Jate stood by the shore of the river, staring off toward the other side. Siya noticed his rigid stance and realized he must have smelt her. The water would hide her current position, but her scent still lingered on the plants and rocks at the edge.

                Siya shifted further into the shadows. What was this wolf doing out at this hour? Even she wasn't supposed to be outside. Siya could feel irritation sweep through her; Jate was turning out to be quite the troublesome wolf.

                She watched as Jate slowly sank to the ground. His arms rested on top of crossed legs and moonlight bounced off the grey of his eyes. There was something in his eyes... Siya couldn't put a name on it, but it made her stomach clench.

                Which then began to somersault at the sight of Jate stripping of his shirt. Eyes wide, Siya couldn't seem to look away.

                What is he doing?!

                Jate threw his shirt to the side and returned to his previous position. If Siya wasn't so suspicious of his actions, she would think the wolf was meditating. But so early in the morning made that seem highly unlikely.

                Jate stared into the water longingly. She wondered how long he would stay—after all, she only had a few hours until Siya needed to report for her 'official' patrol. As she watched the wolf, Siya struggled to formulate a plan on escaping without being detected. So long as Jate remained in his human form, she could escape with minimal scent detection. It would be the shifting of the water that would be her downfall.

                Part of her wondered if the wolf would enter the water with her, but she had ordered him to bathe in the bathroom facilities, and she assumed he would follow that order.

                Siya sprang back in the water as something brushed past her left thigh. A fish. Her eyes darted toward the wolf at the bank, wondering if he suspected anything from the splashing water.

                Jate tensed in response. His guard was up.

                "Who is there?" He growled, coming to his feet slowly. Jate angled his body toward the source of the noise, his eyes darting into the darkness that concealed Siya. She made no movement. Siya could only hope the shadows would continue to hide her.

                Jate let out a low, threatening growl and stalked toward Siya. "Answer me."

                Siya debated whether she should inform him of just exactly to whom he was growling at or if she should simply watch how he handled the situation.

                Her mind was made up as Jate began to strip himself of his shorts. He remained in his boxers and began to approach the shadow coverage. Siya could feel his eyes on her, but he couldn't yet make out the figure hiding in the dark.

                Jate was smart to stay in human form—smart or just lucky. Although Siya enjoyed the feel of the water racing around her body, she had had one too many experiences of being drenched in wolf form to know that water did not mix well with her beast. If someone was hiding in the water, his best guess would be to stay in human form.

                Siya watched the wolf step into the water. He was quite an intimidating Warrior when he chose to be. There was an atmosphere about him that warned Siya of the damage he could do onto her, but Siya was confident enough to know she'd hold her ground. Jate would certainly be decent competition.

                Jate splashed loudly as he moved forward, and Siya slowly began to sink further away. As he entered into the shadows, Jate's head disappeared completely. Siya's eyes widened with surprise.

                Had something taken him?

                The thought barely crossed her mind when she felt two arms wrap themselves around her waist and hurl her into the air. Siya let out a shriek before splashing back into the water face first. Twisting her body around, she broke the surface of the water with eyes trained on Jate. Her pupils had adjusted to the darkness well enough to see him. He stood a few feet from her, body silently shaking with laughter. Jate's trademark grin was plastered across his face.

                "You think I didn't know it was you from the start, Alpha?" He laughed

                "How did you know?" Siya asked cautiously.

                Jate simply shook his head, his eyes moving slowly down her body.

                Thankfully, the night concealed the blush on Siya's cheeks. She slipped lower until the water came up to her collar bone. "Eyes up here, wolf."

                "Are you embarrassed?" He asked, almost incredulously. Siya instinctively reached out her arm and splashed him.

                "I'm not embarrassed."

                "Alright, alright" Jate shook some of the water off of his head, using his hands to clear off the rest from his face. "It's not like you have anything to be embarrassed of."

                Such a strange wolf, full of strange compliments.

                Siya remained silent.

                "So I see you took my advice after all." He said as he slowly slipped through the water toward his alpha. "What do you think?"

                "I did not come here to bathe." She spat, still repulsed at the idea of cleaning oneself in this filthy water. Despite how wonderful it felt. "I simply wanted to see what you were so upset about."

                "And?"

                Siya shrugged. "It's ok."

                Jate gave a hearty laugh, shaking his head at her. "You're so stubborn, Alpha. I can tell you liked it."

                He stopped less than two feet from Siya. At this distance, Siya was reminded of his height on her. Air grew thick the closer the two became. Jate held her eyes boldly as he waded slowly through the water. Siya herself remained frozen in place.

                The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Siya could feel her body tense from anxiety, but it was a type she didn't want to end.

                "Why are you out here, Siya?"

                A shiver raced down her spine. No one but Renald had called her by name since she became alpha. It was impossible to deny how... nice it sounded slipping out of Jate's lips.

                Siya swallowed dryly. "You are right; I was curious about the water."

                He grinned. "You liked it."

                Although stated as fact, it was more of a question. Siya responded with a small nod.

                "I knew you would."

