I woke up several hours later when the plane had landed rather roughly in Anchorage. I sat up straight in a scare as I though the plane was going down in a fire ball of flames, but when I felt the deceleration as we taxied down the run way I relaxed a little. I looked over to Kaiba still peacefully sleeping, breathing softly unaware that we had landed.
I leaned down and kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, "Good morning baby, we've landed."
Kaiba stirred a little and groaned in protest so I continued to kiss his jaw line and murmur in his ear.
"Wake up sweetheart."
"Stop that, Gwen." Kaiba groaned
I gasped, "I am not GWEN" and slapped Kaiba hard across the chest, "Wake up asshole!"
Kaiba's eyes flew open because of the shrill of my voice and the pain across his chest from my slap. I threw the blankets off and angrily crawled out of bed. I stormed into the bathroom and began to get ready to for the day of shopping in Anchorage. Kaiba followed behind me when he realized who I was and where we are.
"Are you mad?" Kaiba asked sternly
I sighed, "I don't like being called Gwen, or getting compared to her, but I understand. You spent almost 2 years with her. It'll take some time to adjust, I guess."
Kaiba smiled softly and came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, "I'll never call you her name again. If I do I give you permission to punish me anyway you see fit."
Kaiba pushed my hair away to one side and buried his face into my neck and gently kissed it up and down several times.
"Alright, alright." I giggled, "We have a lot to do before we leave for Fort Yukon so we better get going."
"Fine," Kaiba sighed and lifted his head away from my shoulder, "I'll go see if the car is ready."
I finished with my daily routine and navigated my way through the plane to the seating area where we had boarded. It took a little while for me to get my bearings of where I was in comparison to where we were yesterday, but eventually I found Kaiba waiting for me.
"Sorry I got lost." I said embarrassed
"The car is ready, where do we go first?" Kaiba tried not to laugh at my embarrassment
"Cabela's of course!" I exclaimed
Kaiba looked at me confused as if he had never heard of the world's foremost outfitters. I just laughed and exited off the plan and down to the car. I tried to go around to the driver's side but quickly saw a man in a suit sitting behind the wheel.
"Just tell the driver where it is." Kaiba came up behind me
I gave him a disgusted look, "I've never had a hired driver before."
"You'll learn to like it. Just get in." Kaiba smiled and assured me
Once we were in the car I told the man where we needed to go, and we were soon going down the highway. Kaiba and I sat next to each other marveling at the beautiful scenery out the windows. The bowl was filled with fishing and sail boats, and I kept my eyes peeled for whales breeching. The mountains had a thick layer of snow covering its peaks. Eagles flew high above the water looking to snag a salmon or two. There was a light fog that covered the road in front of us. I felt at home surrounded by the mountains and cool air. Even Kaiba seemed relaxed by the beauty of the mountains. We didn't speak during the drive to Cabela's, but it was a comfortable silence. Every once in a while I would shake his shoulder and point out to a moose or a group of eagles. We pulled into the parking lot of Cabela's and I tried to hold in my excitement to go shopping for camping gear.
"It's… big?" Kaiba fumbled around with his words
"Just wait until you see the inside!" exclaimed
We got out of the car and I practically skipped to the front doors. Kaiba followed behind me and I could sense a hit of hesitance in Kaiba's body. I giggled and opened the doors and waited for him to go through first. Once he stepped inside he visibly relaxed and I wrapped and arm around his.
"Cold weather gear first." I commanded and guided him through the store.
Kaiba marveled at the various taxidermy mounts of moose, elk, bears, fish, ducks, geese, and variety of deer and sheep. Once we got into the cold weather clothing section I went rogue and started grabbing arm full of a variety of clothing.
"Okay so start trying these on." I unloaded a large pile of clothing into Kaiba's arms
Kabia gave me a concerned look as the weight of the clothing was considerably heavy.
"Really, do I need all of these?" Kaiba questioned
"Not all, but most, trust me its cold up there." I shrugged, "You go I'm going to grab some and try them on too. I'll be right behind you.
