Chapter 9: The Vines

I sat in the bathtub in the bathing room, my alphas occupying a corner each. I had been thoroughly fucked by Dorian in the workout room before the other two came looking for me. Then they had insisted on having a turn.

I had insisted on a bath and some food. I got what I wanted; I just hadn’t expected to be sharing the bath.

The bathing room was huge, with a long body of water surrounded by branches and leaves up the walls. The branches stretched out across the wooden ceiling over the glass panels of the windows. Candles decorated all the spare spaces, with a single wooden shelving block by the door with drying cloths.

I sunk further into the water, dipping my hair back before coming back up with a sigh.

The stone of the bath was a rectangle and had seating around the outer edges of the bath. The alphas sat in their corners, watching me intensely.

I raised a brow at each of them, “You don’t have to stare like that. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Why look anywhere else when the scenery is better wherever you are?” Dorian said back, his words soft and perfect. I blushed and smiled, tucking my legs into me, hanging my feet on the edge of the stone seat.

I leaned my chin on my knees, not sure what to say back. I still wasn’t quite used to being complimented in sincere ways and not taunts.

“Suck up,” Atticus grumbled.

Zachariah even smirked at that, “I must say, Dorian. That was too much.”

“I didn’t mind it,” I defended with a shrug. Dorian’s scowl at the other alphas turned into a smug smirk, and I chuckled. They were so interesting together.

I felt like I had three thirds to a whole sitting there with me. Something that made me worried because I had to pick one of them. How could I be whole without two thirds of them? It wouldn’t be the same.

“What troubles you, Little Red?” Zachariah asked, reading me perfectly like usual.

I sighed and looked out of the window where the moon lit up the sky outside.

“I’ve only known the vampires and the mountain where I grew up. I haven’t lived much between those places, and a lot of what is happening is far out of my realm of comprehension.”

The alphas said nothing as I tried to put what I was feeling into words. “If I am to choose, I need to know what the world is like outside of what I know. As much as being here and shown all kinds of pleasure by all three of you is amazing, I need more than that.”

I wasn’t sure if I was asking too much, but if I was, they had to deal with it. I needed more—that was my reality. I couldn’t just hide and fuck until the next full moon. I needed to see the villages, what their everyday lives looked like so I could figure out if I would fit or not.

I turned to Dorian. “What would you normally be doing if I wasn’t here and you had finished training?” I asked.

Atticus scoffed. “The Forest pack never stop training. They spar in their damn sleep.”

I raised a brow and looked to Dorian for confirmation.

He just scowled at Atticus, “And the Water pack do nothing but fuck and fight with no real direction.”

Atticus growled, his lips pursing, “You’re going to back down, Alpha, before I show you how wrong you are.”

I stood up, effectively silencing them, “Show me the forest pack, Dorian. The villages, the life that happens here.”

Dorian smirked and looked over his shoulder as the sun started to peek over the horizon.

He nodded to the forest outside, “C’mon. I’ll show you that the forest pack can have fun.”

I grinned and looked at the sunrise, the orange replacing the dark of the bathing room.

Zachariah glared at Dorian, an expression he usually reserved for Atticus, “If she gets hurt during this little activity of yours—”

“I’ll catch her.” Dorian’s voice was firm, and my stomach clenched.

“Catch me? Why do I need to be caught?” I shivered. Dorian jumped up from the bath and held his hand out to me.

“Let me show you, Sweet Siren.”

We left the bathing room, dressed, ate, then Dorian led us to a thick part of the forest. There were a lot of other people hanging around. Most big like Dorian. Even the women looked strong. All of them looked so serious, which made it easier to tell the werewolves from the humans that came past every now and then.

Dorian stopped in front of a huge tree—the tallest, thickest one with multiple branches stalking off it.

I stared up at it, my fingers wringing in each other’s grasp as I did.

“We’re climbing the trees?” I asked with a frown, eyeing some of the other curious onlookers.

“Vine swinging,” Dorian corrected, “It’s something we do to test our strength against each other—a healthy competition.”

There was a scoff from behind us, and I frowned, looking over my shoulder.

A group of men in similar brown leather chest guards with dark green linen pants like Dorian came over. They were tall but not as tall as Dorian.

