Chapter 7 Cathy
The girl I was six years ago when I ran away from my pack was no longer there. I was a completely different woman. More determined, with much more courage, and above all, I was valued in my surroundings.
With the little money I was given after pawning the gold earrings, I was able to get to New York, the city where dreams come true, but also the city where Eric's pack lived. It was the perfect place since my father would never look for me in the territory of another powerful pack.
Besides small changes in my appearance, such as cutting my hair to shoulder length, dressing more appropriately, and copying the accent of the region, I also changed my last name. Sith no longer represented me, and it never did, so I chose North.
"Good morning, Mrs. North," I was greeted by the receptionist at one of my top stores in New York City. "Would you like me to make you some tea?"
"Good morning Amanda," I said, "No, thank you very much."
Here people treated me with a lot of respect. I was a girl who came out of nowhere six years ago and became one of the five most successful entrepreneurs in the state with my brand 'North Fragrance.'
The store was beautiful, just as I had always imagined.
White chrome porcelain floors, glass shelves full of perfumes of all kinds, created by me and adored by my clients, and as soon as people entered the place, the fragrances mingled in the air giving the sensation that they were walking through a field of flowers.
"Yesterday we had an amazing day. A new customer bought a perfume of each type, and he spent a fortune," Amanda says, following my lead.
"Good job, girls. I promise I'll give you a bonus for that."
My relationship with my employees was excellent, I always motivated them, and they, in return, did an outstanding job. I was the boss I always wanted to be.
The other employees guided the customers through the store, showing them the fragrances and spreading some in the air so the customers could decide which one to buy. However, they usually always ended up taking more than one.
I went straight into my office. Amanda took a folder of papers from one of the tables and placed it on my desk, and left the room with a friendly smile.
This was the most tedious part of my job, but also the one that helped me keep my business afloat. Reviewing the reports from all the branches scattered around the country and the new one I opened in Paris a month ago.
Sales were going great, and my product was recognized for its originality and good quality, but every month the best seller was 'Prince of the Night, ' a fragrance that I named because I had used Eric as inspiration, and I thought it was the most appropriate name.
Sometimes, I felt guilty because I had a suitor, Larry.
He was a good man, but I wasn’t really into him.
And I constantly couldn’t help but compare him with Eric.
Larry was an average business man, too focused on his stuff and not interested in having a family, which was a red flag to me since I had a son, but I couldn’t just ghost him since he was an important business allay.
I was lost in my thoughts until someone knocked on my office door softly but persistently.
"Come in," I said.
"Mrs. North, sorry to interrupt," said Janna, another of my best saleswomen. "A new customer came in. She's a woman who just arrived at the store and asked for you in person. I tried to persuade her otherwise, but she insisted."
I raised my eyebrow and peeked out to see the mysterious woman standing at the entrance of the store. She was dressed in black, wore dark glasses, and had a rough complexion. I could tell she wasn't the kind of person you could give a no for an answer.
"I've got this," I said to Janna.
I dropped the stack of papers on the desk, brushed the wrinkles out of my skirt, and walked toward her.
"So you're the genius behind these wonderful fragrances," The lady said. "Nice to meet you. My name is Lydia Night."
My heart stopped for a moment as realizing this was one of the Night family members from the night pack.
"Are you okay?" she asked me.
"Yeah, sorry," I said, controlling my emotions as much as I could. "It's just that I've had a long time without selling my own product, and I'm a little nervous."
Lydia took off her glasses and put them in her purse. " I'd like to have a little chat with you. I was looking forward to meeting you in person and hearing about your products."
The woman from The Night Pack up close wasn't so scary.
She was actually sweet and cordial. Her hair was dark brown, her skin clear without any wrinkles, just a few lines of expression which indicated to me that she was over a hundred years old.
Her build was broad but complemented by her great height, which made her look imposing.
I relaxed, knowing that there was no way for her to know my identity; as my wolf never developed, my essence was similar to that of a human. Plus, as always, my father kept me in the shadows, and no one on the outside knew me.
"Alright, follow me," I told her.
I took her to the luxury perfume area, showed her each one, and told her how I had been inspired to create them, her eyes were always on me, and she seemed to enjoy the tour.
"And that one?" she pointed to the one on the other side of the show where 'Prince of the Night' was.
"That one is a bit personal. I don't like to talk about it," I told her, and she gave me a warm smile.
"That's okay dear," she replied. "Thank you so much for the wonderful tour."
"The pleasure was mine," I replied.
"Now, where do I order?"
"I'll take your order myself," I replied. "Just tell me which one you want."
The lady pointed to almost the entire luxury collection and even asked for several perfumes of the same type.
I took notes since the order was higher than I expected, and I didn’t have enough fragrances in stock.
“I have to go and get some products from the inventory, but I’ll be right back in a blink,” I shared with a subtle smile.
She looked at her watch, then checked her phone and read a message. "I have to leave right away; it’s a family matter," Lydia announced. “Do you offer delivery service?”
"Yes, I can send the package to your home."
"That sounds great, but if it's not too much to ask, could you deliver it to me in person?"
After some thought, I nodded, "Yes, just give me your address and the time you want your order."
Lydia dictated her address. She said goodbye to the rest of the girls and me and left the store with urgent steps towards the entrance, where a driver was waiting for her in a grey Rolls Royce.
There I noticed that she must be an important member of the pack, no doubt a member of the council or even the direct family of the Alpha.
"Who was that woman?" Amanda and Janna approached curiously.
"I have no idea," I lied to them, "I just know she has good taste in fragrances."
