“Just relax and it’ll be over before you know it. I tend to sleep on long flights.”
Katey’s other hand still gripped the armrest and he could hear the metal squeal.
“Ben is nervous about flying, too, and normally takes something to knock him out. Want any?” he asked.
For a moment, Katey considered it. If the drug was powerful enough to render a strong loup-garou unconscious, then it might have been potent enough to keep her nerves under control.
She shook her head, eyes fixed upon the seat in front of her as she took her deep soothing breaths. “No, I’ll be all right.”
Logan beamed a crooked smile at her bravery and lifted up the armrest that separated them before wrapping his arm securely around her waist. The edge of the seatbelt bit in her hips as he pulled her close. “Would this help?”
Katey had to admit that she began to feel the anxiety melt away in his embrace and she nodded. “A little.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes to possibly try and get some sleep as the turbulence of the flight tickled at her stomach.
When they landed in Dallas, they exited the plane and Darren told the others that they had an hour layover. Darren read a magazine at their next gate as they waited, Dustin went off to shop in the convenience stores, and Ben was in charge of getting food from a restaurant inside the terminal in hopes of finding one that employed a loup-garou.
Within sight of their alpha, Logan and Katey settled themselves against a wall at the boarding gate. He was sitting up with his back to the wall and Katey was laying against him, between his legs, with his arms around her as she laid her head on his shoulder.
Perhaps halfway through the flight, Katey finally found the peace of mind to sleep, though she could hear Logan’s soft snoring reverberate against her ear.
Now off the plane and safe on solid ground for a short while, Katey found herself bored. Their layover wasn’t enough time to pull out her laptop or take another nap, but there was always time to spend cuddling up to Logan.
His eyes scanned the crowds, as if watching for danger as he held his beloved close. Since the night before, it was agony to be apart, whether by a few feet or a few inches. And as long as Logan would have her, Katey never wanted to leave his embrace.
When Ben came back with five takeout boxes, he handed two of them to Logan and Katey before sitting with Darren in the thinly padded airport chairs. He had to go all the way across the airport to find a place that had steaks and a loup-garou on staff who could prepare them just right.
Logan and Katey both had a meal of rare, almost raw steak and grilled chicken strips. They didn’t move out of their position. It was amusing trying to coordinate their arms and movements so they didn’t hit or spill the contents of the boxes on each other.
Occasionally, Logan would feed Katey a strip of chicken from his own fork. Katey would bet anything that they were annoying others around them with their giggling and laughing, but she didn’t care.
Dustin had arrived back from his browsing to eat and watched the two out of the corner of his eye from where he sat with the others. He sighed, then came over to the two with his tray of food when they were just finishing up eating and sat down on the arm of a bench just across from them.
“Do you two intend to act like this all the way to Alaska?” he asked.
Logan gave his beta a defying look. “We just might. What are you going to do about it?”
“I can separate the both of you if you don’t cool it,” Dustin’s tone dropped, and for the first time, she felt the beta’s own flavor of dominance. Strong and firm, but not as powerful as Darren’s, or even Logan’s.
“Is it bothering you?” Katey asked, an undercurrent of worry in her words.
“It’s not bothering me as much, but some others may take it the wrong way when we get to Alaska.”
“Why is that?”
Logan rested his head against the wall and sighed. “Don’t ask,” he whispered to Katey. “They’re just going to have to get over it,” Logan stated to Dustin, who only shrugged and stuffed a strip of steak into his mouth.
“All right. But don’t blame me if you get approached about it by someone there,” he warned, then stood up and walked back over to the others.
“Why should I not ask?” Katey asked Logan, edging away from him so she could look him in the eye.
“It’s a long story and way too complicated for right now. Don’t worry about it,” Logan replied and tickled her ribs, which made Katey squirm, defusing the moment.
Katey leaned back against him and they finished their meal together. Her curiosity flamed to know what they were talking about, but Katey relented that she probably wouldn’t find out until it was too late, just like everything else.
She hoped that their relationship wasn’t going to pose any problems or disturb anyone in the pack or loup-garou community. She didn’t care if she bothered humans, but she did care if she bothered other loups-garous. Starting off on a bad foot with them would surely spell trouble for her and her pack and she wanted to make a good impression with the other packs that would be at the gathering.
Part of her wondered what the gathering would be like. She imagined torches and half-naked men running through the snowy forests. But, just like everything else, Katey might have been thoroughly surprised by their humanlike traditions and behaviors.
Would the other packs be like theirs? Would the other loups-garous be like Darren or Forrest or – heaven forbid – Erik? Would they be overjoyed that a female was part of their community or would they shun her as a freak of nature?
Cutting through her thoughts, the lady at the desk began calling seat numbers for boarding and the pack began to move out again.
15
Katey couldn’t express her relief enough when they finally landed in Alaska. It was dark outside the airplane windows, but she could see the subtle moonlit glow off the banks of snow around the tarmac as they taxied in.
It finally hit her how far she was from home. Katey had never seen snow before since she had never traveled any farther north than Alabama and farther west then Mississippi. She wondered how different Alaska would be compared to Florida, besides the snow and bitter cold. Would people be less friendly? More friendly? Did they have accents? Would her light southern drawl make her stand out in the crowd?