Kaiba slowly walked away still unsure about needing this much clothing, but he didn't argue with me. I walked back in to the thick of the clothing racks and began pulling down things in my size. As I was shopping I felt like I was being watched. My spine began to tingle as I felt my stalker move closer to me. I tightened my muscles and prepared to confront the person approaching me. As I sensed them moving closer I began to scan my peripheral for other to witness my possible attack, but there was no one in close proximity. The stalker was growing closer and I carefully placed all my items on the rack in front of me so I could have use of my hands when it came to fighting them off. Once I had discretely placed my items down I turned around ready to throw punches, but when I turned around I saw a very familiar.
"Hannah!" I shrieked
"It is you!" Hannah yelled wide eyed with happiness, "What are you doing here!? Are you okay? How are your brothers? Are they here? Can I meet them?"
"Woah, one thing at a time; I just got here about an hour ago, I flew in. My brothers aren't here though, sorry. What about you? Is this where you've been hiding out?" I asked
"Yea I and a few others have been moving from place to place. We've been in Anchorage for about a week now. We were just getting ready to head over to Mount McKinley for the full moon. So are you up here alone? You can come with us." Hannah explained
"Well… I'm not exactly alone. I'm here with a human." I rubbed the back of my neck
"A human? Is that safe in these times?" Hannah asked concerned
At that time I could smell Kaiba approaching and a rushed an explanation, "He knows about werewolves. We are together, but it's a long, long story."
Right as I had finished my sentence Kaiba was at my side.
"Woah." Hannah silently gasped and gave Kaiba a good look over
"Who is this?" Kaiba asked as he looked cautiously at Hannah
"Kaiba, this is Hannah, Hannah, this is Seto Kaiba." I indicated to both of them
"Wait really? The Seto Kaiba? I've watched all your duels. I can't believe I'm meeting you! I can't believe you two are a couple." Hannah exclaimed giddy like a school girl
"Hannah is one of my betas." I whispered to Kaiba
Hannah flashed her icy blue eyes for a brief second as proof to her werewolf status.
"So what are you two doing up here? There are a lot of wolves up here you know." Hannah pointed out
"We are heading north for the aurora." I replied "It was a last minute trip and we don't have any cold weather gear."
"Well you're defiantly in the right place. Cabela's is the only place to get the best cold weather stuff." Hannah said with a wink, "Don't leave Alaska without seeing me again, okay? Who knows when the next time we'll see each other? This whole thing isn't blowing over." Hannah embraced me in a hug, "Damn Bailey, getting with a rich man. I want details." Hannah whispered in my ear
My eyes grew wide when she called me Bailey. I had forgotten that she doesn't know who I truly am. Hannah is my most trusted beta, but was this the time to expose my secret? Hannah pushed away and gave me a wink before walking away to continue her shopping.
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Kaiba placed a hand on my shoulder
"I kind of have. She called me Bailey; I haven't told my pack about my real identity." I whispered in shock
"We'll cross that bridge when we plan out our main steaming movement." Kaiba reassured me
"You're right. I guess we don't need to worry about that just yet." I smiled up to him, "So anything you like?"
"Yeah I guess a few. They were surprisingly comfortable and not bulky." Kaiba grabbed an armful of the clothing I was going to try on, "Now it's your turn. I can't wait to see you model." Kaiba jested
"Yeah because long underwear is super sexy." I rolled my eyes and walked toward the changing rooms
We tried on a few things and then decided on what we wanted and began to head toward the check-out stands. I grabbed a few things to wear weren't made for cold weather so I could change clothes while we were still in Anchorage and have something to wear on the plane ride back. Kaiba did the same after he bashed the quality of material a few times. I rolled my eyes and waited patiently as he stubbornly pick out his clothes.
"This is why we should have packed." I chided
"I was expecting more of a tropical island where clothing is optional. Not the frozen tundra of the final frontier." Kaiba retorted and I just laughed
"A wolf, who is naturally hot, going to a tropical climate where it would be miserable and sun drained, does not sound like fun." I jested
"I was hoping to get you in a bikini not a ski suit." Kaiba grumbled
I stopped and turned around to head back to the women's clothing section. I grabbed a blue and white stripped bikini and walked back to where Kaiba waited confused. I didn't say a word just continued towards the cashier and began checking out. Kaiba came up next to me and placed his items down and gently nudged me out of the way. Thankfully the cashier had already scanned the bikini before Kaiba saw it. I tried to fight back so I could buy everything, but Kaiba handed his card to the cashier before I could. We ended up buying almost $700 in clothing, but to us that was cheap. I couldn't believe how much we got for that much. I was used to buying a power suits that cost a few grand each. The cashier bagged our purchases and we walked outside to look for our chauffer. Once we found the car we decided to get lunch before heading back to the airport to switch planes.
