*“She, who prided herself on her tough exterior, could always be undone by the beauty of flight.” ― Alice Hoffman*
***Kiya***
I zipped up my purple suitcase after stuffing the last of my body soaps inside. Neron and I were leaving for the Alpha Gathering this morning, and I was nervous. I didn’t know what to expect once we land, but Neron knew these things like the back of his hand. The only thing I have to ensure was to keep my cool and keep everyone else at arm’s length, especially with my newest pursuer, Wystan.
I shuddered at the lingering feeling of his hand on my wrist.
My saving grace was my older brother and sister were going to be there. Lyria had been so busy taking care of Alexi, her son, and she’s expecting her second. I couldn’t wait to see her again.
Nuria sat in a chair next to my vanity table. She propped an elbow up, resting her chin against her hand while staring at her reflection. I pulled my small black backpack from under my bed and tossed it beside my suitcase. I glanced at the back of my friend’s head. A damn statue could’ve replaced the woman and I wouldn’t know because she hadn’t moved an inch while I was packing. Her ebony silk laid limp against her back, dulling under the light. And she looked exhausted. There was no excitement or mischievousness, just foreboding silence.
Who the hell is this woman and what has she done to my best friend?
“Nuri?” I asked, but met with more silence. Concern pinched at my nerves. I called her name again. Nothing. Walking over to her, I pressed my palm against her back. Nuria jumped and blinked rapidly.
“Huh?” She looked up at me, her features softening. “Oh. Sorry.”
“Nuria, are you okay? You’ve been zoning out for a while.”
“I’m... fine.” Nuria pinched the bridge of her nose, groaning. “There has been a lot on my mind lately, that’s all.”
“You had me worried there.” I grabbed a chair from the desk and slid it next to her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I don’t want to ruin your day.”
“You’re not ruining it.” I tried my best to give her one of my dazzling smiles, hoping to appease whatever stress plagued her. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
Nuria’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She blew out a heavy sigh filled with trepidation, cupped my hands, and squeezed them with her own. She opened her mouth, but closed it again, shaking her head. “What time is your flight?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Um...in about three hours?”
“You should get going. It’s better to be early than on time.” I sat, confused, when Nuria rose out of her seat and made her way to my bed without looking back. She hauled my bag on her shoulder and pulled my suitcase off the bed by the retractable handle. A heavy thump echoed when the wheels hit the floor. “I know lover boy is waiting for you. Best not keep him waiting.”
*Something was going on, and Nuria didn’t want to tell me*.
This woman oozed nothing but high-octane energy, ready to take the world by storm. There was a much softer side to Nuria that not everyone gets the privilege to see, shielded by the wall of her Alpha exterior. Nuria can act like a child, I think, to make up for her lost childhood, but when it comes time for her to buckle down, she’s just as formidable as her brother. Nuria is the Alpha Female by birth and by reputation.
But I’ve never seen her this *afraid*. Withdrawn. Avoidant. It’s an insult to her vitality. I wanted to shake her, to remind her that if she needed a listening ear, I was here. In defeat, I hopped on my heels and removed my backpack from her shoulder, replacing it with mine.
“Yeah, let’s not keep him waiting.”
I locked my bedroom door behind us, stuffing the keys in my pant pocket. We made our way down the hallway toward the stairs, descending each step in silence. Some Omegas were dusting and sweeping around us, ignorant to the dark cloud hanging over my friend. When we reached the door, Nuria stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.
“You okay?” I asked again, despite knowing she wasn’t.
“Is Phoebe a trained fighter?”
I didn’t blink for a solid minute. What a hell of a question to ask out of nowhere. “Well... not in the sense that I am.” I began, folding my arms in front of me. “She can fight, but it is more with her magic than physical if that makes any sense.”
“So, its like if a soldier prefers to fight with weapons as opposed to bare knuckles?”
“It’s not a preference for Phoebe. It is a necessity.”
“Okay...” Nuria droned, her eyes hardening. “If she were to get attacked by a rogue, for example, she’d defend herself without help?”
“Yes. What Phoebe lacks in the physical, she makes up in the mystical.” I eyed my friend with suspicion, crossing my arms under my chest. “Where are you going with this?”
