"PAAAH!", Maddox inhaled loudly when he came out of the water with Tatiana in his arms.
"Max! Here!", Mindy waved from the boat. Maddox mind-linked Mindy that they were coming up to the surface, so everyone was on alert.
It took less than a second for people on the boat to see that Tatiana was non-responsive.
Paul, Nate, Axel, and Tyler swiftly jumped in the water to help Maddox.
Tony held back Kalina with, "Tanya is coming here. Wait for her."
Maddox had no intention to let anyone else touch Tatiana, but he couldn't climb on the boat with her in his arms.
Maya and Caden held Tatiana's shoulders and pulled her on the boat, and Maddox jumped on without removing his anxious gaze from Tatiana.
Maddox pushed others out of the way as he kneeled next to Tatiana who was lying on the boat's floor.
He swatted Kalina's hands away harshly and didn't pay any heed when Tony told him to be mindful of others.
Kalina understood Maddox's concern because Tatiana was his mate and she gave them space. Just seeing that Tatiana was there and alive was enough for Kalina.
Maddox patted Tatiana's cheeks and called, "Tanya… Tanya… Wake up, Tanya…"
Tatiana was pale and unresponsive, but Maddox was confident that he never saw a more beautiful woman in his life. Tatiana was perfect. His Goddess. Why won't she open her gorgeous eyes and look at him?
He wouldn't mind if she started shouting and scolding him again. He will take another slap also, as long as she wakes up.
"She swallowed water.", Caden said to Maddox and then spoke to two warriors who were holding oars. "Take us to the shore, close to the pack hospital." He mind-linked Travis to expect a patient who has lungs full of water.
"What about Miss Talia and Alpha Damon?", Axel asked.
"They are aware that Alpha Maddox found Tatiana and that we are heading to the pack hospital.", Caden responded and waved at warriors to hurry.
Axel, Paul, Tyler, and Greg grabbed spare oars and rowed so that the boat moves faster.
Maddox's mind scrambled with ideas on how to awaken Tatiana, and he remembered CPR.
He pried Tatiana's mouth open and blew.
Maya understood what Maddox was doing, and she knelt on the other side of Tatiana to start chest compressions since any guy who would get close caused Maddox to growl uncontrollably.
No one was breathing while they waited for Tatiana to come around.
The popular belief is that werewolves can't die from drowning, but no one was completely sure about that, and that's what made them all wait in tense silence while the atmosphere became heavier with every passing second.
From a young age, all werewolves were aware of their good health and lifespans that can extend for a few centuries. The elders would warn them that they can die from wolfsbane and silver poisoning, and werewolves will also die if their heart is removed, or they get decapitated.
However, no one talked about drowning. But… werewolves need air, so what happens when one can't breathe for a long time? Will Tatiana suffer brain damage or does that only applies to humans?
Everyone had their own thoughts, and they were getting grimmer as time progressed.
Maddox was not thinking about anything other than getting Tatiana back into the world of conscious people. He could feel the bond between them, and he knew she was not dead, but the bond was weak and he needed to see her open those eyes.
Tatiana was lost in the darkness.
'Am I dead?', she wondered.
Tatiana imagined that once she dies, there will be wolf-angels guiding her soul to purgatory, or maybe there was nothing after death, and this… just what was this?
Darkness and silence surrounded her, but she was completely aware even though she couldn't move a muscle.
Wonderful sparks danced around her lips and on her cheeks, and there was a hint of delicious coffee around her.
The best coffee ever, the one she ruined instead of savoring it for the rest of her life. Maddox.
Was this her punishment? Maybe she was dead in hell, doomed to an eternity of not moving or seeing, but her other senses reminded her of Alpha Maddox River, the one that got away.
She would give anything for another chance. She wouldn't be so prideful and she would give him a chance to prove that he will be loyal and considerate and that he will fuck her until she loses her voice.
But Tatiana was painfully aware that there were no such things as second chances in life. One must be determined and push forward… however, which way is forward after death?
Ah! It was all her fault!
Tatiana wanted to scream, but her chest felt stuffy, and she was unable to inhale.
"Come on, Tanya…", a deep voice murmured close to her ear. "You can do this… come on…"
There! Her torment went up by a few notches because she could even hear his deep sexy voice telling her to come!
But hell was all about suffering and she was quite confident that there will be no orgasms there.
Instead of entangling herself with her mate, she pushed him away, and things went south and now she was stuck in hell with only reminders of what could have been.
Tatiana felt pressure in her chest. Once, twice…
'COUGH! COUGH!'
A violent cough ripped through Tatiana's chest, which came with immense pain, and she felt warm and gross liquid filling her mouth, and then her body turned to the side as addictive sparks moved to her shoulder.
On the boat, there was a collective exhale of relief as Tatiana spat the murky water. She was alive.
Tatiana blinked as fuzzy images regained focus and she could see concerned expressions of Kalina and Tony and Maya and Mindy and… she turned her head toward the shoulder where the sparks were coming from. Maddox.
He was kneeling by her side, with water drops all over his body, a chiseled masterpiece made of hard muscles.
Was this part of her punishment also? If she reaches to touch him, will he disappear?
Maybe not. It all looked real. It seems she didn't die.
Tatiana pressed her lips into a line as she understood the sparks and the scent. It was Maddox helping her expel the water from her lungs, and he was the one who got her out of that damned kelp.
In an instant, she remembered that she ended up in trouble as she recklessly went to search for her sister who was obviously fine. The only ones not fine were Tatiana and Maddox. Why was he sad?
Maddox looked at Tatiana with an unreadable expression.
"Can you hear me? How are you feeling?"
Tatiana was feeling like shit and there was a nasty taste in her mouth like she ate mud, but none of those mattered. Maddox was right there, she actually got a chance to fix things with him, and that was the only thing she could focus on.
She gave him a small nod.
"I'm glad you are fine.", Maddox said. He really was.
