Page 26 of Red River

Each of us grabbed an armful of suitcases and headed into the house. As soon as River saw us, he pointed out the different bags. "This one’s Van’s, this one’s Lake’s, this goes to my room."

"Are there any of Igor’s things?" I asked.

"No. His are the two big purple suitcases and the smaller silver one with the laptop."

I said nothing. We carried the bags into the intended rooms with the movers’ help and then went back downstairs. As we walked out, I told the betas, "Leave the two purple suitcases and the silver one with the laptop."

They nodded silently. We made two more trips to get everything into the right rooms, but Igor’s bags stayed on the driveway.

He stood there watching us without a word.

Finally, everything except his stuff was inside. "Thank you, gentlemen. Here’s something for your trouble," I said, handing them a tip. Their faces lit up with wide grins.

They thanked me, got into the truck, and drove off.

There I was, left alone with Igor on the driveway.

He stood still watching me without saying a word.

I was surprised at how he looked.

This boy was really striking—some could even call him beautiful.

He very much resembled his uncle, Skye Nolan, whom he’d never met. No one knew this, not even Sam, but I had lived with Skye in the same dorm room for six months. I also hadn’t told him I knew his estranged brother, River. I had a weird feeling it wasn't something I should mention.

Our eyes met.

Igor’s were a mix of green and gray, and his hair was much darker than River’s fiery shade; it was closer to his uncle’s chestnut color. His face showed all the signs that he’d grow up to be just as handsome as Skye. All the omegas on campus hadbeen drawn to Skye, but he… he was fixated on one crazy beta. Choices, choices.

Igor hadn’t reached his full height as an alpha yet. He was about six feet tall, skinny—a typical lanky teenager. His eyes were full of irritation, resentment, and distrust. He clenched his jaw and said nothing.

"Soooo. Here we are, finally, you and me." I grinned a little too broadly and walked toward him with a light gait.

"How’s it gonna be, Igor? Got any good plans on how to help your family heal after your loss?"

His mouth twitched. His gaze shifted to the side for a moment. I knew mentioning that was a good move.

"I did have a plan. But you're in my way," he hissed.

"In your way leading to… where exactly? To one of those nice alpha boot camps that make young boys so happy?"

That hit him. He frowned and unconsciously bared his teeth.

"So, how about we try to make peace? For your dad? For your brothers? They've suffered enough, wouldn’t you agree? The loss of your father—don’t make them lose you too. You all deserve a change for the better."

Igor stayed silent, staring at me like a caged tiger.

Suddenly, he shrugged and walked over to his suitcases. "Whatever, alpha," he muttered, grabbing both even though he could barely lift them. I picked up the laptop, and we headed into the house in silence.

We entered the living room. River was in the kitchen with the boys, who were already seated at the table. Their eyes lifted to see me carrying the laptop and Igor lugging the suitcases, his face grim.

We passed them, none of his brothers made any comments. River watched us with great tension but also said nothing.

We climbed the stairs to the last room in the row. I opened the door and went inside, placing the laptop on the desk. Then I turned to Igor.

I could see he was peeking around, unable to suppress his curiosity—obviously still a teenager. His eyes scanned the walls, the desk, the bed, the curtains. The balcony door was slightly open, and he slowly approached it to look out.

"The balcony overlooks the pool. In the morning, when the sun rises, you can also see the lake really well from here," I said quietly.

---