“I need to get a sense of how I should protect her, that’s all.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I see.”
Phoebe gets underestimated a lot because of her quiet and elusive exterior. But, similar to Nuria, if she needs to fight, she wouldn’t hesitate to conjure up a spell or two. I got a taste of what she could really do when we fought Osiris for the last time. I didn’t know she could manipulate fire before that. Nuria regarded me with a heavy look, nodding in satisfaction before she exhaled.
“Nuria, it’s natural to worry about someone you care a lot about.”
“I-I know that.” Nuria avoided my gaze, her cheeks dusted pink. “I thought it’d be a good idea to ask, anyway. Phoebe is... important to me. And I want to ensure that she’s safe at all times.”
“She lives in the most powerful pack of California.” I laughed. “Even her breathing is protected.”
Blue eyes lit up with her chuckling. “Yeah, that’s for sure.” Her hand turned the doorknob, pushing the front door open. There was more Nuria was hiding, but I didn’t push. I’m sure she’ll tell me when she’s ready. Those two are destined for each other and Nuria, growing sentimental at the thought of her, was cute.
Aunt Essie stood in front of Neron, patting his cheeks before pinching them. Neron grimaced, batting her hands away as Nuria and I approached. “Mom, I’ll be fine. You do this every time I travel.”
“Oh, so a mother cannot worry about her son when he’s traveling across the country?” She put her fists to her hips. “Is that what it is? You’ve outgrown your own mother?”
“Mom!” Neron panicked, nearly dropping his suitcase handle. “Do you always have to be so melodramatic?”
“Of course. It’s in my DNA.” His mother laughed, pinching his cheek again. “I know you’ll be fine, but I’ll always worry about you, no matter what. I still remember the days where I changed your diapers or when you’d cling to my dress when scared.”
The image conjured up in my head was so adorable.
He noticed my smile. Neron looked as if he wanted to crawl into a hole and perish. “Is it your duty to embarrass me, too?”
Nuria snorted. “Please, you do enough of that on your own.”
“Now, Nuria.” Aunt Essie warned. Neron shot his sister a glare, but she shrugged her shoulders, sticking her tongue out at him. Lupin barked and trotted to my side, nuzzling his snout into my calf. I bent down on one knee and scratched him behind the ears while he howled and licked my face.
“You’re growing sentimental, Mom,” Neron said, his serious tone betraying his smile. Aunt Essie smiled, cupped his son’s cheek, and leaned in to kiss it. I swear Neron melted a tad.
“I might be.” She laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling with her smile. “You’ll always be my baby boy, no matter how old you get.”
Valerian inspected his black mustang, revving it to check the status of both the engine and the gas tank. He slammed the driver’s side door, pulling our attention to him. “Everything is good to go. Whenever you’re ready, Nero.”
He’ll be escorting us to the airport. Neron and I worked to push our suitcases and bags into the car's trunk, slamming it shut. Lorelai and Kwame walked over and handed us paper bags of snacks for the ride, wishing us a safe and productive trip. Adonis, Orchid, and Naomi saw us off with their parents; grumpy that we’re leaving but smiled when told it was only for three days.
Before we hopped in the car, Nuria drew me into a tight hug and whispered, “Bring me back a key chain.”
“Why a key chain?”
“Just because.” She winked before releasing me. She turned to her brother. “You better protect Kiya or I’m kicking your ass.”
“As if you need a reason to do so.” Neron scoffed, crossing his bulging arms in front of his chest. Rivers of blue streaked under his tanned skin, from his biceps to his fingers. My fingers itched to trace every single vein, curious of how he’ll react. Would he jump or quiver under my touch? Would he like it? The rush of heat through my body from the thought made me gulp.
*Goddamn*.
“And that’s why you’re not getting a hug.”
“You were never going to give me one, anyway.”
“Fuck no.”
Raina ambled over to kiss her husband’s cheek while Neron and I hopped into the back seat. The Onyx Moon crew saw us off as the car left the territory onto the road to Portland International Airport. I rummaged through the paper bag and immediately satiated my hunger with the snack bars, mini-sandwiches, and juice—my chewing resounding in the car’s silence, save for the music on the radio.
