by Bethany Shaw
“I have some things for you. I thought it best to give them to you now to avoid questions at the airport,” Gene announced, entering the room while he pulled a yellow envelope from his back pocket. “I had an ID and paperwork made for you and Adrian. I assumed you didn’t have anything.”
Natalia took the envelope to stare at her fake ID. The ID had her birth name on it. Natalia Maria Alvarez. Clearly, he’d done his research on her.
“No, I do not. Actually, I am not even a U.S. citizen, but I am guessing you already figured that out.”
Gene nodded. “This will do for now. I’ll see what we can do about making you more permanent paperwork later.”
“Until I go home?”
Gene opened his mouth, her question clearly catching him off guard. “Until you go home. There is no guarantee how long it is going to be. I can’t promise you anything, Talia.”
Natalia licked her lips as she picked up the infant carrier. Swallowing, she met his eyes. “I know. When it is safe.”
“You have my word, Talia. I won’t go back on it.”
“Let’s do this,” Natalia whispered.
***
Gene leaned back onto the headrest as the plane jumped along the runway. Natalia gripped her armrests tightly, her eyes squeezed shut. Her long eyelashes nearly touched her honeyed cheek bones. Her coffee hair fell around her round face, and her pink lips twitched down into a tiny pout. Fear rolled off her in waves, filling the air with a putrid curdled milk smell, overpowering her natural floral and sea salt scent. Adrian sat between them, sleeping contently in his car seat.
“You don’t like planes?” Gene asked, trying to distract her.
Natalia pursed her lips. “I have never flown before.”
She ground her teeth together as the plane jerked and the wheels lifted off the runway.
“It will be smooth once we reach the correct altitude,” Gene assured.
“And how is the landing?”
Gene chuckled under his breath. “You’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”
“Is this your first time flying?” she asked. She peered over at him through her thick lashes, meeting his gaze.
Gene whispered, “No, I’ve visited this pack before. Like I told you, my father knew the alpha, and I have family there. That is part of how my uncle ended up as the alpha’s second in command. Packs with familiar relations are loyal to each other. If needed, we can and will move to another pack for the greater good. I’ve been to Binghamton many times. You should like it there. There are lots of places to run; it is far enough from the city to be secluded. The pack is large, but there is more than enough space for everyone to stretch their legs. They are very friendly. I know them quite well, and I believe we will have several wolves come back to the ranch with us.”
“A few will not stand a chance against Fernando Juarez,” Natalia warned.
“I’m aware. That is why we are branching out to many packs. Even if we only recruit one or two from each pack we visit—”
“It will not be enough. He has eyes and ears everywhere. An army of men. The only chance we have is to create our own army. Can you do that?” Natalia asked, her chestnut eyes questioning him.
“I’m not giving up, Talia, it isn’t in my nature. Maybe we are outnumbered. Maybe their pack is stronger and better trained, but I refuse to relent and live under that kind of tyranny. I refuse to see the people I care about reduced to being breeders. If I have to die to protect them, I will. I would rather fight for what I believe in than stand idly by and do nothing,” Gene explained, meeting her eyes.
“He will kill you,” Natalia whispered, tears swimming in her eyes. A forlorn expression on her face before she whipped her head around to stare out the window.
Gene ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath. He meant everything he’d said to her. Hopefully, it didn’t end up being his demise.
“Regardless of how the war ends, there will be casualties on both sides. We just have to believe that the right side will win,” Gene replied.
Natalia turned back to him, blinking. “I hope that you are right. I have seen what Juarez and his men can do first hand. They are killers. Perhaps you will win, but in order to do so, I fear that we will all have to lose a piece of ourselves,” she said, her voice hoarse with emotion.
Gene looked around the plane, making sure no one was listening to their hushed conversation. Satisfied, he responded, “War doesn’t come without consequences.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“I’ve gathered you haven’t always been with Juarez, and I know you mentioned your mother. Can I ask what happened?” he asked curiously. So much of her past was a mystery. Natalia was feisty, but also vulnerable. There was a draw to her that he couldn’t deny. He just wanted to hold her and soothe away her fears—ensure that everything would be alright. Protect her and Adrian from all the evils of the world.
