Chapter 8 Cathy

Chapter 8 Cathy

: Inside the night pack

’s POV

"He’s handsome, isn’t he?" Lydia caught me looking at the portrait.

I blushed red like a tomato and nodded so as not to look suspicious.

"You have a lovely family," I told her cordially.

"They’re my entire life," she continued. "Are you married?"

"No, but I’m seeing someone," I replied.

"It was to be expected that such a talented and beautiful woman would not be alone," Lydia commented and sighed.

"Thank you very much. You are very kind."

I checked my phone, hoping Larry had answered my message, but there were only notifications from my store’s Instagram page.

"Go ahead," she led the way to a room at the end of the long hallway.

Before entering, I couldn’t help but remember my room in Pennsylvania, where I felt like a prisoner in my own home. But as I set foot inside, everything was suddenly erased from my mind, and I was amazed at the chemistry utensils and sophisticated machines kept in this small laboratory, with shelves full of flower extracts, mushrooms, and essential oils.

"Wow, it’s amazing, even better than my lab," I said out loud.

"I had my... employees bring everything needed. If anything is missing, just ask, and I’ll see to it that it’s delivered."

Lydia was talking, and I went into the small lab. I walked down its narrow corridors, looking at each of its components and all the chemicals that were stacked on shelves.

"I don’t think anything will be needed." I smiled.

"Are you comfortable... is the temperature of the place okay?" The Luna of the Night Pack was attentive like no one else and tried at all times to make me feel at ease. "If you need anything, anything at all, just ask."

"Understood," I said, "Before we start, we need to protect our skin and clothes."

"Yeah, over here," she pulled out a pair of lab coats, gloves, and protective eyewear from one of the drawers. "The best of the best."

She had everything planned, the instruments, the lab, even the security items as if she knew that I’d agree to teach her.

"How would you know I’d accept?" I asked.

"Let’s just say it was a hunch, plus I don’t give up that quickly," she added as she buttoned her lab coat wrong. "And I would have kept insisting until you put a restraining order on me."

We both laughed, and I helped her put on her lab coat and gloves. And when we were both ready, she looked very excited.

"Before I show you, I’d like to try all of this and make sure everything is right. Plus, this way, you can see everything I do, and when it’s your turn to do it, you’ll already have an idea. Still, I know this is a lot of information in just one night, so I need to just make sure to get the basics right."

"You’re the boss here," she said, stepping to the side.

I was in my element and I knew this wouldn’t take me so long, but I wanted to test the lab instruments. I went to the shelf and grabbed a package of fresh orchids that were preserved at a low temperature, and walked over to the work counter. I separated the flowers and put them into the extraction chamber, added water, and turned on the flame to start the process.

"Could you explain to me how that equipment works?"

"Of course, come a little closer," I said.

Lydia walked over to me and looked at all the machinery.

"This is the extraction chamber," I said, pointing to the cylinder-shaped glass container where the water with the flowers began its boiling process. "Here, the liquid components are separated from the solids by the heat generated by the water, and then it passes through this valve where the water with the essence is heated and evaporates to be purified, and then through this nozzle, we extract the essential oil from the flowers, which is where the aroma is."

Luna watched the process with amazement. Her eyes were always fixed on the equipment, and even though she knew she hadn’t understood everything the first time, at least she was enjoying it.

"What motivated you to become a fragrance designer?" Lydia raised her voice a little so that with the bubbling of the water and the steam escaping from the pipettes, I could make out what she was saying.

"It was always my dream," I shared. "I never knew my mother. And my father never talked about her. So, one day I snuck into his room to find something that would lead me to my mother, but the only thing I found in his trunk was the blanket they used to cover me with the day of my birth. So, I took it to my room, and when I hugged it, I smelt the scent of her perfume. I was so obsessed with recreating it and learning by myself how to create fragrances that I started to try out my own formulas to come up with a scent that would make me always remember my mother’s. "

I told her my story without thinking because I trusted her and somehow felt it was the right thing to do. She was attentive, with sparkling eyes and an air of sadness.

"I’m so sorry about that," she told me. "I never knew my mother either, she died when I was born, and I always blamed myself for that until I understood that was her fate and fate can’t be changed."

I felt like hugging her because I knew that she, more than anyone else, could understand my pain. I dried my eyes before the tears welled up and reached over to collect the orchid essence.

"What do you think?" I asked her, approaching the small vial with the few drops of the essence I was able to extract from the flower.

"It’s wonderful. The aroma is intense but sweet, and it’s as if the scent of the orchids has been compressed and intensified in these few drops of oil."

"Exactly, that’s what we were looking for," I said.

Lydia froze for a second and looked toward the door waiting for something to happen or someone to come in.

"May I come in?" a familiar voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"Come in," she contentedly softened her face.

Eric opened the door, and his gaze met mine. My entire body felt his presence as if somehow drawn to hers like a magnet to metal.

