Chapter 60

~Alexander~

Waves tossed the boat around like it was a toy in a bathtub. I had to hold onto the wall to keep myself from falling over, but even then, I staggered from left to right to keep upright.

The man steering the boat wasn’t doing any better than me, and I could tell that he was sweating, caught between two tough choices. Die out at sea by the water, or by my hands.

Which was worse? Which was faster? Which did he stand more chance against?

I could practically read his mind from here.

And as a fisherman who knew the sea like the back of his hand, he knew the ocean was unforgiving and relentless.

There was no fighting back against nature.

I saw his hand grip the wheel tightly.

He was building up his courage. I was a large, muscular man, and I wouldn’t be easy to take down. At least, that’s how he saw me. He didn’t account for my Lycan abilities and strength.

He turned his head slowly, so he could see my position from the corner of his eye.

Perhaps on a weaker, less experienced man, this would work. Unfortunately for him, I had never been bested in a fight.

Besides, I had no interest in harming him. It was clear he wouldn’t steer the boat anymore, so I had to take matters into my own hands.

I stood up, and the man flinched, looking forward again. As if I didn’t notice.

I placed my hand on his shoulder, and I could feel how tense his muscles were. He was terrified.

“I can take us the rest of the way,” I told him, and before he could respond, I knocked him hard on the side of the head, with just enough force to knock him out.

He collapsed to the ground, and I took hold of the wheel.

Looking down at the knobs and gadgets, I sighed.

Right, I thought this would be simple. I’d watched the old man do it for a little bit, and most of the time, he just stood here, steering. It would be fine.

Wave after wave knocked the boat around, and I staggered to stay on my feet. I had to constantly fight with the wheel to keep it steady, and before I knew it, I worked myself up into a sweat.

Easy, huh?

I looked out through the blurry, wet glass, squinting through the water droplets. Was that… a cliff?

My heart stopped.

I swear that hadn’t been there a second ago-

A large, towering grey wall moved closer and closer toward the boat, and I tried to turn it away, but I was too close.

But as I got closer, I realized it wasn’t a cliff, but a massive, looming wave, as the edges began to curl at the top, and water folded onto itself.

I held my breath.

We really should have turned around, after all.

~Grace~

The crack of thunder woke me up, and I sat up in bed, startled by the noise.

In the dark, I reached around, frantic. Where was I?

I didn’t recognize this bed, this smell, this room-

Oh.

Memories flooded back to me.

I was on a cruise ship with Christopher, right. And we were waiting out a storm.

I rolled over to look at Christopher in the other bed. He must have gotten up while I was sleeping, as his suit hung up by the closet, and he was under the covers, now.

I guess he decided to sleep through the storm, too. Not like we could do anything else, the whole boat was on lockdown.

I rolled back over onto my back and stared up at the dark ceiling.

How long had I been asleep? It felt like hours, and it was dark, now. I would have thought that the storm would have been over by now.

Laying still for a moment, I sighed. God, this was so boring. I wasn’t tired anymore and I didn’t have any interest in laying in bed anymore.

Slipping out of bed, I made my way over to the curtain that covered the large window.

Was it really dark out, or was it just because I covered the window?

I slowly peeled back the curtain to look outside, and winced as dim light lit up my face.

It wasn’t nighttime yet, but the sun had already dipped down behind the horizon. I could see little bits and pieces out there, moving. The waves, in their rhythmic motion.

That’s about all there was to see, anyway.

But… wait. There was something out there. On the surface of the water. Light hit off of it so dimly, and the water washed over it, so it was difficult to see what it was.

A fish? A dolphin?

I pressed my hands up to the glass, so I could get a better look.

No, it looked like it was holding onto something. A piece of wood, maybe?

I squinted. The shape drew closer, slowly.

Then, I gasped.

Oh my god, it was a person!

Had a person fallen overboard?!

I had to let the staff know!

Throwing on some clothes, I rushed out the door and into the hallway. Running down the hallway, I reached a door that led into the rest of the boat, but a staff member held their hand out to me, blocking me from the door.

“Please stay in your cabin, the rest of the boat is on lockdown,” she told me, but I shook my head.

“There’s a person in the water! It’s urgent!”

She stared at me with wide eyes, but quickly nodded. Alright, please follow me.

We hurried together through the ship, and she led me into some room that looked very official. Maybe an office or security room?

Staff with uniforms turned to us as we entered, out of breath.

Before anyone could question what was going on, I explained, “I saw a person in the water! Next to the ship, on the left side!”

They immediately jumped into action, leaving me and the woman who brought me here alone.

I stared at the ground, tapping my foot nervously. I hope they were okay… I wonder how they could have gotten down there.

“Miss, if I could escort you back to your room,” the woman spoke up gently.

I nodded. I suppose I wasn’t necessary for this whole rescue to take place. It might be best if I wait in my room, anyway. In case… they didn’t make it.

I followed her back through the hallways. We passed by a glass window, and I heard faint yelling from the other side. Stopping for a moment, I looked out.

It was the men that were sent on the rescue mission. Taking a quick look at the woman, I made sure she didn’t notice me stopping, and I walked over to the window to get a better look.

Maybe it was best if I didn’t know, but I just had to see…

In the dark, I could see them pull something up over the edge. It was human-sized. I squinted to get a better look.

Who was it? Were they from this boat?

They set the person down on the ground, and rolled them onto their back.

I gasped, their face illuminated in the dim light.

Alex!!