With Katey’s hand firmly clasped in Logan’s, they all exited the plane and made their way to the baggage claim.
Through her sleepy haze, Katey got that familiar twinge in the back of her skull that was so intense she could hardly think straight. She looked up as they entered the place where row upon row of conveyor belts continuously rotated luggage for passengers to claim and saw that she was surrounded.
Everywhere, she could feel eyes turn and fix on her, the eyes of loups-garous from all over the country. Some were blonde, some with black hair, some short, some tall, but all had the familiar strikingly handsome features and muscled physiques. She saw some were alone, some with their wives and kids just as the guys had mentioned before, and some – like her – were traveling strictly with their own pack as men huddled together and talked amongst one another.
Katey stared blankly at the awesome sight, feeling a general uneasiness rise up in her. Never had she seen so many of them in one place. The biggest crowd she had seen was the other day at lunch when she and Logan sat with the Devians. It seemed like not one soul that was in that baggage claim was a lone human that had no connection with the loups-garous.
They all seemed to glance double takes at her with curious stares. She tried not to meet their hypnotic eyes, but found it difficult. It was like they instinctively knew what she was without having to ask and the old insecurities flooded back to her. Katey wanted nothing more than to turn around and get back on a flight to Crestucky, fear of heights or not.
Katey clung to Logan like a shy child as they waited for their bags to show up on the carousel, her eyes gawking at all of the loups-garous that were mutte
ring and whispering about her to their travel companions. Some voices portrayed heavy accents from around the country and others spoke in foreign languages like French and Italian. She wanted them to be good opinions, but she had no clue what they could have truly been thinking.
Logan settled his arm around her waist and tried to get her attention as Katey nervously scanned the room. “Hey, you’re shaking. What’s wrong?” Logan asked.
“I feel like a sheep among wolves,” Katey replied. She saw that her utterance of the word wolf drew nearly everyone’s undivided attention. Katey quickly pressed herself into Logan’s side and nuzzled her head against his chest to seek comfort, her nerves in tangled knots.
“Don’t worry. You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing just like the rest of us,” he whispered and pulled her closer in a tight embrace, kissing her forehead.
“You sound so sad when you say it like that.”
“Well, it’s true. Besides, you have nothing to fear from them. You’re one of the pack now, remember?” he said softly into her hair.
“Here they are,” Ben said out as their luggage passed through the strips of vinyl that covered the portals at the end of the conveyer belt. The guys swiftly grabbed theirs and easily hauled them onto the floor as other loups-garous shuffled in to obtain their own.
Logan pulled her over to the carousel, closer to the crowds that were making her oversensitive, and pulled out their luggage before hurrying after the others who were making their way to the exit. Katey never let herself be more than a foot away from him, unnecessarily afraid that she would lose him in the crowd or that one of the other loups-garous would snatch her away.
“Let’s go, kids,” Darren called from the revolving doors.
“You might want to take out your jacket. It’s pretty cold out there,” he suggested, opening the zippered flap and pulling out the white fluffy coat for her. Katey gently took it from his hands and shrugged it on over her hoodie.
Logan carried her bag for her as they stepped outside to join the others on the slightly crowded sidewalk to wait for their shuttle bus.
It was colder than anything Katey had ever felt before. The jacket was just barely enough to keep the wintry weather out and it felt like the flat edges of blades were pressed on her cheeks as the wind whipped through the carpool lane. Her bones felt as if they would freeze and break at any moment as she was standing in ankle-deep snow. Katey noticed that no one else in her pack was shivering, even though they were wearing even less than she was.
Logan glanced over to Katey and saw her hug the coat tighter around her core. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“Why am I so cold? No one else looks cold,” she asked, trying her best to keep her teeth from chattering as they walked a little further down the covered walkway.
“I don’t know. Maybe that benefit hasn’t kicked in yet,” Logan answered casually with a shrug. “Darren said you may not adapt as well to the weather as we would.”
“Or what if it’s starting to fade... I mean I’m not as hungry constantly as I used to be.” Katey didn’t like the idea that her loup-garou abilities could have been diminishing. It meant that maybe she wasn’t a full loup-garou like they were and that was enough to break her heart. She could still feel the wolf inside her, but it was like it was sleeping or dormant. It was just there, not doing anything all day.
“Don’t worry about it,” Logan said, the tension rising in his tone.
“But what if…”
Logan turned on her suddenly and she saw his eyes flash gold. “Don’t worry about it,” he growled. She could tell that he didn’t like the idea either.
Katey took a cautious step back from him, but didn’t let her eyes divert from his. He took a deep breath and blinked hard to squelch his flair of temper.
“I’m sorry. I’m just a little hungry. Come here.” Logan dropped his bag and pulled Katey into a tight apologetic hug. In his arms, he projected more warmth that she gratefully accepted as she could feel the tips of her fingers go numb. She was sorely missing a pair of gloves and hopefully, she could borrow a pair or purchase some before the trip was over.
