Into the Unknown (Werewolf Wars, #2) (7 page)

“Okay,” Natalia replied.

“One more thing, Talia. I want to work with you on your transformations.”

Natalia scoffed. “I do not need your help.”

“Then everything should go quickly,” Gene commented. If they were to go away, then he needed to be sure she was in prime condition. “We’ll meet tomorrow night at nine.”

T
here was a soft knock at the door. Natalia turned, glancing at the alarm clock. 8:55. Apparently, Gene was intent on making sure she kept their meeting at nine tonight.

Grumbling under her breath, she opened the door. Gene’s chocolate eyes met hers, and she saw tufts of blonde ponytail behind him. Of course, he’d brought Lark with him. There was no way she could back out of this meeting, she thought.

“I was hoping we could go for a walk,” Gene said.

“Hi,” Lark mumbled sheepishly as she peaked around Gene.

“Adrian is still sick,” Natalia stalled.

“Lark is going to watch after him. We will only be gone for a few minutes, I promise. Besides, I thought you would feel more comfortable going to New York with me if we were better acquainted,” Gene explained. Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned against the doorframe.

“We can’t just talk here?” Natalia questioned as she balled her fists at her sides.

“No! We are going for a walk,” Gene commanded.

Natalia’s brows dipped down, and her bottom lip curled.

“Please,” Gene added, his voice dipping low. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

Natalia flicked her gaze to Lark. The blonde’s bottom lip was tucked between her teeth, and she shifted back and forth on her feet. Lark’s blue eyes met hers as she gave her a weak smile.

Grinding her teeth together, Natalia huffed, annoyed. The alpha may have been leaning against the wall casually, but she could tell that he had no intentions of moving until he got his way. But, despite her rebelliousness, she felt pulled toward him—something in her wanted to follow this alpha. That thought terrified her.

“Fine! You have ten minutes, and that is it!”

***

T
he chirping of crickets filled the night air as Natalia followed Gene along the dark dirt path.

She wasn’t sure where he was taking her, but felt every nerve in her body stand on end. Her stomach rolled with nausea at the thought of being completely alone with him. Perhaps he’d planned this on purpose.

A shiver coursed through her as she realized what he could do to her out here. Bile rising in her throat, she thought of turning and running away, only realizing there wasn’t anywhere for her to go. What if he was just as bad as Juarez? What if he’d brought her up here to force her to be his mate? Gasping, she bit her trembling lip trying to decide what she should do. Lark only ever told her good things about Gene. What if she was wrong?

“Everything okay?” Gene asked.

Natalia stumbled, tripping over a tree branch and falling into Gene. Gene grasped her arm, steadying her. His partially-shifted golden eyes glistened, staring down at her. Swallowing, she looked away, flames tearing across her face, from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.

“Do you know how to do a partial shift?” he asked quietly.

Startled by his question, she frowned, glaring at him. “No.”

It was dark outside, the trees hiding any light the moon and stars might be offering. Her vision was better than most, but in the thick brush, it was doing little for her. Yanking her arm free of his grip, she turned, shuffling her feet through the dirt in a vain attempt to get away without tripping again.

“I can show you,” Gene offered, falling into step next to her.

“Why? Why would you help me? Why are we really out here?”

“It’s hard enough to learn how to shift when you have people to talk you through it. I can’t imagine teaching myself. I want to help you. We’re going away together. I think you would feel more comfortable if you’re more at ease with yourself.”

“I am fine,” Natalia insisted.

“I get that you don’t trust me, Talia, and that’s okay. I have to earn your trust, and I understand that. But I want you to know that I want to help you. If we do go to war, you need to be prepared,” Gene spoke softly as he turned, and headed down the path again.

Natalia huffed as she stalked after him. “I will teach myself, I have done fine thus far.”

“Have you? I saw you shaking after your shift the other night. That’s not normal. I think your problem is quite simple—”

“And what would my problem be?” Natalia hissed, cutting him off. There was nothing wrong with her, and she refused to let him tell her otherwise.

“You haven’t accepted the wolf as a part of you. You fight it. You’re too human,” Gene argued.