“I see your appetite hasn’t changed.” I could tell Neron was amused by his low chuckling. Rolling my eyes, I poked him in the shoulder after finishing my juice bottle. His chuckling grew as he batted my hand away. I neither confirmed nor denied that fact; I’ll just let my stomach do the talking.
The sunlight captured something black on Neron’s wrist. I blinked, squinting my eyes to get a better view. When I did, my heart leaped over a tall building in a single bound. My cheeks flared in heat and my breathing shallowed.
“You’re wearing it.”
Neron stopped, his eyes holding confusion. He followed my line of sight to his wrist, blowing out a content and knowing huff. “Yes, I am.”
A beaded bracelet strung by an elastic cord encircled his broad wrist, joining with a sterling silver four-sided bar. Each bead was an authentic onyx crystal, carved and tumbled to perfection. Because of its black color, the crystals wouldn’t fade in color nor become damaged when exposed to direct sunlight. The silver bar has four different words carved on each side.
Neron’s name. Onyx’s name. Neron’s birthday, April 16th. And the word ‘Strength’.
Onyx is the stone of protection and strength. Neron’s name held different meanings, including strength. A simple piece of jewelry that reflected his internal values.
The simple piece of jewelry I made for his twenty-ninth birthday less than two months ago.
I searched all over San Jose for authentic onyx crystals, even going as far as dragging Phoebe along with the ride. One retailer after another, I wouldn’t stop until I found what I was looking for. I refused to make his gift from manipulated and fake versions. It took a week, but I ultimately got legitimate crystals and got to work, tumbling them into beads. The engraving I got done by a professional.
“I-I...” Words were lost to me. I couldn’t verbalize how happy I felt to see Neron wearing something I’ve made for him. A part of me wanted to hide in embarrassment, for he shouldn’t know how much effort I put into making his gift. How it meant something to see him wearing it with pride.
Valerian focused on the road ahead of him in silence, but I didn’t miss his green eyes glancing at us from the rear-view mirror.
Neron wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulled me to his chest, and kissed the top of my head. Warmth swaddled me from the tips of my toes to my head, added with bolts of electricity striking my core. His lips maneuvered to my forehead, marking their spot at the center. “Thank you, Kiya. I know I’ve thanked you through text, but I always wanted to thank you in person. This means a lot to me.”
“I’m glad you like it.” I squeaked, gluing my eyes at the car window. *Oh goddess, I hope my cheeks aren’t too red*. Neron laughed above me, and I shrunk in his arms, no doubt laughing at my high-pitched voice.
I wonder if I could pay Valerian to dig a hole in the side of the road for me to hide.
I felt warm fingers graze under my collarbone, slipping under the chains of my necklace. Neron pulled the pendant from underneath my shirt, his breath hitching in his throat. “You’re wearing it.”
My full moon pendant caught a sliver of sunlight in its center, the gold star charm clinking against it in a pleasant chime. The same pendant he got for me on our first date three years ago. After Neron gave it back to me after repairing it, I took extra care of it, scared of damaging it. I only wore it on special occasions and kept it in my jewelry box in my room.
It’s precious to me. *Always will be*.
“Yeah...” I breathed. “I am.”
In twenty minutes, Valerian dropped the both of us at the airport, bidding us farewell to assume the role of Alpha for the next three days. When Neron handed me my ticket at the baggage check in, I was shocked to see that we’re flying first class to Miami.
*Nothing but the best, it seems*.
We got our bags checked, went through the painful lines for the metal detectors, and we made it to our gate in no time. While waiting to board at our gate, my phone pinged. Pulling it out of my pocket, I smiled and opened the message from Nuria.
*Have a safe flight*! *I’m heading to Garnet Moon to see Phoebe*. *Wish me luck*!
I quickly texted her back my well wishes before stuffing my phone back in my pocket. Neron came from a concession stand with two water bottles and handed me one.
“Everything okay?”
“Yep. Nuria just texted me, saying she’s going to see Phoebe.”
“Oh, that’s great. She better not take my car.”
In an hour, we boarded into our cabin and our plane took off for its seven-hour flight to sunny Florida.