Rolus was not looking forward to the hiking trip. All because of the other couples that would be there. He wanted alone time with his mate, but it seemed like he wouldn't get that.
He looked at Luke to see that he was ready. He was wearing his black shorts and military green tank top. Rolus thought Luke looked hot.
Rolus went to take a quick shower, and when he was done, they left their suite to go downstairs to find the couples waiting for them.
There were three more couples in addition to the Rossi. They all boarded the van that took them to the hiking trail.
"We should reach the top by dusk if we hurry. Remember that it's a risky trail we're taking. If you can't continue, please tell us and go down." Bianca, their host, announced.
She handed them some small gadgets that they had to press if either one of them got injured, or when they got stuck and all.
They slung their backpacks over their shoulders, and proceeded with their hiking. The trail was not that far.
"Why did Natalie bring another couple?" Rolus asked, suspicious.
He's been cautious around them ever since they met.
"Don't cause a scene, Rolus. Maybe it's their friends' friends. Don't read much into nothing. Let's go."
Luke grabbed Rolus' hand and dragged them towards the other couple that had started climbing.
Rolus smirked after they had both strapped themselves with the rope. "See you at the top, Luke," then started climbing.
It was effortless when Luke joined in. He started climbing the buldging rocks that hanged over the edges. Natalie was the farthest, followed by Bianca. Benjamin and his wife were climbing side by side. His wife, Lilah, would stop often to drink water from her bottle.
They eventually reached the steep, rocky path that went up the mountain. It was almost like a steep staircase towards the top. They started walking from there after ensuring that everyone was safe and sound.
The scorching sun made them thirsty. What pissed Rolus off was when Lilah started asking for water from the other couples as hers was finished.
The journey continued under the scorching sun that saw the couples running out of water. Only Luke and Rolus hadn't touched theirs. Natalie drank a few sips, but Leo had also finished his water.
As predicted by Bianca, they reached the top by dusk. Luke and Rolus couldn't leave the group behind, so, their competition of who would reach the top first couldn't hold.
"And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the top of Lakeview mountain!" Bianca announced, her glorious smile contagious.
Looking up at the sky were stars dancing under the moonlight. The blue-grey sky was magnificent, along with the stars and the half moon that offered enough light for the couples to set their tents.
"We'll have our dinner in thirty-five minutes. Please be here at least ten minutes early to prepare food," Bianca ordered, putting her backpack down.
She started to set up her tent, and the others followed. Luke and Rolus set their tent away from the others, but Natalie and Leo's tent was closer.
"How did you find the whole experience?" Luke asked Rolus after they finished setting up their tent and their sleeping bags.
Rolus sighed, lying down on his sleeping bag with his knees bent, looking up at the sky through the transparent spot at the top of their tent.
"It was hot, and too slow for me. Why don't you lay here with me? We can skip dinner and just talk until morning."
That didn't seem to sit well with Luke. He didn't want them to seclude themselves as they came with the other couples.
"We'll have our dinner, and after we're done, we'll come here. Come on, Rolus. Try to loosen up and enjoy."
Rolus grunted, getting up to wear his shoes.
They walked out of their tent with the food they brought. Most of it was meat, crackers and different types of nuts. They found Giveon, Cole and Leo preparing the fire. Hope, Lilah and Bianca were marinating the meat.
Luke went to help the men by scavenging for woods. Rolus came to help him and told him to return to camp with the woods he gathered.
After Luke left, Rolus walked around the area, surveying it for small creatures that might scare the women. He walked farther from camp, his eyes darting this way and that trying to locate snakes, rodents or lizards.
There were small shrubs that hid those rodents. He then heard rustling of leaves next to him. A rodent scurried away from the shrub next to him to hide under another shrub away from him.
"Bored much?" Rolus turned to meet with Cole.
He was holding two beer cans and handed one to Rolus. "Thanks."
"We are waiting for you. What are you doing here?" Cole asked, taking a sip of his beer.
Rolus opened the can. The first sip was refreshing and cold, the crispness of the beer quenching the undying thirst he never knew he had.
Rolus shrugged, telling Cole that he was making sure that the area was safe. "Places like these usually have rattle snakes hustling around for rodents."
"There are no snakes here. We get this place fumigated at least twice a month to make sure that it's safe for our guests. Don't worry."
That made Rolus mentally roll his eyes. He was sure that the shrubs hid snakes. His nose did not lie.
"Do you own this resort?" Rolus questioned, just out of curiosity.
