The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 155: Ari, you need to get in the water too

The fireflies began to emerge again, their gentle green light flickering through the trees like tiny lanterns guiding us on our path.

Gram took the lead to show us the way. Dani wanted to be the one to do it, but they didn’t let him, worried that we might do something to him if he was left alone with us.

And as such, the chief decided to do the honor.

Even if something happened to him, he was already old, and nothing would be worse than losing a young one.

We aren’t that scary, right?

This thing on my face must make me look like a swamp monster. Ouch. I wonder when I can take it off.

"You did well, Ari," Damar whispered, his voice smooth and calm as he moved beside me. I raised my head to look at him, his emerald eyes catching the moonlight. "You were a very sturdy wall."

"That’s obvious." I placed my one hand on my hip and snapped the other in front of my face. "I may be a female, but I’m still a tiger," I reminded him with a proud smile.

But even while saying that with my shoulders high and nose in the air, I felt spent.

"Well, we always knew you were strong," Fenric said. "And this confirms it." He smiled brightly, the charm that followed his smile did not seem like the kind you’d find on a beast that just went on a killing spree.

His looks could fool even the brightest of minds if they hadn’t witnessed the scene themselves.

As we pushed through the final layer of thick cedar branches, the grove suddenly opened up, revealing a hidden sanctuary. Yes, it was practically a sanctuary because I had never seen a place as tranquil as this one.

Before us lay a wide, mirror-like lake, it was strikingly similar to the one near the tiger tribe, but the atmosphere here was entirely different—less wild, more ancient, as if the water itself was holding its breath.

"I... I will retreat for now," Gram said, his voice hushed with reverence and a lingering trace of nerves. He bowed his head low and began retreating his steps. He didn’t dare raise his head or turn around until he had completely disappeared back into the thicket, as if showing his back to us was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

I couldn’t really blame him. Even with the debt paid and the Martens gone, I knew our presence was still heavy, pressuring, and inherently scary to a flock of prey.

I turned my back to the bushes, deciding to let the rabbits have their space while I focused on the lake. The moonlight danced on the surface, making it look like a sheet of liquid silver.

Damar didn’t hesitate. He took the first dip, his lean body slicing through the surface with a graceful dive, his long, powerful tail following after him like a ribbon in the wind.

Fenric was less subtle. He had his leather skirt off in seconds, tossing it aside before throwing his massive frame into the water with a triumphant splash.

It was as if the water had suddenly enchanted them, washing away the grim tension of the slaughter. I stood on the bank, laughing as I watched them surface, shaking their heads like playful pups and sending droplets flying.

"Ari, you need to get in the water too," Damar called out, his silver hair slicked back, his emerald eyes bright and inviting.

"That’s right, Arinya," Fenric added, wiping water from his face with a grin. "It’s not complete if you don’t join in."

I hovered at the edge, my heart skipping a beat. I had originally planned on just sitting in the corner, and observing them from the safety of the shore. But the way they were looking at me... it felt like they were ganging up on me in the best way possible.

It had been a while since we’d been truly intimate or handsy, our days filled with the grueling trek and the constant threat of the unknown.

Looking at them now—glistening, powerful, and relaxed—a familiar heat began to stir deep in my chest and down in the pit of my belly.

I bit my bottom lip sensually, the thought of their hands on me in the cool water eroding my resolve. My skin felt suddenly too tight, and a flush that had nothing to do with the night air crept up my neck.

’No, it’s just a bath,’ I told myself, trying to find my common sense. If I say no, it’s a no.

But as Fenric reached out a hand toward me, his ruby eyes darkening with a silent challenge, and Damar circled closer with that predatory grace, I found myself wondering... Will I really say no?

I looked at the water, then back at my two mates who were waiting for me like the most beautiful traps I’d ever seen.

"Fine," I whispered, my fingers reaching for the hem of my skirt. "But if you two drown me, I’m coming back to haunt you," I said and tittered.

I didn’t give them the satisfaction of a slow, graceful naked entrance. Instead, I stripped in a second and took a running leap, tucking my knees to my chest.

SPLASH!

I hit the water like a cannonball, sending a wave directly into Fenric’s laughing face and drenching Damar’s perfectly slicked-back hair. I surfaced a few feet away, shaking my head and laughing as I wiped the water from my eyes.

"There! Is that ’complete’ enough for you?" I teased, treading water and looking between them.

Fenric sputtered, wiping a palm over his eyes, a mock-offended growl rumbling in his throat.

"Oh, you’re going to pay for that, little tiger."

"Is that so?" I challenged, but before I could move, I felt something wrap around my ankle beneath the surface.

I gasped as I was suddenly pulled backward. Damar surfaced right behind me, his arms winding around my waist to pull me against his cool, wet chest. His silver hair was a mess now, clinging to his shoulders, and he was wearing a rare, mischievous smirk.

"You should know better than to splash a serpent, Ari," he whispered against my ear, his breath hitching as the cold water contrasted with the warmth of our bodies. "We strike back."

"Hey! Two against one is cheating!" I yelled, though I was laughing so hard I almost swallowed a mouthful of lake water.

Fenric lunged forward, closing the distance in two powerful strokes. He didn’t splash me back; instead, he reached out and lifted me right out of Damar’s arms, hoisting me up until I was sitting on his broad, submerged shoulders.

The sheer strength of him always caught me off guard—to him, I weighed nothing.

"Hey!" I cupped my breasts, looking around as if someone might be around, watching.

"Now we have the high ground," Fenric declared, holding my legs steady as I gripped his hair for balance.

"You mean ’I’ have the high ground. I’m telling you, if you drown me..."

But Fenric laughed it off, confident in his leg strength.

I looked down at Damar, who was looking up at me with an expression that was no longer just playful.

The ’handsy’ energy I had anticipated was definitely there, simmering just beneath the surface of the water. The cool lake felt amazing against my skin, but where their hands touched me, I felt like I was sparking.

I looked from the silver-haired man in the water to the ruby-eyed man beneath me, and my heart did a slow, heavy thud and I pursed my lips.

This is still fine, right?