We had lunch at a bistro close to the docks that looked out on the water and to the mountain range. It was a brisk afternoon, but we decided to brave it and sat outside on the patio next to the water. We saw a few whale pods break the surface and spray mist through their blow holes. A few gave us a show by breeching and tail slapping the water. I oh-ed and awe-ed at the beauty and Kaiba even remarked on the beauty of the whales show. We finished our meal and left for the airport. Kaiba didn't have a plane small enough for the dangerous flight to Fort Yukon and we were forced to ride with a commercial airline that runs strictly around rural areas of Alaska. We boarded the small, cramped, twin engine aircraft, with about a dozen other people. Kaiba's long legs barely fit behind the seats in front of us, and even I felt claustrophobic with the close proximity or our neighbors. The plane began to taxi down the run way and my stomach tightened with nerves. I reached over and death gripped Kaiba's hand as the plane began its rough take off. As the plane began to climb up to its cruising altitude my heart started to beat harder. The entire ride was rough with turbulence from the air current coming off the mountains below. Kaiba managed to get his hand free from my hold and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He pulled me in close and I continued to death grip on his thigh. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heart beat calmly in his chest. The steady beating calmed me a little and I relaxed in his arms. The other passengers watched me cautiously as I had fear and anxiety displayed all over my face. It was either that or they recognized Kaiba, but since no one tried to talk to either of us I figured that it was because of my not so subtle display of fear. Kaiba rubbed my shoulder soothingly and rested his head on top of mine.
"How does this not freak you out?" I asked with a shaky voice
"I'm a pilot. I fly small air crafts all the time." Kaiba replied calmly
"No offense but I won't be flying with you in any small air crafts." I squirmed at the though
"I'm taking a little offense to that." Kaiba pulled my chin up to look at him
"It's not that I'm afraid of your piloting abilities, it's more that I don't think I could sit there and not be comforted by you. You saw how I was before this! It gets worse the longer we fly." I explained
"Alright fair enough; you really are a nervous flyer." Kaiba laughed through his nose
"Only with sketchy, shaky little planes like this. Turbulence…" I shivered in his arms
Kaiba pushed me in closer to him and kissed the top of my head, "It's kind of nice experiencing one of your fears. I like being able to console and comfort you like this."
"Is this a normal couple thing?" I giggled
"I think so. I'm not very practiced in a normal dating life either." Kaiba murmured muffled by my hair.
The rest of the flight was near as nerve racking because I felt safe in Kaiba's arms. We had a rough landing at Fort Yukon and I nearly kissed the ground when we got off the plane. It was significantly colder at Fort Yukon than it had been in Anchorage. I took in a deep, soothing breath and felt the icy air burn in my lungs; it was refreshing to be in a cold climate again. Kaiba exited after me and was soon shivering from the freezing temperatures.
"I told you! You're going to be glad you bought all of the cold weather gear." I laughed as his teeth began to chatter
Kaiba gave me a dirty look, but followed as I headed towards the airport buildings to gather our luggage. Once we had our suitcases Kaiba quickly pulled out a heavy, down coat with a fur lined hood, and put it one. I also grabbed a coat, but not one near as heavy as Kaiba's, and put it on.
"I called Lucia while we were at the bistro. She should be outside waiting for us to take us to my home." I told Kaiba as I zipped up my coat.
"There better be a fire started when we get there." Kaiba growled
"Oh you poor frozen thing!" I cooed sarcastically, "The house will nice and warm, but if its not warm enough for you I'll keep you warm." I winked and headed towards the doors pulling my suitcase behind me.
Kabia grinned and followed behind me. Lucia was waiting outside in a rugged Jeep. Four wheel drive is a must out here where the snow never melts. Lucia and her husband Clark climbed out of their Jeep and helped us with our bags.