                "What are you doing out here?" She countered, realizing she should've been asking him this before he questioned her. Who is the alpha here, Siya, you or him?

                Jate shrugged casually, tilting his head to star up at the moon. "I like to come out here and watch the water, since I wasn't allowed in it before."

                "Why are you allowed now?" The questioned slipped out before Siya could rethink it. She hadn't meant for it to sound as condescending as it was, but she was genuinely curious as to why Jate was able to get into the water.

                Jate stepped closer, and Siya could feel a hand wrapping itself around her waist. His fingers tickled along her skin beneath the water, leaving a warm trail in their wake. "As a Warrior, if I sense that my alpha is in danger..."

                Suddenly, Jate pulled her to his chest, water splashing around. Siya stood upright now with her chest pressed tightly to his. Two thick arms wrapped themselves around her body and held her steady while Siya's hands rested gently on Jate's pectorals. Breathless, she stared up at the boy holding her. Stomach twisting, body tingling... oh my.

                "I must protect my alpha." He teased. His cool breath tickled Siya's lips, and it was only then that she realized how close the two really were.

                "Jate..." She whispered. Was it said in warning? Was it a threat? Siya wasn't sure, but she couldn't find words to continue. Jate took this as a sign to slide his hands slowly down the curves of her body, his eyes widening as he felt no barrier to her bare skin.

                Siya knew she should feel slightly embarrassed, but with his rough hands teasing their way down her body, she couldn't help but be overcome with an irresistible sense of pleasure. Jate's eyes darkened as she latched her fingers on to his shoulder. His hands locked onto her hips and pulled her closer until their body touched in as many places as possible.

                His boxers were the only barrier separating the two from being completely together.

                "Jate... we can't..."

                He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. Siya's eyes never left him as he twisted his head around to inspect their surroundings. Siya felt no imminent danger, but appreciated his sporicidal look-out.

                Her eyes widened when he pressed his lips against hers.

                Siya had never felt so alive. Her eyes fluttered close as his grip on her hips—and her grip on his shoulders—tightened. Warmth spread throughout her body, radiating from focal points at his touch. Jate's lips moved with hers aggressively, and he kissed her as if she was his source of oxygen. Teeth nipped at Siya's bottom lip, pulling, and a soft moan spilled out.

                This served to encourage Jate. He grabbed her tighter—if that was even possible—pulling her body to him. His hands slipped around her waist to grab a fistful of ass in each, and squeezed. Hard. The gasp Siya let out the opening Jate needed to slip his tongue into her mouth and begin a naughty little tango. She gripped the back of his neck, holding him tightly and kissed him with a ferocity Siya never knew she had.

                Her mind felt foggy; Siya could barely remember her own damn name—all that mattered was his lips on hers and they felt amazing.

                It ended all too soon.

                Jate pulled away slowly, pecking her lips once, twice... a third time, before pulling away completely. Siya could hear his ragged breathing, and realized he was just as out of breath as she was. Her eyes remained closed as he pressed their foreheads together. His hands gently massaged her bottom as a teasing reminder of what they'd just done. Her lips tingled, bottom one pulsing from his torment. Siya was distantly aware she should pull away, but logic escaped her in the aftermath of their kiss.

                "Damn." His voice was low. Husky.

                She breathed out a laugh.

                Opening her eyes, she realized he had been staring at her intently. There was something in his eyes that caused regret to flood her veins. As Siya held his gaze, she realized how big of a mistake she had made. She was the alpha of a pack, not a whore. Jate had interacted with her only a handful of times—he wasn't even fully her pack—yet she stood here, naked, with her lips all over his like some dirty mut. What had she done?

                Siya pulled away sharply, running a hand through her hair. She sunk back into the water to conceal her body from his gaze. This couldn't go any further.

                Jate's eyebrows furrowed together in confused. "Siya—"

                "This was a mistake." She shook her head, eyes darting anywhere but him. "That was a huge mistake, and we can't do this again."

                "What are you..."

                "You need to leave, Jate. We both do. Neither of us should be out here to begin with." Siya began to push through the water toward the shore.

                Jate grabbed at her wrist, but she yanked herself out of his grasp. Shooting him a threatening look over her shoulder, Siya kept toward the shore of the river.

                "Leave, Jate."

                It wasn't a suggestion; it was a command.

                Siya could feel his eyes on her back for a moment longer before he pushed through the water faster than she moved. Jate reached the shore first, and climbed out without sparing his alpha once last glance.

                She waited until his figure disappeared completely before stepping out of the water herself. His scent was everywhere, intermingled with hers. She knew his scent lingered on her skin, and Siya hoped she could escape any awkward encounters.

                As she stepped out of the water, her eyes darted to the shirt he had discarded on the ground. The plain, black t-shirt was notoriously Jate's, and as she knelt to pick it up, Siya became consumed in his scent. Lifting it slowly, she inhaled and closed her eyes, momentarily taken back to the kiss they shared a minute ago. But soon guilt replaced that pleasure. Siya gripped it tighter as anger began to consumer her.

Anger toward Jate, anger toward the moon, anger toward herself.

She glanced at the sky one last time before phasing and headed back to her room.