Chapter 29 Willow
Writers POV.
"Oh! My dear granddaughter-in-law! Alex, quickly do a CPR immediately!"
Mrs. Winifred's voice cracked with panic, as she stared down at Dandelion's unconscious form sprawled beside the pool.
Alexander was already moving.
He dropped to his knees beside her, water streaming from his hair and clothes, his hands immediately going to her neck to check for a pulse.
There was still a pulse, but a faint pulse.
"She still breathing," he said, his voice controlled even though his heart hammered against his ribs. "But barely."
"Then do something!" Mrs Winifred's voice rose. "Don't just sit there!"
He hesitated at first. Then tilted Dandelion's head back, he pinched her nose, leaned down, and pressed his mouth to hers.
Rule thirteen: No kissing.
The thought flickered through his mind as he breathed air into her lungs.
Once, twice.
Then her chest began to rise and fall mechanically, but she didn't wake.
He positioned his hands over her chest and began compressions, he pressed hard and in rhythm. Counting in his head. One Two Three.
Then she took another breath.
He pressed hard again
"Come on wake up. Don't you dare die on me." He whispered under his breath barely loud enough for anyone to hear him.
He leaned down again, his lips sealing over hers again, and this time she gasped.
Her eyes flew open, wide and disoriented, and her hands shot up to his chest, pushing weakly.
He pulled back immediately, watching as she coughed violently, water spilling from her mouth.
Relief crashed through him so hard it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted up from his shoulders. But he buried it under irritation.
She could have died, because she was too busy panicking to think. Again.
Dandelion choked, her whole body convulsing with the effort to get the water out from her lungs.
"Rub her back!" Grandma wini snapped at him, her voice sharp with residual fear. "Can't you see she's choking?"
Alexander moved automatically, his hand coming up to rub firm circles on Dandelion's back as she choked and gasped.
He caught her eye for just a second.
Her eyes were full of tears from coughing or fear or both, he couldn't tell. And also remorse, she probably knows she made me break the rules.
Good, let her feel guilty, she'll need it later for when he would scold her later.
Finally, her coughing subsided into ragged breaths. She sat hunched over, shivering violently with her hair plastered to her face.
Alexander sat back on his heels, every muscle in his body tense.
"What made you fall into the pool?" His voice came out harsher than he intended. "Didn't I tell you to go back inside?"
Dandelion flinched, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm sorry. I saw a... a terrifying creature, and I--"
She froze mid sentence, her eyes going wide.
Both Grandma wini and Alexander followed her gaze.
There, sitting at the edge of the pool with his tongue lolling out happily, was the wolf.
The massive white wolf tilted his head with his blue eyes bright with curiosity.
"Willow!!" Grandma wini's voice cracked like a whip. "You brute! How dare you scare my granddaughter in-law like that!"
The wolf's ears flattened immediately. He dropped into a crouch, tail tucked, looking like a guilty puppy despite being the size of a small bear.
"Bad boy!" Grandma wini scolded, shaking her finger at him. "Very, very bad boy!"
Willow whined, pressing himself lower to the ground.
It finally dawned on Alexander.
She was scared of Willow, so that's why she fell.
He turned back to Dandelion, ready to demand why she'd been afraid of a mare pet, but the words died on his lips.
Because she was staring at Willow with an expression of complete shock.
"So Willow is a... a pet wolf?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Alexander blinked. "What did you think he was?"
She didn't answer, her face flushing bright red.
He narrowed his eyes. "Dandelion. What did you think Willow was?"
"Nothing," she said quickly. Too quickly. "I just... I didn't know you had a pet wolf. That's all."
Liar. But before he could press further, Grandma wini clapped her hands together.
"Alright, enough standing around. You're both soaked to the bone. Alex, carry her inside right now before she catches pneumonia."
Both Alexander and Dandelion's heads snapped toward her.
"What?" they said in unison.
Grandma wini's eyes narrowed with confusion wondering why they both looked like she had said an abomination word, "You heard me, go on already." She snapped with a loud tone, leaving no room for argument. "Pick her up. Take her to your room. Help her get changed."
He stared at his grandmother, jaw clenched so tight, but he couldn't argue with her.
He glared hard at Dandy.
'God she's going to be the death of me' he thought within himself.
But arguing with Grandma wini would only make things worse.
So, with a deep breath and with the last patience he didn't have, he reached out to Dandelion.
She was already shaking her head. "I can walk. I don't need--"
"Don't argue with me," he snapped, sliding one arm under her knees and the other behind her back.
"Wait!"
But he ignored her and lifted her in one smooth motion, and she let out a startled yelp.
Her wet clothes clung to his chest. Her body was cold, trembling against him. And when she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck for balance, her face ended up inches from his.
He could feel every breath she took.
This is a nightmare.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, so quietly he almost didn't hear it.
He didn't respond, he just carried her toward the house, his expression like it was carved from stone.
Behind them, Grandma wini called out, "Alex Change out of those wet clothes too. I'll bring warm soup to your room in thirty minutes. Make sure you're both dressed."
Alexander's steps faltered.
His room?. She would come to his bedroom and expects them to be together. Changed.
Rule three: Don't enter my bedroom.
Every rule he'd written, every boundary he'd drawn, was crumbling one by one and they were mostly being broken by him.
And the woman in his arms the one who smelled like flowers dabbed in chlorine and fear was the wrecking ball.