“I would rather be too human than a heartless beast like all of you!”

Gene stopped, turning to her. His eyes searched hers for a long moment. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she met his gaze.

“Is that how you see us?” Gene asked, his voice dipping low. His eyebrows dropped down as a frown marred his face.

Natalia let out a long sigh. “I want to go back. I have been away from Adrian long enough. He is still fussing and irritable from his ear infection.”

Turning on her heel, she stomped through the dark abyss toward the house, her arms stretching out in front of her for balance. The alpha was getting demanding, and she didn’t like it.

“I don’t know what has happened to you before you came here, but-”

“You are right. You do not know me at all!” 

“I know that you’re scared. That you don’t trust anyone. Whatever Juarez did has turned you against your own kind,” Gene pointed out, maneuvering himself so he stood in front of her again.

“My own kind,” Natalia whispered darkly. “My own kind has shown me exactly what I do not wish to be. I am going back,” she demanded, pushing him firmly. Her hands hit his shoulders hard, fingertips brushing across the smooth cotton top over his well-muscled chest.

Gene caught her wrists as she vainly attempted to move him. Warmth flooded her, and her eyes flicked to his. Breath catching, she stared into his chocolate irises. Emotions swirled across his face as he pulled her closer.

His words ghosted across her face as he spoke, “I am not going to hurt you, Talia.”

Their gazes locked, and she tried to read him. There was such intensity in his eyes. Heart clenching with fear and arousal, she contemplated both running away or kissing him—maybe both. Gasping at her own thoughts, she shoved him hard, causing him to take a few steps back.

The moment he released her hands, she missed his touch—this terrified her even more.

“I’m not going to tell you again—stop hitting and shoving me. That will be the last time it happens,” he growled, leaning into her slightly. Natalia’s pulse spiked as goose bumps erupted on her flesh. Heat pooled between her legs at his challenge, and she fought to keep herself from closing the shrinking gap between them. She could not fall for him.

Snapping out of her lust-induced haze, she took a step back.

What is happening to me?
She wondered. It had to be the alpha genes. They were both alphas, she tried to reason.

Shaking her head, she brushed past Gene, desperate to get away from him and her thoughts.

***

G
ene watched Natalia storm off as he released the breath he’d been holding. Lust pumped through his veins, and he fought to cool his overheated body. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he titled his head back, and stared up at the thick green blanket of leaves on the trees. The wind blew slightly, causing the limbs to sway. Dew filled the air, alerting him to a coming rain.

Frustrated, he tugged his shirt and jeans off, tossing them to the side in a heap. Kneeling on his hands and knees, he grunted as his transition began.

Once he’d fully turned, he picked up his discarded clothing in his mouth, and darted through the woods. The cooling air helped to clear his cluttered mind as he circled around Natalia. He kept a distance, hoping she wouldn’t notice his scent.

Even if she wouldn’t walk with him, he wanted to be sure she got back to the ranch okay.

Gene watched her intently as she maneuvered through the thick brush, quickly finding the path that led back to the house. After a long moment, she stopped. Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned, scanning the woods.

“I know you are there,” she mumbled.

Lowering his head, he approached her slowly, not wanting her to feel frightened with him in his more dominant form.

Natalia pursed her lips as he lowered to his haunches in front of her. Rolling her eyes, she marched past him and continued on her way towards the house. He fell in step beside her, escorting her the rest of the way home.

When they finally reached the house, Natalia wordlessly scurried up the wooden steps, passing by Vincent as he stepped out on to the porch.

“Usually walks between two people consist of both being in the same form,” Vincent teased as he hopped down the stairs. “At least I’ve found it makes for better conversation.”

Gene cocked his head at the younger man as he dropped his clothes to the ground. Closing his eyes, Gene shifted.

“I just wanted to make sure she got back okay,” the alpha commented as he redressed.

“She’ll come around. You have to keep in mind that she’s guarded. She doesn’t trust us. Think of her like you do Dev. He’s guarded, untrusting, but once you earn it...” Vincent trailed off.

“Thanks. You’re getting kind of deep, there, aren’t you?”

