Love at Sea

by Preston Walker

  “No.”

  “Of course not,” she replied, hardly waiting for him to respond. “You’re just a young male. Little one, we are not made to sever our bonds. Fate brings us together, and only fate can part us. Neither of you can force a separation. It will not come. If that man snaps at you, you must snap back. If he wants to meet you, you must be there every single time.”

  “But it’s not just that, Grandma,” Ash admitted. His mother leaned forward, and he felt his father’s interest suddenly spike. This was it. Taking a deep breath to try and steel himself against their opinions, he went on. “He offered me a job on his fishing boat. At the start of October. I would be with him and his crew for two weeks. That’s why we’re meeting. He’s trying to show me the ropes and everything. I got a tour yesterday, and I think we’ll actually be going out on the water today.”

  “Absolutely not!” Bridgett burst out. She straightened up from the counter. “No son of mine is going to go meet a strange man all alone! And you are definitely not taking that job!”

  “Bridgett!” his grandmother said sharply. A thin snarl edged her voice. “Let Ash choose his own road in life. You can’t protect him forever.”

  Is there something I have to be protected from?

  “But Mom, it’s dangerous!” Bridgett said.

  The old woman shook her head. “I don’t think it’s as dangerous as you fear. It might be hard and it will be trying, but the danger will not come from Ash’s mate. The danger will be the same that any other fisherman faces, will it not?”

  “Right,” Ash said quietly. His thoughts churned and he bit his lip. Could he really do this? Face Linden day after day, coming back anew each time to try and get past the walls that the other kept throwing up between them?

  But do I have any choice?

  “I forbid it,” Bridgett said.

  Matthew sighed, staring down at whatever it was he was cooking on the stovetop. Ash had no appetite for whatever it was. He felt pulled in all sorts of directions, and his nerves were at the snapping point. He stood up.

  “Where are you going?”

  It seemed as though the entire household asked him the question at one time. Anger and simple curiosity melded into one singular voice. Lifting up his head, Ash looked at Bridgett and said firmly, “I’m going. There’s still time to test it out and see if I can even do the work, right? I’m not just going to disappear, and I’m going to come back if I do go! Linden is my mate, and I get to say what I do or don’t do when it comes to him. Okay?”

  Even though he meant to be authoritative and confident, he was distinctly aware of how ridiculous he sounded. Rather than stay there and face the questions that would follow, especially since he had ended his own statements in a way that left room for comment, Ash turned on his heel and became a wolf. Bridgett let out an angry cry, sounding like a startled chicken, but he skirted around her as she started to walk towards him. Tucking his head down and flattening his ears, he kicked out against the tiles of the kitchen floor, intending to make a graceful leap away.

  Instead, his paws slid out from underneath him and he crashed hard onto his side. “Oof!” The breath huffed out of his lungs, but he didn’t allow himself any time to be winded. Gnashing his fangs, he staggered to his feet and raced away again. This time, he managed to get to the carpeting in the living room. Leaping over a tumbling pair of shifter pups, he ducked out the front door and dashed away down the street.

  Concrete stung his sensitive pads, so he switched to crossing the hills. Bounding down the slopes directly made him feel wild and powerful. The crisscrossing scents of wild animals filled his nose, and his mouth watered. He resisted the urge to go hunting, knowing it would be a waste of time when he wasn’t that great of a predator to begin with, and turned his head back in the direction of the sea. Focusing instead on the sharp tang of salt, he flattened his ears against his skull and threw himself down the last hill. There, almost directly in front of him, was the rusting Storming Lady, and Linden just beyond.

  The alpha was watching him, as though he had known he would be coming from that direction all along.

  Becoming human again, he lifted his head up high and walked confidently towards the other wolf. “Hi,” he said.

  “So, you came.” Linden tossed his head and snorted. “I’m surprised. Your pack approves?”

  “I told them I was going to give it a try,” Ash said warily. “They’re aware of it now.”

