2

The truck rumbled along the dirt road. I glanced at Teddy, noting the pistol on his belt and the machete hanging from his hip.

"So, what's the plan tonight?" I asked. If he already had those things on him, tonight would be interesting.

He shot me a sideways look as a grin spread across his face. "Gotta check the traps. Thought you might want to come along, you."

"Of course I want to!" I beamed.

I loved going out on the boats with him. Airboats weren't my favorite, but the regular ones? Those were always a blast.

Life with the Bayou pack had its quirks, one being their lack of traditional income. 

Most of the time, they catch their food rather than buy it. Tonight's adventure involved checking the lines for fish and alligators.

We pulled up to the pack house, a sprawling structure that seemed like twenty houses cobbled together into a never-ending shack. Some parts were two stories high, others three, all interconnected. Even so, most pack members just jumped onto their balconies instead of using the stairs like normal people.

This group was wild compared to what I was used to. People were everywhere. Most of them naked, many drunk. The scene was chaotic and free, totally different from the structured life I had known.

Teddy hopped out, adjusting his gear. "Ready?" he called.

I jumped out of the truck. "Always. First, I need to change, though." 

Going into the swampy Bayou in shorts was a quick way to turn into one big bug bite. 

I'd learned that lesson the hard way the first time I came out here with him. The first time I checked the traps with him and watched him wrestle an alligator into submission with his bare hands.

Seeing that raw, primal energy that day sent me into a tailspin I hadn't recovered from since. He may not have the same alpha blood I did, but he was strong and powerful in ways I never would be. 

His house, or what passed for one I guess, was at the far end of the main Bayou packhouse property. It was far closer to the water where they docked their boats. It was also well away from the chaos of Phin's primary domain. 

He officially claimed he lived here to monitor the omegas and the boats, but truthfully, he just wanted a break from Phin's constant drama and the endless parade of 'pretend mates' causing spats next door.

As we stepped inside, a trio of omegas were sprawled on his couch, engrossed in his video games. They scattered when he shot them a look, knowing better than to argue with me standing there. 

He let the younger ones use his place as a sanctuary when he was out, a fact that made him loved by just about everyone. Even if he wouldn't admit it outright. He thought treating omegas well made him look weak. It was a totally foolish way of thinking, but that's what he grew up hearing. 

I headed straight for his room, grabbing a pair of jeans and one of his shirts.  I took my time as I changed right in front of him, fully aware of his eyes on me. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, staring. 

When I turned my back, he released a soft growl that made me shiver.

I couldn't help but smile.

The sexual tension between us was ridiculous, always just a breath away from boiling over. 

This was another reason we fought constantly, because of this magnetic pull. This unfulfilled pull. 

We had agreed to wait until we were both marked to cross that final line, but teasing him was just too fun to resist.

I finally turned to face him once I was fully dressed. "Ready to catch some gators?" I asked, knowing I was pushing his buttons.

He shook his head and smiled. "Ready when you are."

I was pulled into his arms as I tried to walk by. The pressure from our argument faded as I melted into him. His lips brushed against my ear as he whispered, "Three more weeks."

"Three more weeks," I echoed. 

The urge to close the distance between us almost overwhelmed me. My heart pounded, matching the longing in his eyes. This was torture. 

"I love you," I murmured.

"I love you too," he replied. "We will make it. Je suis désolé... I'm sorry."

I laughed... “I know what ‘je suis désolé’ means,” I teased.

He chuckled. "Old habits, I guess."

Teddy had started teaching me French soon after we got together. His Cajun dialect was a beautiful mix of languages and accent, a mystery I was eager to unravel. I had to learn if I was going to understand half of the things he said when upset or excited. 

Sensing my desire to learn, he turned every conversation into a lesson by translating each time he slipped into French.

I soaked up every word, becoming nearly as fluent as he was in the past year.

We walked to the dock, hand in hand. Teddy jumped into the boat and then turned to help me. The smell of the bait hit me, and I gagged right in his face as he sat me down in the boat.

Clearly amused that it still bothered me, he just smirked. "You cut this up before you came to get me, right?" I accused. "That's why you cleaned up."

He laughed with a playful twinkle in his eyes. "Yeah, why else?" Then he used the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, exposing his stomach. He gripped the shirt hem in his teeth as he worked, keeping it off the large, sensitive scar covering his flank. 

I watched his perfect stomach muscles flex and ripple as he moved around. I wanted to trace the lines of his tattoos covering his chest and ribcage until he trembled. He only released the shirt from his teeth once he was sure I was watching. 

He hadn't been holding it up to keep it off the sensitive scar. He was purposely pushing my buttons as well. 

He kicked off from the dock, and the boat glided away. The engine came to life as he took his place beside me.

The boat was simple, just a center console with a tall seat. He wrapped an arm around me, anchoring me against the boat's momentum as we leaned on it. He always told me I could sit down, but I felt better standing like he was, holding onto him for dear life. He was going to drive one-handed whether I was sitting or standing. 

As the boat picked up speed, the wind whipped past us, tugging at my hair and clothes. The Bayou at night was a maze of shadow and light. To me, every ripple in the water was a potential threat, every twist and turn a test.

I clung to him, digging my fingers into his side. The fear that we might crash or capsize was constant, but Teddy's confidence was something else.

He knew these waters intimately, every bend, curve, and hidden danger. He grew up doing this. I had to remind myself of that over and over. 

"I figured you cleaned up because you felt bad about our fight," I yelled, my voice still barely audible over the rush of water, wind, and engine noise.

He glanced at me and rolled his eyes. "No… that fight was just another stupid spat that doesn't mean anything, mon loup. In three weeks, everything will be different. I promise."

In three weeks, we would be marked, bound in a way beyond words. Until then, every touch, every look was a struggle. A battle to hold back from crossing the line too soon.

"You're not planning on wrestling them tonight, are you?" I yelled. 

He just smiled without taking his eyes off the dark bayou water ahead.