Page 162 of Alpha Mates

“You have to listen and be careful,” I warn as I flex my fingers in his. “We’re going uphill.”

“Up a fucking mountain,” he says, letting his head fall back. “This is a dumb idea. Like a really dumb one. You, of all people, should know better.”

“I would carry you,” I admit as I lead him to the first step. “But I don’t want to. Here—leg up.”

“Aren’t you the sweetest?” He drips sarcasm, moving hesitantly.

I smile to myself as he clings to me with one hand, the other hovers at his side. We move like that, step by step, until he’s confident that I’m not about to toss him off the edge, then we pick up the pace.

I focus on our feet while my mind replays what happened today—the way Aiden completely lost it. I’ve seen him blow up plenty of times, so I knew he had a temper, but this was different. He’d freaked out becauseIwanted toswim in a shark tank.

Somehow, the same guy who’d been all too happy to set off fireworks that were basically nuclear weapons had clamped up at the idea of me trying my hand at something crazy.

I’d tried to compromise, but he still walked away from me. Watching him go had terrified me more than I was prepared for. Aiden had become so open about talking things out, to doing everything together, that when he suddenly did the opposite, I panicked.

We made up, and I’m pretty sure we’re fine again, but it isn’t exactly the start to the day I wanted, when this is very likely the day we’ll be completing our mate bond.

I honestly expected to have been long past that point by now when I initially booked the trip. But since we’d gotten here, Aiden and I hadn’t been so … feral. Maybe it’s because we’re so relaxed, or the comfort of spending every waking moment together again, but the need to mate felt a little less insistent—like we could do this at our own pace, on our own time.

That wouldn’t last for long though, so I wanted it to be tonight. Istillwant it to be tonight. I just hope the slight hiccup hasn’t derailed us.

“Let’s play a game,” I suggest with a glance at Aiden.

The summit is still a while away, and I’d rather fill it with something other than the thoughts swirling around my mind.

“What kind of game?” he replies when he’s gained the nerve to walk and talk. “I’ll punch you if you sayI Spy.”

“No,” I laugh as I lead him up another step. “I was thinkingOne Word.”

“What the fuck isOne Word?” he asks, nose wrinkling beneath the fabric.

“Don’t worry. It’s simple,” I promise. “We have to make up a story, but we each only get to use one word at a time. If you pause for more than a few seconds, you lose. Like, I’ll say ‘once,’ then you’d say ‘upon,’ and so on.” I guide him around a fallen branch. “Understand?”

“Yeah,” he confirms. “You start.”

“There—”

“Once,” Aiden follows hastily enough to make me grin.

“Was,” I continue, and we fall into the rhythm of things with ease.

A boy called Ramon. Ramon had five donkeys and three rhinos.

“Wait, pause,” I laugh, nearly tripping him as I do. “Why in all the realms does a kid have three rhinos?”

“Because I said so,” Aiden retorts succinctly, but there’s a smile on his lips. “Continue.”

Ramon had six brothers and only one sister, Jessica. Now Jessica was a big whore.

“What the fuck, Julian?” Aiden sputters, laughing so loudly it echoes into the valley.

“She’s a whore,” Ireply with a matching grin. “Keep going!”

“Alright, alright!”

Now Jessica liked to sleep around, because she was a whore.

She slept with the entire baseball team, basketball team, tennis club, badminton club, the football team and even the cheerleading squad.