  The alpha growled a little, taking a step closer. Ash held his breath, trying not to be intimidated by the press of Linden’s big body against his. His scent was almost overwhelming though, musky and tantalizing, like the ocean itself; he felt like if he stood any closer, he would come to learn some sort of secret that he hadn’t known existed.

  Linden lowered his head and spoke into his ear, breath hot and rasping on the side of his head. “So, you’ve got some bite to you after all. Good. You’ll need it. It’s time for you to meet my crew.”

  Ash swallowed hard but nodded. They both transformed and leapt up over the edge of the boat together. He made an extra effort to go even further than he had the day before.

  The second before he landed, he realized that he probably shouldn’t have done that. He saw a glimpse of thick fur, and then the sky as he slammed directly into a massive body.

  When he hit the water-slick surface of the deck, he didn’t try to get up like he had when he fell in the kitchen. Fear held him immobile, his breath huffing in his chest. He couldn’t hear anything for a moment, staring up at the wide blue sky.

  When his senses returned to him, he realized that he was hearing not angry growls but amused huffs.

  “Get up, Ash,” Linden’s voice said. He also sounded amused.

  His fur ruffled out with embarrassment, Ash staggered up to his feet again and looked around. Two wolves stood a foot away from him, while the one he had crashed into sat near enough that their fur was touching. All three of them had their mouths open, huffing as their tails wagged. They were immense, nearly twice Ash’s size, but not quite as big as Linden was in his counterpart form.

  Heavy footsteps sounded on the deck as Linden walked around Ash to stand near the wolves. He was clearly fighting against a smile, pressing his lips together. “The wolf you just smacked into is my second-in-command, Skip.”

  Skip was a regular timber wolf, silver-grey with a darker stripe down his spine.

  “And these other two are Degasi and Matteo.”

  Linden pointed out the wolves as he spoke. Degasi was an Ethiopian wolf, on the smaller side and with fox-colored fur. In fact, he could almost have been mistaken for a fox from far away.

  Matteo was an Italian wolf, with a proud, broad stature and distinctive face markings along his jaw and above his eyebrows.

  None of them looked or felt particularly threatening. Experimentally, Ash lifted his tail and was greeted with a chorus of affectionate whines.

  I’ve never gotten a reaction like that from dominant males…

  Ash turned back into a human and watched as the three members of the crew did the same. None of them looked as they did when in wolf form, yet Ash felt he could see some of their wolf features in them.

  “Hi,” he said, a little shyly.

  Skip leaned forward and extended his hand. Ash offered his, and they shook. The other’s grip was firm but not painful. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “Uh…finally?”

  Matteo laughed, not unkindly. “You don’t think that we wouldn’t torment all his secrets out of him when he acts out of sorts? Isn’t that what friends are for?”

  Ash grinned a little. “I guess so. It’s nice to meet you guys, too.”

  After they had all finished shaking hands, Ash looked to Linden. “Okay, so, what are we going to do?”

  Linden looked out towards the sea. “We’re going to practice, and the boys are going to show you the ropes. I’ll take us out to where it won’t look like we’re trying to fish out of season, and they�
�ll guide you through the whole process. We’ll see if you have what it takes.”

  Degasi suddenly started to chuckle. Linden glanced at him with an irritable expression on his face. “What is it?”

  “Oh, he’s going to have what it takes no matter what. Isn’t that the whole point of this?”

  “That’s what I thought, too,” Ash said, smiling a little. For some reason, he felt like he was going to have these three betas on his side and that was an interesting thing indeed. Why were these three bulky men, who were all practically so manly that he felt pregnant just by looking at them, so sedate and friendly?

  In any case, he no longer felt as unsettled as he did before.

  Linden snorted and turned his back on them to head up to the bridge.

  “So, do you have any experience on a fishing boat?” Skip asked.

  Ash gave a little huff. “I haven’t even been on a ship before except for the ferry.” Even docked like this, he could feel the bob and sway of the water beneath his feet. The sensation was extremely unsettling for a boy who was so used to standing on dry land. It was unnatural for a wolf to be in the water.

