The Alpha’s Surgeon

24

The water shimmered under the late-morning sun as they pushed off from the shore, the soft splash of paddles breaking the easy calm of the river. Rae had chosen a sleek single kayak—bright teal, because Del had insisted she needed “main character energy”—and she paddled with a surprising rhythm, keeping her movements smooth and even.

Aspen, of course, ruined that peace within thirty seconds.

The wolfdog bounded down the bank and launched himself straight into the water, sending up a wave that hit all three kayaks in range.

“ASPEN!” Rae shouted, dripping and glaring as water dripped down her tank top.

Del was already laughing so hard she could barely steer. “He’s just trying to help you cool off, Rae!”

“Yeah, well, tell your furry nephew to pick a different target!” Rae spluttered, pushing damp hair from her face.

Trey, a few feet behind, tried and failed to hide his grin. “I think he’s just establishing dominance.”

Will chuckled from the back, adjusting his paddle. “He’s definitely winning.”

Elijah wasn’t so lucky—Aspen swam right past his kayak, tail creating a wake, and Elijah got the full brunt of it. “Hey! That’s cold!” he protested, swiping at his face as water dripped into his lap.

Del laughed even harder, nearly tipping her own kayak in the process. “Guess you needed a bath, Eli!”

He shot her a mock glare, wiping his eyes. “Oh, I’ll remember that.”

Before anyone could react, Del turned to say something—and completely lost track of her paddle angle. With one sharp swing, she accidentally smacked Elijah square in the shoulder with the blade.

“OW—Delaney!” Elijah barked, half in pain, half laughing.

Rae and Remi immediately burst into laughter, paddles stopping as they drifted. “Oh my god, she actually hit you!” Rae howled.

“I didn’t mean to!” Del cried between laughs, trying to steady herself. “He startled me!”

Trey was laughing so hard he had to stop paddling. “You startled yourself!”

Aspen barked, splashing in a lazy circle near them like he was in on the joke.

Will shook his head, chuckling. “This is why I said single kayaks were a bad idea. Less teamwork, more assault.”

Remi wiped a tear from her cheek, grinning. “At least no one’s flipped yet.”

That was all it took.

Not even ten minutes later, Del’s laughter cut off mid-word. “Uh, guys?” she said, her voice pitching higher.

“What?” Rae asked, still giggling.

“There’s a—uh—gator.” Del’s paddle froze mid-air, eyes wide as she pointed downstream.

Every head turned. Sure enough, about twenty feet away, a small alligator was lazily drifting near the reeds, completely uninterested in them.

Rae squinted. “Del, it’s tiny. It’s probably scared of you.”

Del shook her head frantically. “Nope. Nope, I don’t do reptiles.”

“Del—” Remi started, but it was too late.

Del made one sharp, panicked movement—and flipped herself clean into the water with a dramatic splash.

For a moment, there was dead silence. Then—

Rae doubled over laughing so hard she almost dropped her paddle. “I can’t! You didn’t even touch it!”

Remi was giggling too hard to breathe. “Del! It’s literally swimming away!”

Trey tried to stay composed but lost it the second Del popped back up, sputtering. “Did the gator even look at you?” he wheezed.

Elijah, trying not to laugh, reached his paddle out toward her. “You okay, firebug?”

“Shut up and help me back in!” Del snapped, but even she was laughing as she grabbed his hand.

Aspen was paddling circles around her now, barking like it was the best entertainment he’d seen in weeks.

Will covered his grin with his hand, shaking his head. “You guys realize this was supposed to be relaxing, right?”

Rae, still laughing, swiped at her eyes. “Oh, it’s relaxing—for me. This is better than therapy.”

“Glad my near-death experience amuses you,” Del muttered, clambering back into her kayak, hair plastered to her face.

Remi smiled sweetly. “You didn’t almost die. You gave the gator a complex.”

“Yeah,” Trey added, still laughing. “It’s swimming away like it’s filing for trauma leave.”

Del flipped him off, but there was no real heat behind it. “You’re all jerks.”

Rae grinned wide. “And you’re the entertainment. Balance, Del. It’s all about balance.”

Aspen barked again, splashing water toward Del’s kayak, earning a glare and a laugh at the same time.

“Fine,” she sighed, shaking her head with a reluctant smile. “But if I flip again, I’m blaming all of you.”

Rae smirked, pushing her paddle through the water. “That’s fair. Just—maybe don’t attack your own kayak this time.”

The group burst out laughing again as they drifted down the river—sunlight glinting off the ripples, Aspen swimming happily between them, and Del muttering about “tiny death lizards” while the rest of them grinned like it was the best day they’d had in months.