Cole drank the last pint of his beer, crushed the can, then threw it far away. "It's a family business. My siblings and I have shares in this business..."
Cole explained how they all took their share. One sibling owned the hotel, the other the recreational area, Hope owned the lake and the surrounding areas and he owned the hiking trail. That's why they accompanied them.
"It's a lucrative business, especially this hiking trail."
Rolus joked, "I agree that it's a lucrative business. It's quite expensive, especially this hiking trip."
Cole lightly chuckled, explaining to him that they have a private chopper for their customers if ever one can't come down.
"We prioritise safety over everything. Bianca had to go to nursing school just for this. She figured that knowing basic first-aid wouldn't help a dying person. We invested everything we had into this and now that it's running smoothly, we want to get our money's worth."
Rolus agreed that they prioritised safety over everything. Yes, they made them feel safe and accompanied them to the top of the mountain. They kept them entertained. What he still didn't understand was why it was so damn expensive. The hiking was the most expensive of them all.
"Why do you seem bothered by the cost, Rolus?"
That broke Rolus out of his trance. He shrugged, "Nothing. Anyway, let's head back to camp." He crushed the can and threw it away.
They walked together back to camp to find Luke and the others sitting around the fire, eating. He snuck next to Luke so that Luke rested his head on Rolus' shoulder.
"That took long," Luke muttered, handing Rolus his plate of food.
Inside was skewed meat with crackers and salt on the side. Natalie's plate had roasted marshmallows with peanuts and crackers.
Hope was sharing her food with her husband, Giveon.
Their conversations were filled with mischief, stories about their childhoods and the trip to the top of the mountain. They conversed over cold cans of beer, drinking as if they didn't have a trip down the mountain tomorrow.
Natalie and Leo stood up to dance with each other. Rolus could tell that Natalie was tipsy if not drunk.
Bianca laughed when Natalie swirled, tripping on thin air and almost falling had Leo not caught her.
"Look at them, they are so in love," Bianca commented, still amused by what happened.
Rolus chuckled, agreeing that they were in love. He draped his arm over Luke's shoulder to bring him closer to him.
Hope stood up to put more logs on the fire. She blew the ambers with her mouth, coughing when smoke entered her mouth, but continued until the fire was ablaze.
"They are always here," Hope commented after returning to her husband's embrace.
"Are you familiar with them?" Rolus asked.
Hope nodded. "They come here twice a month if I remember correctly. They usually stay here for a week, then leave."
Rolus found that odd, especially how Natalie was complaining that it was their first time going out as a couple ever since they got married.
Rolus was about to ask more questions when Luke nudged at him. He stopped.
"Well, it was nice chatting with you and getting to know each of you," Luke said, standing up.
"Likewise, the Clonmels," Benjamin replied.
It was how Benjamin called them the Clonmels that Rolus realised how all of them knew them as the Clonmels, then he remembered Luke saying they were the Clonmels. Why couldn't he say the Ashlanes?
He thought that next time they went out, he would beat Luke to it and say his last name, Ashlane.
Luke gently grabbed Rolus' hand and dragged them to their tent.
Rolus didn't understand if Luke was playing dumb or he actually didn't get weird vibes from the Rossi.
It was when they had settled comfortably in their tent that Rolus started the topic of the Rossi and stated his concerns.
"They are not wolves, Rolus. There's no disguise."
"What about Natalie lying to us saying that it's their first time going out on a vacation as a couple ever since they got married?"
Rolus felt Luke's frustration through the mate bond. He was however persistent that there was something about Natalie and her husband.
Luke pinched the skin on his forehead. "Can't you see that Natalie is stressed? Can't you figure out that she lied to get pity? And who do you think sent them? Robert? That's nonsense. We are far away from our Packs and the Council. We haven't picked up any trail of wolves around here."
"I'm sorry, maybe I'm just paranoid. I'll try not to think much about it."
"Thank you. Now, what did you want us to talk about?" Luke smiled, blowing the strand of hair that fell on Rolus' face.
Rolus smiled, pulling Luke closer to him so that Luke's head rested on his chest.
The gesture took Luke by surprise, but settled down after hearing Rolus' calming heartbeat. His chest was a little uncomfortable, but got used to it moments after.
Luke played with Rolus' shirt, trying to pull the printed letters.
"Am I putting in the effort?" Luke asked, still pulling the letters.
The question got Rolus on a chokehold. He didn't know how to respond. "What do you mean?"
