That night, instead of us gathering by the pool on our own, I insisted in including the rest of the pack (and I hated referring to them that way, but we were, to all intents and purposes, a part of the Whitewater pack, whether we liked it or not). The others were a bit unsure, but I presented what I hoped was a good reason.
"We're a part of this pack now, for good or ill," I said. "And for the last two and a bit months, we've more or less been excluded from pack life, mainly because we were outsiders. And because of the fact almost all our old packs had been decimated at Stonehenge. But now that we've been brought into the fold through our bond to the Alpha, I figure it's time we start making nice with them and actually seeing if we can't make a few ... ovetures of friendship."
Seamus raised an eyebrow. "An interesting prospect," he said.
The others nodded agreement. "But that doesn't mean there isn't merit in what you say," Siobhan said. "I for one would like to not be given the cold shoulder whenever I pass one of them by in the hallways, so I'm up for it."
"Me too," Aoife agreed. "Being Simon's mate gives me a bit of pull as well, so I can use it to remind the others that I'm now a part of the pack whether they like it or not."
I had to grin. "Are we in agreement?"
The others nodded, and I felt my grin turn wicked. Simon wasn't going to know what hit him by the time Aoife and I were through.
To be sure, the rest of the pack were a little suss when they got wind of our invitation, but after a few unbelievably awkward ice-breaker conversations, Zachariah got the bright idea to bring in a giant inflatable flamingo to break the ice even more.
And it worked.
To further lighten the mood, Caleb then introduced "drink chicken" whereby we played the usual game of pool chicken, but with glasses of wine, spirits, or other alcohol in our hands. The rules, he said solemnly, were moderately different - in addition to staying upright on our partners' shoulders, we also had ensure our drinks stayed unspilled. If anything did spill, it was an automatic forfeit, even if we managed to not tumble into the water.
At the deep end, Natalia and Delilah set up another game - underwater rugby. It wasn't long before a dozen of us - myself included - got into an intense scrimmage underwater for possession of the ball, and even though my team lost, it was still a hell of a lot of fun. Delilah even complimented me afterwards. "You're a good player," she said.
I shrugged modestly. "Got good lungs, I guess," I said, and we laughed.
Natalia then called for another round, and even kindly offered me the chance to join her team. I gladly accepted, and joined her and the others under the surface for another intense game.
Arms and legs flew wildly underwater, and possession of the ball changed hands more times than you could blink. My claim of good lungs was sorely tested this time around, as Natalia had insisted we stay under until one or the other team scored a goal. According to her, it was a good endurance test to see how well we could all hold our breath, and since I was a bit of self-confessed expert on the subject during my various forays, I was more than happy to participate.
Still, as the moments passed by without either team scoring a goal, I felt the urge to breathe grow stronger, and judging by the strained looks on the other girls' faces, they felt the same. This pushed us to do all we could to make goal, and after two and a half strenous minutes spent underwater, with my lungs burning and my diaphragm contracting ever more painfully by the moment, I managed to sink the ball into the basket set up at the very bottom, the effort expelling almost all the air from my lungs in a cloud of bubbles. The goal made, we all kicked our way to the surface and the precious air waiting above. I wasn't sure if I would make it, but though I was out of air, I still managed to make one final kick, and broke the surface with a gasp, echoed by the other girls as we trod water, spending several moments to catch our breath after our prolonged exercise underwater. "Yikes," Aisling said, laughing as she got her breath back. "We're never going to make the synchronised swimming team, are we?"
"Not with the way you were flailing about underwater," Delilah teased, and we all shared a companionable laugh as we swam for the shallow end, where several other pack members were still engaged in "drink chicken."
"You ladies are a sight for sore eyes," Siobhan groaned. "Can one of you take my place? Daniel's proving a poor mount, and I need to replenish all the alcohol I lost."
Daniel grinned. "I'm sorry if I kept getting distracted by all the lovely ladies I see around me," he teased, and his mate, Skylar, laughed along with us. They'd been together two years, and had one of those relationships where they were entirely accepting of their partner engaging in a bit of playful flirting.
Shannon rolled his eyes in amusement as I took Siobhan's place atop Daniel's shoulders, and Esther grinned at me as Ethan placed a fresh glass of alcohol in my hand. I rolled my eyes and passed it back. "Scratch the booze," I said, grinning at him. "I say we stick to the tried and true traditional method."
Ethan chuckled as he took the glass back, and after a moment's consideration, Esther also handed her glass over. "Drink those in our good health," she said, and Ethan nodded, an amused smile still gracing his lips as he left us to it.
Daniel and Shannon then moved to deeper water until their heads were just above the surface, while Esther and I readied ourselves. "Let's do this," I said with a grin, and our mounts obligingly moved forward. Esther and I locked hands, engaging in a fierce struggle to push each other. Shannon and Daniel provided the transport, using their bodies to ram into each other so they could knock either Esther or myself into the water - and as per the rules, if a team was separated, they lost.
Naturally, it didn't take long for Esther and Shannon to prevail once more, and I yelped as I tumbled off Daniel's shoulders and into the water with a resounding splash. Bubbles filled my vision for a few breathless moments before I managed to resurface. "Damn it," I snarled, glaring at the victorious team; though I wasn't that angry. "You two have an unfair advantage, I swear."
Shannon grinned unrepentantly at me as I trod water. "I guess I have a natural talent for these things," he teased, before Daniel charged forward, knocking Esther off his shoulders and sending all three of them underwater. Not to be outdone, I dived down to join in the impromptu wrestling match, and we all sank in a tangle of arms and legs, fighting to get purchase. It soon became a friendly game of who could hold the other down the longest, and we got increasingly creative in our methods of escaping whatever hold one of the other foursome had on us.
Eventually, after a few breathless minutes, we ran out of air and resurfaced, catching our breath and treading water. "Bloody idiot," Shannon complained, grinning at Daniel, who smirked back.
"I need a drink," Esther declared, smirking in her own turn. "I think I swallowed more pool water than was good for me in that last bout, and I need some alcohol to chase it down."
"I might come with you," Daniel said, and they swam off together, leaving Shannon and I alone. I suddenly felt very awkward, and Shannon looked as embarrassed as I felt. This was the first time we'd been alone ever since our arrival two and a bit months ago, and I swallowed. "You know," I said, desperately seeking a way by which I could break the awkwardness, "I'm free tomorrow night if you want to go on a date, or something."
Shannon blinked, and then smiled. "Why not?" he said. "But will Simon let you?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm the Luna, idiot," I said. "Simon can't say bloody boo to me, and if he does, I'll let him know about it."
"Good point," Shannon agreed. "I'll pick you up at six."
I giggled at his formal manner, and for a few moments, we trod water, staring silently at each other. I'm not sure who made the first move, but somehow, we ended up in each other's arms, and before long, our lips met in a soft, but passionate kiss that left me lightheaded when we pulled apart. It was very different to how James had kissed me, and I felt my heart pounding as Shannon looked intensely into my eyes, arms locked tightly around my waist under the water.
I swallowed at the intensity of his gaze as I moved to kiss him again, and this time, I felt him take a deep breath. I did the same, and we sank slowly underwater, letting it take us to a place where only we existed. Everything else faded away, except for the heat rising between us, and the weightlessness that cradled our bodies as we finally gave in to feelings we'd never thought we'd be able to express.
Until now.
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