Chapter 2: Travel Talk

RIEKA

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned to face Aleksandr.  My Husband.  It still feels unreal to acknowledge that we’re actually, finally, married.  The second our eyes meet; the nerves melt away completely.

Whenever I struggle with self-doubt, I always avoid his eyes because I’m afraid that I’ll see something there to confirm my fears.  Afraid that he’ll reveal his own doubts about us, but one look into his eyes always reassures me that this is real, and our love is real.  I’m not sure if the mate bond plays a part in that, but at this point does it even really matter?

This gorgeous, kind, thoughtful, courageous man pursued me, married me, and he acts like he’s the one who hit the jackpot.  He obviously knows that his eyes reassure me, because he never lets me avoid his gaze for long.  Eventually, he always lifts my chin, and his eyes drink me in like he’s seeing me for the first time.

Suddenly I’m aware that we’re still standing on the curb outside the airport as everyone hustles around us to get to their destination.  The world around us keeps moving, completely unaware of the way my entire life has changed because of this man.

Aleksandr smiles as he lifts my hand to place a featherlight kiss on the back side.

“Are you ready for your honeymoon Mrs. Volkov?”

The corner of his mouth tips up in an adorable half smile, and I almost giggle at being called Mrs. Volkov, but the heat in his eyes stops me dead in my tracks and reminds me of the promise of what’s to come when we get to…. Wherever it is that he’s taking me.

“Am I still not allowed to know where we’re going?”  I reply with a smile.

I know I didn’t answer his question, but I’m suddenly feeling playful.

He shakes his head, but I follow up with another question before he can speak.

“Can you at least tell me how long it will be before we get there?”

Aleksandr pauses in thought and for a moment.  Just when I think I might get SOMETHING out of him, he shakes his head again.

“No, that might give too much away.”

“But won’t the pilot announce our destination before we take off?”

He grins, and I swear he looks 10 years younger!  “You really thought I’d take you on a flight with a bunch of strangers?”

“Wait… if we’re not flying, then why are we at the airport?”

“Oh, we’re flying.  Just wait and see.”

Before I was able to grab my own bag Aleksandr had both in his hands and tipped his head with a smirk indicating that I should follow him.  There was nothing for me to do but walk beside him as he effortlessly walked through the doors.  Instead of going to the check-in counter where all the other passengers were lined up, he walked to the far-right side of the space where a bell sat on a desk.

Setting the bags down he tapped the bell and about 10 seconds later a tall young man stepped out of a door.  I realized fairly quickly that he was a wolf, but I was uncertain if he was a member of our pack or not.  Unfortunately, I still haven’t met all the pack members, and honestly, I can only remember about thirty percent of those I have met.  Without a heightened sense of smell, I can’t identify pack members the way they identify each other.

“Mr. and Mrs. Volkov, welcome!” He greets us with a bright smile.

Aleksandr nods to acknowledge the young man, then turns to me with a knowing glint in his eyes.  The combination of the look he’s giving me and being called Mrs. Volkov cause butterflies to erupt from my stomach and quickly spread throughout my body.

After a few clicks on his keyboard, the young man looks up.  “You’re all set at gate A27.  Would like to me to take the bags for you?”

“Yes, please.”  Aleksandr lifts the bags effortlessly to the gap in the desk.

The young man lifts them as if they weigh nothing, “Enjoy your trip!”

“Thank you, Clint.”

Clint, as I’ve just learned he’s called, turns and walks back through the door he came out of, and Aleksandr turns his attention back to me.  There’s heat in his gaze, and I’m reminded once again that we’re on our honeymoon and this gorgeous man is all mine, and he wants me just as much as I want him.

I’m still confused about his reaction earlier in the car, but I must have been reading too much into his reaction to something else, because his current demeanor leaves no room for doubt about how he feels towards me.  My emotions are all over the place today, but as long as I keep my focus on Aleksandr, I’m feeling steady.

Lacing his fingers with mine, Aleksandr kisses my temple before he gently leads me towards the security checkpoint.  Instead of getting in line with all the other travelers, we take the express check-in where he shows digital tickets on his phone to another wolf who’s working security.  We both show our ID and he waves us through.

It’s amazing how easily a human like me can identify a wolf once we’re aware of their existence. It further proves the need to keep their presence secret from the larger majority of the human population.