Natalia pursed her lips as she entwined her fingers together. She sat quietly for a long moment, and Gene wondered if she would answer him or not.
“My mother was a human. When she found out she was pregnant, and what my father, Luis, and Fernando were planning, she fled. This thing with the women and she-wolves, it has only grown. They have been doing it for years. My mother believed that Luis truly loved her; she suspected that he allowed her to escape. She…she was not a prisoner there, but a woman he was seeing. She never told me how, exactly she discovered what was happening, but when she did…” Natalia trailed off, clearing her throat.
Inhaling sharply, Natalia looked down at the floor. “She made a home for us in Cabo San Lucas. We lived there for twenty years. All my life. Shortly after my twentieth birthday, they came for me. I do not know how they found us, but they did. When my mother refused them, they killed her. Unfortunately, my parents love wasn’t timeless.”
Her bottom lip trembled as a tear slipped down her cheek. “They slit her throat right in front of me. I watched as she took her last breath, utterly helpless to save her. Then they forced me to come with them to New Mexico. I resisted them, and that’s why they locked me up.” Sniffling, Natalia dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand.
“I am sorry to hear about your mother. I’ve lost both of my parents. My own father was murdered during an attack a little over a month ago. No one should have to lose their parents that way,” Gene stated, shifting in his seat to face her. “Your mother’s death won’t be in vain. I promise. I will do everything I can to keep you safe. To keep you out of the Gulf Pack’s hands.”
Gene gathered that she wasn’t sharing the whole story with him, but this little bit of information told him enough. Natalia had only ever experienced pack life while in the clutches of Juarez and McKinley. He couldn’t blame her for being leery and untrusting. Then there was Adrian. By scent, the boy was a wolf, but from what Gene could tell, he didn’t carry the alpha gene. This made him wonder who the boy’s father was. Just thinking about what Juarez might have put her through made Gene shudder. Had she been used as a breeder? Chills shot down his spine at the thought.
Natalia closed her eyes, shaking her head as she leaned back against the headrest. After a long moment, her chestnut eyes drifted open, her head rolling on the cushion to look at him. “Thank you. I am sorry about your father too.”
“Juarez won’t get away with the crimes he’s committed against our families.”
“You sound very confident,” Natalia replied, giving him a small, tight-lipped smile.
“If you don’t believe you have a chance at winning, then you may as well surrender,” Gene smiled as the words slipped easily from his lips. They had been the words of his father. Only now, did he grasp their true meaning.
“Talia,” he said. “If you have questions about our kind—or need help with your shifts—I’m here to help. I want us to be friends.”
Pink lips parted as she seemed to contemplate his offer. With a sigh, she shifted in her seat to gaze out the plane window.
Gene si
ghed, relaxing into his seat. They were making progress, even if only a little. He would take what he could get.
***
Natalia shifted uncomfortably on her feet as Gene finished grabbing their bags from the conveyor belt. Adrian remained asleep in his seat. He’d slept the entire flight, and she could only hope he would sleep tonight.
The noisy chaos of the airport put her on edge. Sweat, greasy food, and filth invaded her senses. Hundreds of people bustled around them, chatting and grabbing their belongings. Curling her hand around the infant carrier tighter, she turned and followed Gene toward the exit. As they approached the sliding glass doors, a musky scent filtered in. Wolves.
A man stood in front of the doors, his eyes quickly finding them in the crowd. Natalia took a step back as he strode towards them. She could tell from his scent that he was not an alpha. To anyone else, he was just a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a firm build. But the way he carried himself told her he could be dangerous.
“Uncle Isaac,” Gene greeted. He set the luggage down and embraced the wolf in a tight hug, clapping him on the back.
“It’s good to see you, Gene.” The man pulled away smiling, turning his attention to her.
