The more Tatiana struggled, the more entangled she became. To make things worse, it was difficult to determine which way was up because currents moved the murky water, and everywhere she looked, there was just kelp.
Tatiana cursed her luck. Why did she come here?
Kalina told her over video chat that everything was great with Tony, but Tatiana had to come and see in person, like a nosy older sister she is.
If she didn't come to the United States, she wouldn't meet that dastardly hunk and her mind wouldn't be a mess, her heart would be steady, and she wouldn't be stuck in the kelp! It's all his fault!
Is this it? Is this how Tatiana Wilkow will die?
The famous 'Dama T' whose designs grace catwalks and fashion magazines will end up as fish food.
Will she have any regrets?
Not really. Her assets and company will be equally divided among her four sisters. Mario knows almost everything about the business, and Tatiana had sketches ready for the next season. Her sisters probably won't care about running a fashion company, but Mario would help them create the outfits for the next season and they will use the profits as a severance package for Tatiana's employees before they shut down the company, so that will be fine.
Her parents are well, and her sisters also, so it's not like anyone would be left in a predicament because Tatiana was gone. She was grateful that she didn't have children or pets.
Tatiana's mind was at ease to know that people who depend on her will be taken care of.
But what was that knot in her heart?
In the face of death, Tatiana couldn't lie to herself. She will have one regret.
If she knew she will die today, she wouldn't reject Maddox's advances.
Instead of drowning in this horrid lake, she would drown in his addictive flavors of coffee.
Instead of this slimy kelp, she would be entangled with Maddox's hunky body and his arms would embrace her.
As a bonus, she would be charged with a few orgasms, and that would make dying easier.
Her pride and stubbornness were the reason why she never got to experience Maddox's intimate embrace.
Tatiana heard she-wolves saying how sleeping with a mate is an otherworldly experience, and nothing comes close to it, and Tatiana was just a step from confirming if that's true, but then she ran away.
Tatiana remembered the moment next to the lake, when it was just her and Maddox, and he touched her chin and gazed into her eyes… that was the moment they were supposed to kiss and if she knew that death was later in her schedule, they would definitely do much more than kissing, but she ruined it.
They were by the lake. Did the mermaids see the moment when Tatiana chickened out and pushed her own mate away? Is that why she was stuck in kelp now, as a punishment?
Without Tatiana, Maddox will be free from this bond that was not meant to be. He can find himself a Luna who will fit his requirements and won't put up unnecessary resistance.
Will he miss her? Probably not. Who would miss a disobedient mate who doubts the will of the Moon Goddess?
Tatiana never played by the rules. She was the one who was setting the rules. But in the case of Maddox, she wished that she listened more and that she gave him a chance.
Maddox River, Alpha of the Blue River pack, her mate. Instead of being super-special, it all turned super-unpleasant, and instead of trying to fix it, she was avoiding it, and this is what she gets in return. Death by drowning and kelp. Crap.
In the bar…
"Should we go now?", Damon asked Maddox.
They agreed to have one drink and leave, but Maddox was refilling glasses for the third time, and the heat was melting Damon's patience that was already thin because he was away from Talia.
The liquor was so bad that Damon pretended to drink and that says a lot because Damon can drink almost anything.
"This is the last one." Maddox downed his drink, and he narrowed his eyes at Damon's full glass. "Why are you not having that?"
Damon made a face. How on earth can Maddox drink this horrible thing and pretend that it's fine? Or did his taste buds die? Or maybe he is just suicidal.
"I don't want to die of poisoning.", Damon said and pushed his glass away.
"Pussy.", Maddox spat and reached to get Damon's glass.
In the next moment, Maddox grimaced and clutched his chest. "You are right. This is poison…"
Damon was sure Maddox was joking. Sure, the liquor was awful but when Damon said it was poisonous, it was just an idiom. As Alphas, as long as it doesn't have wolfsbane or silver, they could easily digest it without problems. Well, maybe it will make them gassy, but that's it.
Damon noticed one inconsistency. "If it's poisonous, why are you not holding your stomach?" Maddox's hand was clearly higher.
"Because this is where it hurts.", Maddox said pitifully.
"What's going on?", Mindy asked with concern in her voice.
She was sitting in that scorching bar because Talia told her to keep an eye on guys, and she saw Maddox not looking well, so she came to investigate. Was he overheating? That would be a good excuse to leave that bar from hell and take a dip in the lake to cool off or maybe find an airconditioned space.
Maddox gripped Mindy's shoulder and spoke pitifully, "Tell mom and dad that I tried…"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, Max!", Mindy interrupted him irritably. "Stop the drama and tell me what's going on."
"My chest. It's uneasy. Like fire ants invaded my heart."
Damon's eyebrows shot up when he realized. "That's Tatiana."
"What?", Mindy and Maddox asked in unison.
"Max, what you are feeling is through the mate bond. Those are Tatiana's feelings."
Maddox was confused. "Why would she feel this way?"
Damon shrugged and then he remembered what Caden told him through the mind-link. "The girls went diving into the lake, searching for mermaids."
"You have mermaids down there?", Maddox asked. How come he didn't know about it?
Damon shook his head. "What mermaids? It's just a bunch of underwater currents and a dense kelp forest."
Mindy's eyes widened. "Is it possible that Tatiana is in trouble?"
Maddox panicked. Any effects of alcohol cleared up in an instant. "I need to find her."
"How will you find her if she is in the lake?", Mindy grumbled.
"He can do it.", Damon said with confidence.
He was able to find Talia more than once by following the pull of their bond. Damon's wolf was instructing Damon, and Maddox didn't have a talking wolf, but he had Damon.
"Use the bond, Max. Feel the tug and it will take you to Tatiana."
Without a word, Maddox ran out of the bar like a crazed man with only one thing on his mind: Tatiana.
He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that something horrible was happening, and that Tatiana needed him. The fact that Maddox's wolf boosted his movements, told Maddox that his wolf agreed.
But… did that even make sense? The woman who was his soulmate and who was supposed to accept him unconditionally was coming up with confusing conditions, and the last time he saw her, she just left, and despite all that Maddox was overwhelmed by an impulse to get by her side.
Maddox had no idea at what point he reached the beach, or where he was diving, but Damon told him to follow the tug, and there was definitely a tug pulling him into the dark depths of the lake. And something told him that if he doesn't hurry, he will regret it forever.
