chimed in, and other guys started giving their longest time while holding breath underwater.

Talia's eyebrows twitched when she realized that no one reported under fifteen minutes. She remembered that she jumped into the waterfall and after less than a minute, she was panicking about how she will drown. Did she panic for no reason? She took a mental note to time herself in a tub… when no one is watching.

Tatiana didn't care about that who-can-do-it-longer nonsense. Men. Why is everything a competition?

Kalina is a bubbly girl who loves to play and have fun, and Tatiana was confident that Kalina wouldn't stay underwater for a prolonged time only to prove she can do it. But… why would she be underwater?

Tatiana's eyes widened when she remembered the story Maya told her while she was standing on that exact spot earlier that day. Mermaids.

Sure, her bubbly sister wouldn't waste time on silly competitions, but going on a dangerous adventure is another thing. Kalina is an adrenaline junky.

"What are you doing?", Talia asked when she saw Tatiana removing her dress with haste.

"I need to find Lina."

"I told you, she was fine.", Tony chimed in from the side.

"Maybe you can be relaxed, but I can't.", Tatiana snapped at him.

Talia realized that Tatiana wouldn't do this without reason. "What are you thinking about?"

"Mermaids.", Tatiana said. "Maya was telling Lina about mermaids at the bottom of the lake and I think they went to search for them."

Talia remembered the story. Maya and Kalina were excited and Talia agreed with Tatiana. Those two daredevils probably went to try their luck with mermaids.

"I will go with you.", Talia said to Tatiana who was already waist-deep in water.

Tatiana jumped in and started swimming.

Talia was down to her swimwear in less than a second. "Caden, tell Damon that Tatiana and I are going mermaid searching."

"There are no mermaids there.", Caden said.

Talia didn't want to argue. "Just tell him."

It was not about mermaids, but she wanted Damon to know where she was. She would expect that Damon will notify her if something unusual happens also.

For the first time in her life, Talia really wished for a mind-link. Then she would be able to reach out to Damon at any time. Will she get the mind-link after Damon marks her? Talia was not sure, but she was super-excited at the thought of Damon marking her. That mark will make it official that they are mates, forever. Forever with Damon was surreal.

In no time, Talia caught up with Tatiana. She didn't realize how quickly she swam, but Axel took note of that. He was thinking of going after Talia, but he paused when he realized how quickly she was moving. That was one more confirmation that she was special and Axel couldn't wait for a chance to catch Talia for some one-on-one talk.

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