None of them wore shirts under their chest plates; all of them had impressive muscular arms and the same forest tattoo peeking out from the leather.

The front one held a smirk as he eyed me, then the other two alphas. Then he sneered at Dorian, “Healthy competition? That would imply there being any competition.”

“Stand down, Callian. We have guests.” Dorian’s voice was filled with a powerful echo that made my blood hum. My throat went tight, and the urge to use my voice got stronger. I held it back and eyed Dorian.

Callian grinned maliciously, stepping forward and looking us all up and down—even Dorian, “Maybe we should show our guests what you mean by healthy competition then?”

Dorian scowled and nodded once.

Callian’s grin grew, “Say when then, Alpha, we’re ready when you are.”

Callian and his group of six each went to the base of the tree.

“We’ll meet you up there.” Dorian dismissed the others, and they took off up the tree, flying over the branches like it took nothing.

My jaw dropped. I could not climb trees like that. Or at all.

Callian stopped on the first branch and looked down, “Take too long and you’ll lose by forfeit. That’ll be a good look in front of the guests.” Callian took off up the tree, and I turned to Dorian.

He was tense, his eyes narrowed after Callian.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Zachariah asked, his voice low and angry.

“It is the only choice now that the challenge has been made. Any other option will be seen as weak.”

“Then we better show that little fucker who the alpha is, then, hmm?” Atticus said, his grin angry and dangerous.

So the alphas did have another side. I had known it was there, but I needed to see it. And even more than that, I needed to see it play out.

“We’re climbing and swinging on vines, then?” I gulped. Dorian smiled down at me, cupping my cheek.

“You’ll be safe. I won’t let you fall.”

“She is not going with you. Not when those little shits are up there,” Atticus growled.

Dorian scowled, “She will come with me. I can do this in my sleep and have the most experience. And don’t worry about the pack, I’m alpha for a reason—and I’ll put them in their place with or without Sweet Siren on me.”

“Let her decide.” Zachariah stared at me, and my eyes opened wide. Did I really have to make all the decisions? It seemed like a lot of pressure considering my past.

But I did know we were on a time crunch. I cleared my throat and stepped closer to Dorian.

“It’s Dorian’s territory. I’ll go with him. When we are at your pack homes, I will go with you. It’s the only way this can be fair,” I said, my mind made up.

None of them argued.

Dorian took off his leather breastplate, then lowered and helped me onto his back, then went to the base of the tree.

The other two did too.

“What happens if we win?” Atticus grinned. I thought he was joking. I should’ve known better.

“Bragging rights,” Dorian shrugged.

“I’ll take it.” Atticus rubbed his hands together, rolling his shoulders back as he looked up the tree. Zachariah said nothing, just stepped up to the tree and started climbing.

He was lithe and smooth with his moves, and I watched him intently.

I held Dorian tighter as Atticus went to start. But he was big and bulky. It took him three tries to find his footing before he finally got it and took off.

Dorian waited until they hit the first branch before he looked over his shoulder at me.

I latched on tighter, my arms around his neck. I locked my legs around his waist, and he smirked at me.

“Hold on.” That was all the warning he gave me before he was moving up the tree. I gasped; the way he moved was so graceful and quick.

I grinned as the world moved fast as we got higher and higher. We surpassed the other two alphas in record time, and I waved.

Atticus growled, but Zachariah just nodded at me. I laughed as we got higher, loving the way the wind whooshed through me.

It was a rush to climb so high and so fast.

Dorian’s back and shoulders moved, his muscles rippling with power beneath my chest pressed against him. It was hot enough to have me licking my lips and the ache between my thighs starting again.

Dorian paused on a branch and looked over his shoulder at me. “Sweet Siren. Your scent changed, and if it keeps doing that, I am never going to make it to the top of this tree.”

I grinned and kissed his cheek. “Sorry. I think you’re pretty amazing.”

He smiled, then took off up the tree again. My body never stopped humming—especially when we caught up to Callian and his friends.

Callian snarled as Dorian climbed past him. “Careful, Old Man. You’ll fall to your death if you’re not careful.”

Dorian glared at him. “Compete with your dignity intact, Callian, or you’ll find yourself cleaning out the pack lavatories.”