"Madam Argent!" Lucia welcomed me warmly "It has been a long time!"
I handed my bag to Clark and gave Lucia a warm embrace, "Thank you for picking us up and for getting the house ready on such short notice."
Clark loaded the bags and closed the back hatch and we all climbed into the Jeep which thankfully had the heater on full blast.
"Clark, Lucia, this is my boyfriend Seto Kaiba. Kaiba these are my housekeepers Lucia and Clark. Seto is aware of werewolves. Clark, Lucia and their children are also wolves. Most everyone up here are werewolves." I explained
"So Mr. Kaiba are you too a werewolf? Clark looked to us through the review mirror
Kaiba looked to me and I took it as he wanted me to explain, "No, well it's weird. He's my mate, but he is not a full werewolf. I believe he has a very small fraction of werewolf in him. Some sort of distant relative must have been a wolf."
"You don't say? That is quiet fascinating; If it is okay I would like to see what it looks like when we get you two settled." Lucia asked warmly
Lucia was a motherly figure to anyone who has come to know her. I was drawn to her the first time I met her because she had reminded me of my mom. She was a taller woman with silvery hair and almost navy blue eyes. She is kind a loving to everyone even strangers. She is one of the few older wolves I have met that still have their yellow eyes of innocence. I don't think she has a mean bone in her body, and I don't think she would be able to kill a person; clearly she hadn't. Clark was an alpha in his youth, but has passed down his status to his eldest son several years ago when he turned 25. Clark was also a gray haired man, but his more a deep salt and peppery look. His wolf warm was a very deep grey that in certain light give him a blue tint. I had known Lucia and Clark since I was young. Clark's parents were longtime family friends of my father's family. I ran to them shortly after the incident with Kaiba 2 years ago. They were the ones who helped me foster in a new pack.
"I think we might need to warm up a little first. Some of us aren't equipped for the climate up here." I nudge Kaiba gently in the ribs and he smiled softly
"This is a very different cold compared to the cold back home." Kaiba commented joining the conversation
"Most people up here have to werewolves just to survive the cold. To us its bearable because we run higher temperatures and the cold weather is welcomed. Not to many humans like cold, cold weather like this. There are those few who brave the cold up here and live here year around. Most of them are aware of us though and think of werewolves as allies, thankfully." Clark quipped
"How did you go about telling them about your true identities? If you don't mind me asking that is." Kaiba leaned forward intrigued
I looked over to Kaiba with a cautious glance. I wasn't sure how far or how much Kaiba was going to tell Lucia and Clark about our plans.
"Honestly we just sat them down at the local pub and explained our heritage. Most are outdoors men who have seen strange things out in the woods so the kind of have this inkling and understanding that there are other things out there. Very opened minded people really." Clarked explained
"We've been lucky to have everyone in town work together without judgement." Lucia patted Clarks free hand with a loving touch
"If only everyone was like that." A mumbled quietly
"How have you and your brothers been handling this scare?" Lucia turned around and asked
"It hasn't got to out of hand yet, but we have been keeping and even closer eye and trying not to give any hint to our abilities. We just act as if everyone around us has a suspicion about our supernatural identities." I shrugged
"How did you react to Kenzi telling you, Mr. Kaiba?" Clark spoke over Lucia
"Surprisingly well." I laughed
Kaiba smiled at me and then replied, "I had actually invited Kenzi to dinner one night to talk about her parent's murder and their murder being mauled shortly after. I had suspicion that there was something more than what the police had released. I wanted to question her about it, but I wasn't prepared to be exposed to a whole new world."
I hung my head and hid my face in the shadow as the memories of that night and the night of my parent's murder came back. It was still a very tender subject to talk about. I looked up briefly and saw sadness in Clark's eyes as he too was reminded about the gruesome events of my parent's death. Clark was good friends with my father, and I would even go as far to say that he was my father's best friend. It hurts Clark just as much as it hurts me to be reminded of the brutality that was that week.
I took a deep breath and steadied myself, "We had met a few days before and I had a feeling that Kaiba might have a connection to me, but I wasn't sure until that night at dinner. I ended up walking out of him, which of course he followed me and ended up coming back to the house and me and Caleb explained everything. The rest is history."