  “We suspected that,” Skip said and shook his head. “Linden showed you where everything is?”

  “He did, if only I could remember what he said.”

  “Ah,” Matteo chuckled. “Too distracted by his fantastic body, eh?”

  Ash blushed very deeply. He couldn’t help it. He’d been doing his best to ignore his budding attraction to the alpha male, the instinctive tug towards him. He wanted to touch Linden’s muscles, to stroke his whole entire body and explore the texture of his skin.

  “Look at him! It’s true!”

  All three beta males looked at each other and laughed. Skip clapped his hand on Ash’s shoulder. “Don’t be embarrassed, kid. Toughen up. You’re a man, and we’re all men. We all know what happens.”

  “Then you know all that isn’t happening,” Ash grumbled.

  That earned him another round of laughter. Just then, the boat surged beneath him. He squeaked with alarm and grabbed for the nearest solid object, which just so happened to be Skip.

  A distant shout reached their ears. “Let go of my mate, you mutt!”

  Skip laughed and gently dislodged Ash from his body. The young omega wolf wobbled on his feet, holding his arms out wide to the sides to keep his balance. “You’ll get your sea legs soon. It takes anywhere from a few minutes to a week. Luckily for you, we have about a week. However, you might want to hang onto things that aren’t men. None of us want to get our throats torn out by Linden.”

  Ash nodded and slowly edged over to the wall of the sleeping quarters’ area and planted his palm against it.

  Skip glanced over at the other betas. “There you go, kid. Good. Just let yourself get used to it. Can’t you feel it?”

  “Uh…” Ash grunted, placing his other hand against the wall. He could certainly feel something. It was like an earthquake, the solid ground heaving and bobbing beneath his feet. The wind swirled past his body, tugging at him and threatening to knock him overboard.

  “Let yourself move with it,” Matteo encouraged. “It’s like sex.”

  Degasi jabbed his elbow into Matteo’s side. “The little one is obviously a virgin! We all know that the Captain isn’t touching him.”

  Ash stared down at his feet, feeling all the blood in his entire body rushing towards his face. “Uh…can you guys…like…stop?”

  “Nope!” Skip said cheerfully. “Like I said, toughen up. We’re all men.”

  “But is that okay?” Ash asked weakly. His legs were shaking, but he thought he felt a little steadier on his feet. The sway of the boat was anything but steady, bouncing and jostling all over as the Storming Lady gained speed. However, he thought that he might be detecting some sort of pattern deep in the randomness. “I mean…all of you…and I’m not…I’m supposed to be with…Linden.”

  “You think we’re hitting on you?” Matteo said, amused. His accent deepened slightly. “No, no. I see that Captain hasn’t told you anything about us. Of course, why would he?”

  Degasi spoke up now. “We have all had mates before, Ash. My Tina was taken early from me by cancer only two years after we fell in love.”

  “Aye,” Skip agreed. “My Delilah and I were together since I was fifteen years old.”

  Ash blinked, startled. He was so caught up in the conversation that he forgot where he was, for a moment. “Fifteen? That’s so young!”

  “Yes, we were a bit of a rarity,” Skip agreed. “Most of the adults around us didn’t believe us, despite all evidence to the contrary. She was taken from me in a car crash five years ago. The driver was drunk and slammed into us on the highway. I’d show you my scars but Linden would kill me!”

  “I’m sorry,” Ash whispered. “That’s terrible.”

  He felt awful for these men, who had gone through the worst things a shifter could ever imagine. At the same, he couldn’t help but to look towards Matteo, wanting to know if he had the same sort of story.

  Matteo nodded gravely. His eyes looked very moist, although it might have just been a reflection of the sky in his irises. “I met Damien on the same day as he was taken from me. We saw each other in Italy when we were both twenty years old, and we were immediately smitten. It sounds stupid now, too much like a fairytale, but isn’t that how all our shapeshifter loves go?”