“I have no problem getting the girls,” Vincent smirked. “It’s finding them interesting
after
getting them that is the issue.”

Gene sighed.
There’s the Vincent I’ve come to know.
“Thanks, Vincent. I just want to help her.”

Vincent’s eyebrow quirked up as he chuckled. “If you say so. I think you’d like to do more than just
help
her.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively before darting off towards the barns.

“Honestly, Vincent,” Gene rolled his eyes.

“Just thought I’d throw in one last joke before Preston and I hit the road,” he called over his shoulder.

Gene shook his head, and looked up as the screen door banged against the house. Preston stood on the front steps, a bag tossed over his shoulder.

“We’re getting ready to take off,” Preston said as he jogged down the stairs.

Gene pulled his brother in for a hug, clapping him on the back. “Be careful, Preston.”

“You too,” Preston said as he pulled away.

“I’ll see you in a few weeks. Thank you,” Gene sighed, meeting his brother’s eyes.

Preston nodded. “Pack comes first. I know that. At least you’re sending me away with someone fun,” he said, grinning.

“That doesn’t mean you can get into trouble.” He focused on Vincent, who was joking with one of the other men by the barns. “At least not too much trouble. Take care of yourself. Be careful.”

“You too. I’ll see you, Brother,” Preston said, patting his shoulder as he walked by.

“Bye,” Gene added. He turned, watching his brother walk off. A part of him wanted to send someone else—to keep Preston at home, and safe. The other part knew his brother was trustworthy, and the most adept at completing this type of job. Preston would be home in a few weeks.

***

“I
’m not sure this is a good idea,” Natalia said, sitting on the bed. It seemed like weeks ago that Lark had offered for them to go shopping, but in reality, it’d been only a week. She smoothed out her crème-colored tee, and looked down at the skinny jeans she wore. It would be nice to pick out her own clothes and not have to wear what someone else had chosen for her.

The bed dipped down as Lark sat next to her. “You’re not backing out are you?”

“No. I mean, I don’t know. Adrian-”

“Is fine. He’s been on the antibiotics for a over a day now, and has been acting fine,” Lark interrupted. She sighed, and leaned back on the bed with her head resting on the wall. “If you are going to go away with Gene in a couple days, you need to get things for both you and the baby.”

Natalia clasped her hands together, averting her eyes away from the blonde. She nervously curled her toes, running her feet over the soft carpet. She knew that she had to say what was on her mind, but didn’t want to admit it.

“I’m not sure I want to go.”

“To New York or shopping?” Lark asked, frowning.

“Either.” Natalia shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Shopping will be fun, and it will get you out of the house. When’s the last time you went out in public?” Lark asked, giving her a pointed look. “As far as New York, Gene knows the pack well. I’ve met his Uncle Isaac. Gene would never put you and Adrian in any danger.”

“How can you be so sure?” Natalia asked quietly.

“Gene’s one of the best guys I know. I grew up with him. I understand you’re nervous around him, but I think you should give him a chance. And whether you trust him or not, we still need to do something about Juarez. If we can get more men to help, then we should try.”

Natalia stood up, walking to the dresser. Running her finger along the finish, she sighed.

“I want Juarez’s reign to end. He needs to be stopped; otherwise Adrian will never be safe.”

“Then take a chance, and trust Gene. Trust me; we all want the same thing,” Lark pleaded.

The bed creaked as Lark stood up, her feet padding softly across the carpet. “Gene’s coming shopping too.” She grinned. “Thought you might like to know that.”

***

F
or the first time in a year, Natalia felt normal. The mall was bustling with people, and, other than the four men waiting by the shop door, she felt comfortable.

“I think you should get this for him. Blue is definitely his color,” Emily commented, holding up a blue two-piece outfit. Emily’s eyes flicked from the clothes to Adrian’s form snug in his stroller. She handed Natalia the layette, and continued to browse through the baby clothes. “This one too.”

“Thanks,” Natalia said, taking the sleeper. She licked her lips, looking at the garments in her hand. The price tags were reminders that she had no money. In fact, she had nothing. Everything she owned had been purchased for her by Gene or someone else within the pack.