The walk to our gate was a short one, and this section of the airport was nearly deserted.  Glancing around I see a couple airport employees walking around and a man in a business suit leaning against the wall talking on his cell phone.  This man wasn’t a wolf.

My forehead wrinkles in confusion. “Why is it so empty over here?”

“These are the gates for special hire charter flights and private planes.” He winks.

A small gasp escapes before I catch myself. “You mean we have a whole plane to ourselves?!”

Even though I know Aleksandr has a lot of money, I’m still not used to all the extra perks that come with that kind of wealth.

I look up and see gate A27 just a few yards away.  Glancing out the window, I notice the plane parked at the gate.  It’s larger than I expected for a private plane that will only carry the two of us and the crew.

Aleksandr squeezes my hand gently. “That’s our ride.”

A grin spreads across my lips as we make our way to the gate where a middle-aged woman, a she-wolf, is waiting for us with a warm smile.

“The pilot is ready to go when you are, Mr. & Mrs. Volkov.  Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable.”

“Thank you!” I manage to squeak out as Aleksandr quickly leads me through the door and down the loading bridge to the plane.

-----

ALEKSANDR

I couldn’t wait to be alone with my bride and have her in my arms.  Even though we didn’t have to wait in line at security and the jet was ready when we arrived at the gate, everything was taking entirely too long today.

Then, for the sake of safety, when we boarded, we had to each buckle into our own seats for take-off. The jet had a section for the flight crew in the front that included seating, a kitchen for preparing in-flight meals, and a bathroom for the pilots and flight attendants.

Just past the crew area there was a large open seating section with several sets of tables and chairs clustered along-side one wall, and bench style seats along the other wall.  The window blinds were open, but I had full control of all the shades with the touch of a button.

Behind the seating area there were a couple moderate sized beds that were extra-long to accommodate my height, but because there were no walls enclosing the space, there wasn’t enough privacy for what my wolf wanted to do with Rieka on those beds.

Not to mention, I would take up most of the space on my own.  Even though Rieka was much smaller, I didn’t think there was enough room for much activity if we were both on the same bed.

Since the flight attendants had a section near the front where they could hang out and relax until we needed them, they stayed there to give us as much privacy as possible, but the only real space for privacy was in the bathroom at the back of the jet.

We had been in the air for a while now and were finally able to unbuckle our seatbelts so we could snuggle up closer.  My wolf was extremely irritable after waiting so long to be with our mate.  I was half temped to lead her to the bathroom and show her just how desperately I wanted her, but there was no way that I was going to make love to her for the first time in an airplane bathroom.  Even if it was bigger, cleaner, and more luxurious than most lavatories on an aircraft, this was not the place.

Pushing down any thoughts of taking her now, I pulled her closer and inhaled her scent to calm myself.  Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect and only made me want her more, but she had been drifting in and out of sleep for the last hour.

Travel is always exhausting, and she will need to be well rested for when we arrive at our destination, so after closing the shades over all the windows, I lifted her and carried her to one of the beds in the section behind us. Once we were snuggled up on the extra-long, full-sized bed, I kissed the top of her head and let her sleep while I continued to fight my wolf and resist my growing desperation to take her.

-----

RIEKA

The inside of the plane was beautiful!  Cream-colored walls, cream carpet, and cream-colored leather seats were all contrasted by ebony walnut tables and half walls that provided a bit of separation between the spaces.

Once we got on the plane and buckled in, we took off almost immediately.  I’ve never been on a plane that was able to get away from the gate and off the ground so quickly.  More perks of the wealth and power my new husband possessed.

Aleksandr held my hand during take-off, but I wasn’t nervous.  I think it was more about both of us not wanting to lose physical contact with one another.  I’ve flown many times, and the pilot was obviously very good because I think it was the smoothest take-off I’ve ever experienced.

Once we reached our cruising altitude, we were able to unbuckle.  I tried to fight it, but I was exhausted, and after yawning several times, Aleksandr carried me to a bed near the back of the plane.

It was around 11:30 PM, and although I was buzzing with excitement, my body was also exhausted from a long day.  I fought sleep but snuggling up against my husband was so warm and comforting that I kept dozeing off.  Eventually, I stopped fighting it and just decided to let myself rest.  Aleksandr can wake me when we arrive, and even a short nap would help to replenish my energy.

His scent calmed me, but once I’d fallen asleep, my dreams did everything they could to counteract that effect.