Callian grumbled some profanities, but I couldn’t quite hear because Dorian powered past him, leaving him behind without a second glance.

It was so damn impressive. Every time he moved, his muscles beneath my touch did, and I had to try to control my reaction. But I couldn’t. The way he climbed trees turned me on.

He was power and strength in one damn beautiful package that had me panting by the time we made it to the top.

As soon as we did, he pulled me from his back to his front and crashed his lips on mine. I sucked in a breath, holding him as the kiss burned in my core.

He held on to the tree branch with one hand, me with the other—and even that had me grinding against him. I raked my hands down his impressive muscles, unable to help what I craved.

Dorian pulled back slightly, looking over my face. “If I wasn’t in the middle of putting my pack in place, I would be taking you at the top of this tree, Sweet Siren.”

I grinned and held him, looking around. We really were at the top. And that was a little terrifying.

There was a huge branch at the top with a bunch of vines attached to it and a thin layer of leaves above us.

“Why do your pack challenge you like that? Aren’t you their alpha?”

Dorian nodded. “Yes. But wolves are competitive by nature. My pack just thrives on it. Use it as an excuse to be arrogant and rude.”

“But they talk to you like they aren’t scared of you. I thought being alpha meant they had to do what you say? At least respect you as their authority?”

I didn’t understand much about wolves, but I had heard enough stories to understand the term alpha. It seemed to be a loose term in this pack.

“They will listen to my authority. And they are mine to command. Here, the respect is earned. If I show a weakness, like a softness for a certain Siren, or show favors to my guests, it is my duty to prove myself as alpha. So they challenge me—make sure I show my prowess to outsiders and prove to them that I should still be an alpha. If I had backed down or lost here, Callian would have seen it as me disrespecting the pack. It’s a delicate balance.”

I nodded slowly. “I get it.” And I did. I just didn’t like hearing them talk to Dorian like that or have more pressure on Dorian when he already put so much on himself.

Before we could carry on, Callian joined us.

He nodded to Dorian in a more respectful way, like he was proud of him, and I understood the dynamic a little bit more.

Zachariah came next, barely panting, easing himself to perch on a branch. He looked like he had barely put in any effort, sitting there with eyes on mine again.

Eventually, the others reached us, followed by a cursing Atticus. Dorian shook his head and then eyed Callian.

“Take the first swing. Show the guests what to do,” Dorian ordered.

Callian nodded, then reached forward and grabbed a vine. He tugged it taut, then grinned, turned, and with a cocky salute, he fell back. I gasped and scrambled off Dorian.

“Woohooooooo!” Callian called out as his vine pulled tight and he swung around the tree in a huge circle.

He grinned as the others grabbed vines and joined him, swinging around the giant tree, all of them hooting and hollering.

It looked like so much damn fun.

“I want to try,” I grinned.

Dorian smiled and went to pull me back onto him. I stopped him. “I want to swing myself.”

All of the alphas scowled.

“No,” Zachariah was firm. He usually let me choose, but not now.

“Would you like a side of ‘not fucking happening’ with that death wish, Fox?” Atticus said in his usual colorful manner.

I huffed and grabbed a vine, tugging it like the others had.

“I may not be a wolf, but I can swing from a vine. We used to swing from a rope on the mountain edge into the realm lake all the time,” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.

I might have been a child at the time, but that wasn’t the point.

“You could fall,” Dorian frowned.

“I could’ve fallen at any point during this climb. I didn’t.” I was not giving in. I wanted to feel the rush and freedom of the swing. “I choose, remember?”

That got them all frowning, but finally, Dorian nodded.

“Fine.” He gave my vine a tug, testing its strength for himself.

“Hold on tight, Little Red. If you fall, you won’t heal like a wolf can.” Zachariah’s words were for me, but his glare was directed at Dorian. I ignored the hostility and gripped the vine with both hands.

“When the vine stops swinging, land on one of the lower branches and wait for me so I can climb back up with you,” Dorian ordered.

I nodded and grinned.

Then I jumped.

My grin grew and grew as I swung through the air on the vine. I laughed as I sailed like I was flying.

It felt so free.

Until there was an audible snap.

I gasped as my vine broke. My laugh turned to a scream as my flying turned to falling—and the ground started coming up to me faster than I could stop it.

~