"And you two have been together ever since?" Lucia asked, but she knew the answer. I had told her what happened, but she wanted to know what Kaiba was going to say.
"Unfortunately no. we just recently got back together after a break." Kaiba said surprisingly calm
Lucia looked to me out of the corner of her eye and smiled softly.
"Awe, were are here, just before the sunset." Clark chirped as the large mansion came into sight
Clark pulled up into the snow covered circled drive and turned off the engine. Kaiba and I walked to the front doors and walked inside. We were met by a warm breeze caused by the door opening. There was a large fire rolling in the fire place heating the main floor with a welcomed heat. Kaiba unzipped his coat and draped it on a bar chair.
"Damn I was kind of hoping there wasn't going to be a fire." I cooed and looked to Kaiba with a seductive heat in my eyes
"I hope everything is in order. I did go ahead and stock the pantry and refrigerator. There is supposed to be a storm rolling in tonight so it'll be a little difficult to get back into town to get groceries." Lucia moved around the house as she explained, "Now like I said the towns people are aware of wolves so if you do need to go into town tomorrow it might be easiest to go as a wolf. There is a pack you can wear so you can carry anything you need."
"Thank you, both of you. I think we will be just fine. I don't think we plan to stay here for an extended period of time." I smiled warmly
"Now, if you don't mind, may I see it?" Lucia asked and blushed with embarrassment
"Of course." I replied and took off my coat and walked over to Kaiba who was standing in front of the fire
Lucia and Clark followed close behind. I stopped and smiled at Kaiba, he was standing with his hands behind him, warming them with the fire. I slid a hand under his shirt and on to his defined abs. I turned to see Lucia and Clark looking at us with their yellow and blue eyes. Both of their eyes grew wide as they saw the electric blue connection dance around us, the symbol of bond.
"What are you doing?" Kaiba leaned down and whispered in my ear
"They are looking at our bond." I smiled sweetly, "Do you want to see theirs?"
"They are mates?" Kaiba raised his eyebrows
"Yup," I turned back to Lucia and Clark, "Do you mind if I show him your bond? He's never mate another set of mates."
"Absolutely dear." Lucia cooed and grabbed onto Clark's hand
Blinked into my red eyes and kept my hand on Kaiba's skin. I heard a sharp intake a breath as he saw the dancing swirls of oranges and pinks that moved around Lucia and Clark.
"That is what mates look like." I looked up to Kaiba
"That is what people see when they look at us?" Kaiba asked in awe
"Ours is a mix of blues and it more like electrical currents bouncing between us. I think has something to do with our personalities. Clark and Lucia are very mild mannered, mellow. We are both assertive and dominate."
"There is an abstract beauty to it. I don't know how to describe it." Kaiba whispered still awe struck
"It's like the aurora borealis the way you normally see it." I insisted, "Thank you." I smiled and directed my attention back to Lucia and Clark.
"If you two need anything please don't hesitate to call." Lucia offered and Clark shook his head in agreement behind her
Kaiba and I smiled and appreciation and waved before they walked out of the house.
"So is that why you spend so much time up here?" Kaiba asked and sat down on the ledge in front of the fire.
"Because of them?" I questioned confused
"That and because of how accepted your kind is up here?"
"No, I don't spend time in town. I come up here for the weather and the scenery. It a good place to forget your thoughts and relax." I stood in front of him rocking on my heels, "So are you warmed up, or do you need generate a little more heat?"
Kaiba pulled me into his lap and I snuggled into him, "Between you and this fire I think I'll stay plenty warm."
"How romantic cuddled up next to the fire. Too bad I don't have a bear skin rug to lay on." I giggled, "Oh! But I do have a surprise for you!"
I jumped up from Kaiba's lap, grabbed my suitcase, took it to the master bedroom, and changed into the little bikini I bought before leaving Anchorage. I seductively walked back out to where Kaiba was sitting in front of the fire.
"I know there isn't white sandy beaches and crystal clear ocean, but there is white snow and a luxurious hot tub on the patio." I said apologetically, "So what do you say? You said you wanted to get me in a bikini, well here I am."
Kaiba stood up with a straight face and walked over to me. Once he was in front of me he caressed my cheek and kissed me passionately.
"Lead the way baby." Kaiba breathed