“This is Natalia Alvarez,” Gene said, motioning toward her.
“It’s a pleasure,” Isaac replied. His blue eyes flicked to her, a warm smile on his face as he extended his hand to her.
Reluctantly, she took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Is this everything?” Isaac asked, gripping one of the bags handles as he hoisted it up.
“I believe so,” Gene said, looking to her for confirmation.
Natalia nodded. Both men wrangled the rest of the cases, and led the way to the double doors. The air outside was stale and filled with smog. Vapors from the cars filled the terminal, and her nose scrunched up in disgust. Vehicles crawled by the doors as people reunited with their loved ones, or claimed a waiting taxi.
“We’ll have to wait until Nick gets back around with the SUV. You’re not allowed to stop here unless you’re unloading or loading,” Isaac said. Setting the bags down on the sidewalk, he turned to them.
“How was your flight?”
“Good,” Gene said, smiling at Natalia, with a raised eyebrow. The she-wolf took it as a unspoken question.
“It was alright,” she mumbled.
“She’s not a fan of airplanes,” Gene beamed teasingly.
“I don’t blame you,” Isaac said, folding his arms over his chest. “There is something about being locked in a thousand-pound piece of metal, and flying hundreds of miles in the sky, that is a little unnerving.”
“No worse than a car,” Gene said.
“Hmmm, I’d rather run across country on all fours. One of these days I might give it a go,” Isaac grinned.
Adrian stretched in his seat as he began to fuss. “How long of a drive is it?” Natalia questioned as she brushed her finger on his cheek, trying to soothe him.
“About three hours,” Gene replied. “He’s getting hungry?”
Adrian let out a long wail as he began to cry. Snorting, he scrunched his face up and balled his fist, shoving it toward his mouth.
“I will need to feed him before we leave,” Natalia said.
“Why don’t we go back inside and find a spot to feed him. Isaac will wait for us here,” Gene suggested. “It will take a minute for the car to circle back and load our stuff anyway.”
“Okay,” Natalia agreed. “I need…” She pointed to the diaper bag draped over his shoulder.
Gene handed the green and brown bag to her, his fingers brushing against hers in the process. Ignoring the jolt that shot through her at his touch, Natalia spun on her heel, hurrying inside. Finding a bench in a corner, she plopped down and prepared his bottle, before taking Adrian out of his carrier.
Her eyes scanned the airport as people passed by. Gene stood in a corner to her right, about ten feet away. There were so many people—it would be easy to get lost in here easy to disappear. For the first time in over a year, she was relatively unguarded. Her heart raced at the thought, and she glanced around again. Gene was the only one watching her. Otherwise, she was completely alone in a sea of people. It would be easy to go to the bathroom and slip out, blending in with everyone else. Her papers were tucked into the top of the diaper bag. Money would be an issue, but she was certain she could figure something out.
Clearing her throat, she sat Adrian up to burp him. His blue eyes looked up at her contently, a small smile slipping across his face. If she left, they would be on their own.
“What are we going to do, Adrian?” she whispered, placing a kiss to his forehead.
Adrian’s eyes widened, a coo escaping his lips. She laughed as tears pricked her eyes. “I just want to keep you safe,” she mumbled, burying her face into his hair.
She gazed longingly at the crowd of people before her. If she were going to run, now was the time. Grasping the carrier, she stood up cradling Adrian to her. Catching Gene’s eye, she motioned to the ladies room. Gene nodded, and she let out a long breath, making her way into the bathroom. As she laid out the mat, she contemplated her options.
This wasn’t just about her. If she ran, it would affect Adrian too. She wasn’t equipped to provide for him—not here, not now. She’d lost everything she owned when Juarez had taken her. Natalia was certain she could find a job, but it would take some time before she could secure them a decent place to live. Then there was the problem of Juarez. He would find her eventually. It was safer for her and Adrian in a pack setting.