The girls went back to their work, and I stayed in the office doing the work schedule for the rest of the week and counting down the hours to pick up my little Elliot from kindergarten.
Since Lydia wanted her delivery today, I finished arranging her order and asked the girls to put them in my car while I called a babysitter to watch Elliot while I ran that errand.
When it was all done, I went to get my little boy.
"Mommy!" he yelled, running to me with his arms wide open.
I gave him a hug and felt his heartbeat pounding from the adrenaline rush he was getting.
"Mrs. North," his teacher greeted me. "Here are your little ones' belongings."
She handed me the little backpack and lunch box.
"Thank you very much. How did my little angel behave?"
The teacher looked at Elliot and smiled, "Elliot is the smartest little boy we have ever had here. He learns very fast gets along with all the other children, and he's a natural leader."
My heart leaped with joy at hearing the teacher's words. I thanked her and drove straight home.
"What do you want to eat today?" I asked my precious boy.
"I want cereal," he replied.
I laughed and shook my head as I carried him in.
"You need to eat something more nutritious, so you'll be a strong, self-sufficient man to take care of me when I'm older," I told him. "Go upstairs and change your clothes while I make you something yummy."
He nodded and ran up to his room.
Elliot was very much like his father. Anyone who had seen him even once would notice. My son had dark hair, a strong jaw, a broad back, and light skin. The only thing he had that resembled me was his huge gray eyes.
I prepared a grilled chicken, tomato, and cucumber salad and garden rice.
Elliot and I ate and waited together while we waited for the babysitter.
"Mommy do you have to go out today?" he asked, looking at me with puppy eyes.
"Yes, my little boy, Mommy has to work," I said. "But Nani will take care of you, and I'll leave money for her to take you to the park and have some ice cream."
"You're not going to stay out like last time, are you?"
"No, I'll be back before you notice I’m gone," I said, "And I'll bring you something."
Nani rang the doorbell. I let her in and took the opportunity to say goodbye to Elliot and leave as soon as possible so that I wouldn't be out so late.
Night had already fallen, and the streets were full of people, so I took alternative routes to avoid the traffic, but in New York, there is traffic even on the sidewalks.
After several hours I arrived at Lydia's address. Her mansion was far from the city, and the property was so large that one could easily build a small city on it.
I arrived at the main entrance to the property and stopped to wait for the gate to be opened for me.
"Are you Mrs. North?" someone asked over a transmitter.
"Yes, I'm here to bring..." before I could finish the sentence, the gate opened, and I drove straight to the mansion.
At the entrance, Lydia was waiting for me, accompanied by a man dressed in black. Instead, Lydia had a more casual white outfit.
"Hello, Mrs. Night. Thank you for your purchase," I said, getting out of the car and opening the case so the young man could unload the merchandise.
"Would you like some hot chocolate?" she offered. "You shouldn't be driving at night by yourself, and there's plenty of room for you here."
"I wouldn't want to intrude," I replied.
"It's no bother, I'm very lonely here, and I could use some company," she insisted.
Somehow, she managed to persuade me, and before I knew it, I was sitting with her in her living room enjoying a chocolate caramel with marshmallows.
The mansion was immense, and it would be easy to get lost. Its walls were white and adorned with works of art strategically placed to make it look elegant, one or another sculpture of artisans, and the most curious thing was the floor, which was dark black but with small details in white that made it look like the night sky.
Lydia uncovered the boxes and sprayed the perfumes one by one. "You did an excellent job, and in such a short time, you are exceptionally talented."
"Thank you so much. I'm so flattered," I told her.
"I've always wanted to make my own perfume, but I never knew how to do it, plus I had always been so busy that thinking about it was just an unattainable longing," she said.
"But now that my son and husband have gone on a business trip and left me alone, I have all this time to try.
Would you be willing to teach me? I promise I will pay you very well. "
The proposal was good, and it would not be difficult for me, and at the same time, I could take advantage of this time to rest a little from my work.
"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "When can we start?"
"Right now!" she said euphorically. "I have everything you need here."
I liked challenges, and this seemed to be one since I’d never taught my work process to anyone. But if I was staying, I had to inform Larry we wouldn’t meet tomorrow, which relieved me because I wasn’t excited about it.
Sometimes, I felt guilty because I had a suitor, Larry.
He was a good man, but I wasn’t really into him.
And I constantly couldn’t help but compare him with Eric.
Larry was an average businessman, too focused on his stuff and not interested in having a family, which was a red flag to me since I had a son, but I couldn’t just ghost him since he was an important business ally.
"Luckily, I left my weekly instructions and goals for my employees, so they’ll be fine, but I can only stay a few days," I said. “Just let me make some calls and be back.”
I walked to the front door and made sure no one could hear the call I was about to make. I took my phone and dialed my babysitter’s number, and it started to ring once, then twice…
“Nani? Hey, there was a bit of a change of plans, and I’ll have to stay for the night,” I said.
“Got it, Mrs. North. I can stay as long as you need me to,” she answered.
“Please, give my baby a kiss, and don’t tell him anything yet,” I asked.
“Well, that won’t be a problem. He fell asleep like one hour ago,” Nani said.
“Thank you so much for this. I’ll compensate the extra hours, ok? Have a good night,” I hung up the call and then texted Larry.
Hey, I got a job offer out of town, and I won’t get home until the weekend. Let’s call the dinner off until I get back.
I followed Lydia through the mansion and stopped suddenly when I saw the family portrait that adorned the hallway. My eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. In the picture was Lydia, a towering man, and in the middle, a young version of Eric.
I wasn't in just any house, I was in the Alpha's house, and my host was Eric's mother and the current Luna of the Night Pack.