“We’ll get some food as soon as we get to the lodge,” Dustin said, standing not too far away from them.
They didn’t have to wait too much longer for the next shuttle bus to pull up along the curb and once they were all loaded inside, Logan held Katey in his arms once again, knowing that she would appreciate the extra body heat that he could provide for her.
Katey lovingly snuggled deeper into his embrace, but she could see Darren and Dustin slide disconcerted glances their way from the far front seats. It reminded her of what they were told at the airport about being too demonstrative in public.
There were several other loups-garous on the bus with them, along with women and young children that were oblivious to her true identity. But, the men who knew what she was watched the two lovers with mixed looks of confusion and discomfort.
All the way to their destination, Katey tried to ignore their stares, but found herself accidentally meeting the eyes of another passenger whenever she turned her head. Either Logan didn’t notice or he tried hard not to care.
Once they arrived and everyone piled out of the van onto the snowy walkway, Katey gaped up at what looked like a massive cabin-like hotel. The front was long and she could hardly get the whole image in one sweeping look. The sun was totally gone now, but she could make out the decorative carvings and architecture, which reminded her of something like a mix of frontier style and old world European cottages.
Two giant oak doors opened up into an expansive circular lobby area with dark mahogany flooring, and the ceiling was a beautiful emerald shade that reminded her of nature’s foliage. Great rustic chandeliers decorated with deer antlers hung from the ceiling and cast an amber glow on the hall. In the middle of the lobby was a grand redwood that towered from the floor to the ceiling, its trunk disappearing into the green to ascend through the numerous floors above.
All around the walls of the lobby were doors, entrances to hallways, a few staircases and three layers of decks for guests to find their rooms. On the opposite side of the front doors were another set of doors that led to a dining hall, where Katey could smell fresh meat being served.
The lobby was buzzing with activity as loups-garous, their families, and packs were trying to find their rooms and evening meals. Katey thought her spinal cord and brain would explode with so many different sensations she felt just standing in the doorway.
Darren led his pack into the lobby and toward the desk where a frantic attendant was handing out room keys. He smiled warmly and waited patiently to give his name and reservation information.
Almost everyone’s attention was turned to Logan and Katey. They gave her odd looks and motioned in a puzzled way toward the two of them while whispering under their breaths to their travel companions, just as the loups-garous at the airport had done.
Katey’s gaze shifted between the faces and resisted the urge to bottle up and run away under the intense scrutiny of the strangers. Instead, she took deep soothing breaths through her nose, willing herself not to care what they were saying but their words fluttered around her ears like annoying flies that couldn’t be wished away.
Darren procured their room keys and the pack made their way, luggage in hand, out of the lobby. Logan, as if laying claim to Katey, tightened his grip around her as they maneuvered past the crowd of onlookers.
They climbed four flights of stairs that curled upwards from the lobby floor before reaching another corridor in the far west wing of the lodge. Katey was thankful that her loup-garou stamina was still active, otherwise she might have had to ask one of them to carry her half way. She caught sight of a set of elevators, but assumed that they preferred not to take them, even though it would have been more convenient.
Down the corridor, Katey could hear voices from behind the many doors they passed, but was grateful to find the halls mostly empty and not nearly as congested a
s the lobby or stairs. They came to a door marked with antique brass letters that read “Suite 410”.
“Here we are,” Darren said, pulling out one of the vintage skeleton keys that the attendant had issued him. He attempted to open the door, but it refused to give way to him. “Blast these keys. I can never get this right... Dustin?”
Darren admitted defeat and handed the keys to Dustin, who smiled with pride, knowing that he had plenty of experience with pesky door locks from having to deal with the one to his classroom on a daily basis. It only took him a few seconds before the door popped open.
Inside, it was a similar setup Katey would have pictured for a mountain cabin. On the far-left wall was a roaring fireplace, with several animal skin upholstered armchairs centered around the hearth and a few plush couches alongside them. Some of the furniture pieces were already occupied by the other loups-garous that would be staying in the suite with them. Katey could see doors lining the far wall past the living area that must have led into bedrooms.
To the right was a tall staircase hugging the wall that led up to a loft that overlooked the living room and led to a few more doors. There was a door to the right that was wide open and led to what appeared to Katey as a game room with a billiard table and some free-standing weights.
To the left was a kitchenette complete with cupboards and the modern conveniences of a kitchen, though Katey wondered how often the stove and microwave were really used when a cafeteria was already present on the ground floor.
She couldn’t pay much attention to detail because those who were already there stole her attention away from the grand elegance of the suite.
“Darren! It’s so good to see you all could make it! It’s been a long time!” shouted one man in his British accent, who stood up from an armchair nearest the fire.
He was a strong built man like all the other loups-garous, wearing a white button-up dress shirt that was tucked into faded jeans. Silver streaks ran through in his dark brown hair and a thin beard that encircled the lower part of his face. Touches of the same silver could be seen around his temples and the hair around his chin, giving him a dignified appearance. His eyes gleamed a bright green, similar to Dustin’s and had a look of authority in them that shouldn’t be questioned.
Becoming the Enigma (The Loup-Garou Series Book 2) Page 21