Gene had brought her to New York, knowing she could easily flee in this busy airport. This meant that some part of him trusted her. He’d been more than kind to her. Her bottom lip trembled with realization. A part of her didn’t want to let him down—didn’t want to betray his trust. The alpha had been nothing but kind to her, and wanted to help. As much as she didn’t want to trust him she was beginning to.
Tossing the dirty diaper in the trash can, Natalia tucked Adrian back into the seat. The she-wolf let out a long breath, combing a hand through her tangled coffee locks. Walking to the sink to wash her hands, she carefully inspected her reflection in the mirror. Dark circles wound beneath her eyes and her once-full cheeks were shallow. The past ten and a half months had been hard on her, filling her with worry and doubt. Perhaps it was time for her to trust again, to allow someone back in. As her mother often said ‘a life without family and friends isn’t worth living.’ She was tired of being on her own, of being afraid. She was also tired of jumping at every shrill sound, and second-guessing every word spoken to her.
“Let’s do this,” she whispered. Picking Adrian up, she maneuvered through the people to get back to Gene. He gave her a warm smile as he lifted the diaper bag from her arm, and led the way to the cars.
The warm, sticky air greeted her as she stepped outside. Isaac waved at them as he finished shoving a bag into the trunk. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to steel herself as she walked toward the vehicle. Natalia was doing something she’d sworn to never do—she was trusting a wolf. She only hoped that it didn’t turn out to be a grave mistake.
Chapter Seven
––––––––
Gene gently placed a hand on Natalia, shaking her awake. The pale green tank top she wore barely covered her shoulder, allowing his fingertips to graze across her smooth skin. Her eyelids fluttered before she jolted away from him, her head colliding against the glass window.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Gene apologized, removing his hand from her shoulder. Flexing his fingers, the alpha tried to ignore the budding heat he felt from touching her. “We are here.”
Natalia narrowed her eyes at him, peering down at her son, before turning to look out her window. Gene watched as her mouth popped open. He smiled, observing as she took in the thick foliage that surrounded a large brick mansion. Roses lined the flowerbeds in front of the home, permeating the a
ir with a rosy oak scent. Vine-covered pillars towered well above their heads on the front porch. An equally remarkable expanse of grass surrounded the house, which was edged with a carefully cropped line of bushes.
“It’s completely secluded,” Gene said. He’d been cooped up too long. The animal inside him ached to be let loose—to run through the woods on four paws, and explore the vast nature before them.
“It’s beautiful,” Natalia mumbled.
“The trees stretch for miles.” Gene opened his door, and walked around to her side, taking the diaper bag from her as she unlatched Adrian from the carrier base. “Wait until you see the inside.”
They both turned as the front door clanged against the house.
“Gene,” a female greeted with a smile as she bounded down the front steps. Natalia got a whiff of her as she got closer. Definitely the alpha.
“Ramona,” Gene replied, embracing the mystery female.
As Ramona pulled away, tucking red locks behind her ear, two other men walked to the trunk—plucking out a few bags—and carried them inside.
“It’s good to see you,” she added, before turning to Natalia.
“And you must be Natalia,” she said, enveloping Natalia into a hug. “Welcome to our home.”
Natalia stiffened under the woman’s touch, but didn’t pull away. Ramona withdrew after a moment, her pearly white smile widening as she knelt down to look at Adrian.
“Isn’t he adorable. Oh my, it’s been so long since I’ve seen an infant,” she gushed. “I keep waiting for my Mike and his Amiee to conceive.”
Gene offered Natalia a shrug as her chestnut eyes flitted to his. He could see her unease, but gave her a nod, hoping she would realize they were among friends. Perhaps he should have warned her about Ramona’s friendly nature.
Ramona led the way up the steps, turning to Natalia as she spoke. “I forget my manners. The three of you must be exhausted. Please come in. Clive is just finishing up speaking with Melanie. Can you believe my baby girl is in her final year of graduate school? They grow up so fast, sweetheart. Cherish the time you have with them.”