"You got here sooner than I expected," Lydia said. "Where is your father?"

"My father is still hunting. I came to check on you and settle some business," he replied without taking his gaze from mine.

Eric didn’t look much different than I remembered him, but I could tell he had matured quite a bit. His hair was just as dark but with a lumberjack’s cut that made him look sexier, his arms were more muscled, and his build was stronger. His jaw was strong and set, and his deep-set eyes were watching me with the same intensity that they had seen me at our last meeting.

There was a small silence, and clearly, Lydia noticed the tension between the two of us.

"Eric, this is Cathy North, the designer of the perfumes I always give you," she introduced me.

"Hi, it’s nice to meet you." I hurried to shake his hand as cordially as possible.

Eric took my hand without saying a word, not even making an effort to disassemble.

"North?" was all he managed to say.

Lydia walked over to us and looked us both in the face. "You two know each other?"

"No, I’d never..."

"Yes.” Eric didn’t let me finish the sentence. "But back then, her last name was Sith."

Lydia’s eyes widened like saucers, and she looked at me.

"It’s the same last name as..."

"Exactly, she belongs to the Sith pack," Eric said without a filter.

"Impossible. I didn’t smell her scent," Luna shared.

"It’s because I’m not like the rest. My wolf never recognized me," I said. "And I don’t belong to that pack anymore."

Luna reacted well. Having a member of another pack in your home was not the most common thing, but somehow she knew I had no other intentions. Besides, she was the one who invited me.

"So you left your pack just like that?" she asked me.

"Yes, I never felt I was one of them. I knew my destiny was not tied to that place. So as soon as I could, I ran away and left everything behind, even my identity, so I could fulfill my dream of being a fragrance designer."

Eric’s mother put her hands over her mouth after analyzing everything I had told her.

"Sith? That means you’re the Alpha’s daughter," she finally said. "I didn’t know the Alpha had another daughter."

"It was a surprise to me, too," Eric said.

"And how have you kept yourself hidden all these years?" she asked.

"I stayed focused on my business and have always been very careful," I said. "On the other hand, I doubt they were looking for me."

"You are a strong woman. There are very few like you." she shot Eric a look. "Don’t you think, my son?"

"Yes, she’s one of a kind," he commented.

"Well, it’s late now, and I must rest to be ready for my class tomorrow. I’ll let you two catch up," Lydia said, and before I could say anything, she left the lab.

There I was, standing in front of the man I have not been able to forget all these years, and the sight of him made my hair stand on end.

"I’m glad you’re okay," he said. "What are you doing here, by the way?"

"Your mother came to my store and asked me to teach her how to make perfume."

"My mother has been spending a lot of time alone, and she could use your company." Eric moved closer to me, and I felt the pressure in my body rise. His body was so close to mine that I could feel his body heat.

The heir to The Night Pack went and sat down in one of the chairs.

I took a deep breath and sat down across from him.

"I hope my presence doesn’t make you uncomfortable," I told him. "If you wish me to leave, I will."

"No, I’m actually glad to see you."

He kept looking at me, and it made me very nervous. I felt bubbling in my stomach and tingling in the palms of my feet and hands as his presence completely unsettled me.

I straightened my back and thought about things, one of them being that I would like to tell him about Elliot, but I didn’t know what his reaction would be. He might take him away from me or use him to blackmail me. So I kept those thoughts to myself.

"How is your father’s health," I asked.

"He’s improved quite a bit. Going out hunting has done him good," he added.

"Good to know," I said.

"If I had known you were behind those perfumes, I would have sought you out... Sorry, gone to visit your store and maybe talk."

"Honestly, it would have been nice to have a friendly face around," I said without thinking.

Eric looked around the lab, picked up the bottle of essence, sniffed it, and immediately scrunched up his face.

"Fuck, it’s super strong," he exclaimed.

"Yeah, one drop is enough to make a whole bottle of perfume, be careful."

He put the bottle back in place and began to beat his fingers on the wood of the desk, keeping a steady march-like rhythm.

"And what have you been doing all these years?"

"I’ve taken care of the family business, traveled extensively around the world, and taken finance classes," he said with his chest puffed out. You could tell he was proud of what he had accomplished. "If you need help with your business, don’t hesitate to reach out to me."

"I’ll keep that in mind," I exclaimed.

My phone started ringing, I pulled it out of my pocket, and it was a call from Larry. I looked at the screen for a moment, trying to decide whether to answer or not.

"If it’s important, answer. I won’t make a sound," Eric said.

"No, it’s not important," I said and put the cell phone back in my pocket.

"Okay, so...how long are you staying for?" he asked. "I plan to stay a couple of days, too."

A couple of days? How could I resist being next to him any longer? Every second I spent next to him, I had to hold back my urge to throw myself at him. Eric was a kind of addiction I didn’t know I had, and now that I had just discovered it, I didn’t want to lose him again.