  I’m not so sure, Ash thought. After all, his connection with Linden was pretty far from ideal.

  Matteo continued. “We immediately dropped everything and went out on a date. It lasted the entire day, and I walked him to his doorstep. He was living in an apartment building, so we were standing in the hallway. We kissed, and just then a door down the hallway opened and these people stepped out who were arguing. A gun went off and…that was that.”

  “Shit,” Ash said, his voice quivering. “What the hell is the point of connecting with someone like this when they can be torn away from you just like that?”

  Skip sighed and shook his head. “It’s just part of life. It happens to everyone. Just because we’re shapeshifters, and a bit stronger and a little hardier, doesn’t mean we’re immune to tragedy. That’s just life.”

  “It sounds like a curse.”

  “Perhaps,” Degasi sighed. “But isn’t it a blessing, too? Humans have to go their whole lives with the uncertainty of who they’re going to fall in love with. They divorce, things like that. But we are given the innate ability to know who we’re meant to be with the moment we see them. And isn’t it beautiful? And terrible, all at once?”

  Ash glanced down at his feet and sighed. “So, how do you all know Linden?”

  “We sailed with him when we were younger,” Skip said. “We met on the seas, and we followed him here.”

  “So, what can you all tell me about making him love me?”

  Matteo sputtered out a short laugh. “Maybe you just need a little more time to get to know him. He’s certainly a tough nut to crack, for sure. But we can’t guide you on that journey.”

  Ash nodded reluctantly, sighing a little. On the one hand, he felt like he had learned a great deal in a short fifteen minutes they had been crossing the sea. On the other, he felt more confused and conflicted than ever.

  “How are you feeling?” Skip asked.

  “Oh, yeah.” Ash glanced down at the deck of the boat and blinked in surprise. He had relaxed slightly during their conversation, despite the heaviness of the subject, and now he hardly felt the rocking of the ship beneath his feet at all. It was almost as though he was moving with the motion, without quite noticing it. “I guess I feel okay.”

  “Sure you do!” Skip said, grinning broadly. He took a few steps away and gestured towards the distance. “Why not take a little walk? Test out those legs of yours?”

  If something happens, they’ll save me, right?

  Bracing himself for the journey, Ash took a small, experimental step away from the wall. He felt his fingers slip away from the
roughened surface and traced through open air. That single footstep seemed to take an eternity, and yet it was over in an instant.

  “Hey! I did it!”

  The three betas chuckled, exchanging fond looks between them. Ash beamed and took another step, and then another. He earned a small scattering of applause and he couldn’t help but to start giggling, feeling incredibly proud of himself for no reason. It was startling to him how comfortable he felt with these men. They already felt closer to him than his own family, like they were favored uncles. He wouldn’t have been exaggerating to say that he already felt as comfortable with them as he did around his grandmother and Regina.

  Looking up, he gasped.

  He had been taken in by the sight of the Bering Sea from the shore, but now he was out there in the middle of all of it. The water, silvery and rippling, spread out on all sides of him for as far as he could see. The shore was just a distant smudge on the horizon behind him, framed by blueish hills and mountain.

  “Shit,” he gasped again. “This is beautiful. It’s amazing.”

  The three betas stood at his side. Skip sighed, sounding like a smitten lover. “Aye. It’s beautiful. Just look at the waves.”

  Ash did, and it was almost hypnotizing. The water seemed to have a life of its own, waves and ripples lapping and crashing against each other. Silver overlaid silver, down and down and down all the way to some unimaginable depths. Suddenly, a silver flicker broke apart from the rest and crested the water, followed by another.

  “Look!” Ash pointed, leaning down over the edge of the boat.

  “Whoa, hey there.” A rough hand grabbed at the back of his shirt, yanking him back from the edge. “Don’t get too close, Ash. Please. Be careful, okay? The sea might seem calm right now but it can act up any moment. We really don’t want to lose you to the waves.”

  “But what was that?” he pressed, not really caring about what Skip had said.