"I can't feel the mate bond. We're still new to this and it's taking time for me to get used to this, to us..."
"You're putting in the effort," Rolus replied.
"But?" Luke said.
Rolus lightly chuckled, shaking his head.
"Come on, Rolus. Be honest. What am I doing wrong?"
Did Luke not know how much restraint Rolus had?
"I'm not complaining. You being here with me is enough." It was the truth. He understood that without the mate bond, Luke would move slower, and try to adapt to their sudden relationship. Rolus would try by every means to accommodate Luke and not make him feel like he was under pressure. Rolus would move at Luke's pace.
Luke huffed, "You've been complaining that ever since we got here, we haven't had our own time." He stood up to sit properly, patting Rolus' chest. "I booked the lake for tomorrow. We are going to have our alone time. How about that?"
Rolus also sat down properly. "No Leo and Natalie?" he asked, arching his brow.
Luke nodded, smiling hard as if he had something planned for them tomorrow. Rolus didn't want to get his hopes up
He then took Rolus by surprise when he pecked his lips.
"What are you doing?" Rolus was amused.
"Did I not kiss you?" Luke asked, confused by Rolus' sudden question.
Rolus shook his head. "Why do you act like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like I'm a stranger?" Rolus asked. He understood that the mate bond was too strong that it made him feel like they'd known each other their entire lives.
He understood that it was hard for Luke to adjust to their situation, that his touch and presence felt foreign to him.
Luke shrugged, "A stranger? You're not a stranger. Would I do this to a stranger?" Luke asked, leaning over so that his forehead touched Rolus' forehead.
Luke slightly tilted his head to meet with Rolus' lips. There was nothing to convince Rolus that he made the wrong choice by marking his mate. Luke's kiss felt like a dream. He didn't know how to describe it, but those light pecks were nothing compared to what Luke's kiss was doing to him.
"Are you a stranger now?" Luke asked, both catching their breaths, his lips still pressed against Rolus' lips.
Rolus shook his head, still trying to wrap his thoughts around what just happened. He wondered why he didn't accept his mate sooner. He didn't understand why he tried to reject his mate. He didn't understand why he went through torture and torment when his mate has been alive and waiting for him.
All those years lost!
"I'm sorry, Luke," Rolus started, already holding Luke tightly in his arms, the scent of his mate intoxicating and addictive. "I shouldn't have tried to hide you! I was selfish. I made you suffer all those years and lied to you. I caused you pain, and I'm sorry."
Luke tried to hide the lone tears that made his eyes gleam. He rapidly blinked to dry them before they could trail down his face.
"Don't worry, Rolus. We have each other now. Isn't that the only thing that matters? Anyway," Luke broke the hug. "Where were we?"
Rolus wrapped his arms around Luke's neck, and when he was about to kiss him, they heard a scream outside.
"What the hell?" Rolus wasn't the only one pissed.
Luke quickly stood up, followed by Rolus outside.
They found everyone outside, Benjamin throwing stones on the ground next to Natalie's tent.
"What's happening?" Luke asked, the change in his tone indicating that he was pissed. Of course, it was Rolus that picked it up.
Hope yawned, "I think it's a rattle snake." She stretched her hands outwards. "This always happens!" Hope seemed unbothered by what was happening.
"Relax, relax! I got it!" Benjamin announced after killing the snake with the stones he threw.
Cole offered Natalie and her husband their tent, assuring Natalie that he was going to stay up all night guarding them.
"Should we go back?" Rolus whispered to Luke.
As much as Luke wanted to go back, he couldn't let Cole stay up all night guarding Natalie. He offered to take turns with Cole.
The way Rolus mentally slapped his forehead was enough proof that he was never going to go out in group outings. They never had their alone time ever since they came here.
The Rossi were starting to piss Rolus off, and he hated that they were in their business like flies.
Every damn time!
Bianca took their things to Natalie's tent and vice versa. She also seemed pissed when she switched tents with them.
Rolus gripped the skin on his forehead in frustration. "You can go to sleep, Cole. Luke and I will guard them."
"You don't have to do that. I'll stay up," Cole refused.
"Please, Cole, we insist. Besides, we like the view here," Luke convinced.
Cole agreed once Bianca talked him down.
When everyone went to their tents, Rolus brought their sleeping bags and sat down. Luke lied down with his head rested on Rolus' lap. He fell asleep that way.
Rolus was awake the entire night, playing with the switch on the torch. He kept turning it on and off to pass time. When he exhausted it, he started fiddling with Luke's short hair.