My Jolly Alpha - Burgov Series V

12. Markella

It was hard for me to even find words to describe how it felt to stand in front of Orson's parents. I hoped that when we met for the first time, he would be right next to me to guide and support me through it all, but I had no such luck.

They arrived maybe two hours after Orson and Kimmy left. At first I was scared shitless, because what could they think of a girl from a barely habitable part of the Antipodes? Most likely that I was a nobody, another disappointment they could rub into Orson's face. But the second his Mom enveloped me in the warmest motherly hug, I knew I let his insecurities drive my own feelings.

Sasha is lovely. Very regal in her beauty, but at the same time, she gives the vibe that you can be absolutely yourself around her. She's a woman full of kindness and hospitality, but when she gets mad she's kind of scary. I know that, because I experienced her banter with Cilia in Russian, and even though I couldn't understand a word, she left Cilia sulking on the couch for another ten minutes, providing she isn't just all smiles and polite talk, that woman has some serious claws to show off, even though they might be hidden by day.

Benson, even though he wasn't as effusive as his mate, seemed like a perfect father figure. A little stern, a little funny, with a few dry jokes that left Dave groaning. But what got me the most was how handsome he was, and if I know anything at all, it must be that Orson will become one yummy papa one day too, with the same olive skin and dark, bordering black hair.

They took me in as if I was their own already and for the few hours we waited for Orson and Kimmy to come back they helped me forget that my man was somewhere out there with a treacherous b***h I dreamed of seeing locked in the cell. We talked non-stop and, just like I wanted to know everything about their family and Orson's younger years, they were just as interested in me. Not even once have I felt like they were looking down on me, not even once had they shared a look when I spoke about our tribe. No, they just listened with interest, asking a lot of questions and saying they would love to meet my family and learn our ways, which was very sweet and thoughtful. I'm well aware they know about my bond with Orson, but even that doesn't change the fact they barely knew me, yet they made me feel special and included.

Then Sasha announced that she would prepare dinner, so the obvious thing was for me to offer her some help. She looked surprised as if that wasn't an often occurrence, but she accepted my offer, and I must admit I had a blast. That woman definitely knows her way around the kitchen doing everything so instinctively as if it was her second nature, while I have to google how long to boil the noodles, after throwing the bag away before reading it properly.

But if I thought that cooking together was fun, I had no idea what awaited me at dinner. To be honest, I didn't even notice Kimmy was there glaring at one then the other before she ran out of people to freeze with her obvious annoyance, just to leave the table as soon as she was done. But the rest of us had a true pre-party.

Not only was a simple family dinner that Sasha prepared a true feast, but the joyful atmosphere, cracking jokes and overall easiness with which the conversations were rolling reminded me of the tribe bonfires we used to have back home.

Orson's parents were the obvious glue holding this Pack House together. Sasha invited Teddy's parents and their former Gamma, who, since stepping down from their roles, lives somewhere in the village and they rarely visit. But as I was listening to previous leaders' stories it became clear they were a close-knitted group, with Sasha and Tammy, Teddy's mother, being the epicenter. They made me laugh so hard that not only did my stomach hurt, but I must admit that a wine came out of my nose one time. Not very ladylike, but everyone brushed it off with another fit of laughter.

They made fun of Benson and the time when he first learned about Liana's pregnancy and how he behaved back then. They teased Trevor, Teddy's Dad, that he needed someone else to find his mate for him, and then they started telling all the craziest stories of their kids growing up.

"Remember that one time I walked on Orson playing with matches?" - Sasha asked Benson with a grin, and then she turned towards me, placing her hand on mine. - "He got so startled that he literally jumped and dropped the burning match right on the carpet. It caught on fire and you can still see the leg of that chair a bit charted at the bottom." - she pointed to the armchair next to two sofas in the family room.

"Why haven't you bought a new one, auntie?" - Cilia asked.

"Well, for one, it was bought by your grandparents long before I came into the picture, so it didn't feel right to just throw it out. And besides, I liked keeping evidence of our kids' shenanigans."

"Yeah, they kept the car I wrecked on the driveway for almost two years." - Orson chimed in groofly.

"As a reminder!" - Sash defended her decision - "And I see it as a great idea since you haven't had an accident since."

"You walked in on him playing with matches?" - Tammy smirked at Sasha - "Well, I walked in on Teddy…"

"Mother, don't!" - the young Beta objected, getting lobster red and trying to stop her from ending this story.

"...as he was playing with himself. He too got startled, but in his case nothing got burned, but I had to take him to the ER because we had a p***s-fly incident." - she ended and everyone aside from Teddy started laughing. Leave it to your parents to successfully ruin your image.

"That's nothing." - Benson started another story, taking attention off Teddy. - "Honey, remember that time when Nicky brought a girl over?"

Sasha threw her head back and started laughing, before she turned to me with the rest of the story.

"I think he was planning to lose his virginity that day."

"And what did you do?" - Benson urged her with an amused smirk.

"Well, I may have gone to his room with his laundry and asked the girl to help me with dinner." - Sasha said sheepishly, yet her smile said it was all intentional.

"That she did." - Benson confirmed - "Nicky hadn't spoken to her for almost two weeks. But the girl sends her birthday cards each year. What was her name?"

"Alice." - Sasha and Orson said in unison.

"And do you remember when Orson was around ten and the Orloves came over?" - Benson asked.

"I remember that!" - Cilia said. - "Are you talking about how we made an obstacle course in your office?"

"Exactly, baby girl." - he nodded and looked at me - "Igor and Orson were trying to find out which one of them was stronger and, in the end, I needed to remodel my office. They somehow broke each and every single one of the shelves in the unit."

"We were trying to settle who climbs better." - Orson said, cutting another bite of his meat.

"And it's not like we live in the middle of a forest, with hundreds of trees outside." - Sasha pointed out sarcastically while taking a sip of her wine.

"You grounded us!" - Orson argued.

"You broke the vase with the first VanWoert Alpha's ashes!" - Sasha said right back.

"Yeah, about that… it was actually me." - Cilia admitted, looking apologetically from her aunt to uncle. Sasha and Benson watched her in shock for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

"That's like a universal law, parents always think boys are more wild, while in fact, girls are just better at hiding." - Sasha pointed out.

"So true." - David agreed - "My sister is living proof of that."

"Are you telling me you were always an angel, nephew?" - Sasha arched her brow at him, giving him a doubtful look.

"Not at all, auntie." - Dave shook his head with his ever-present smirk - "But in all honesty, half of the stunts we pulled were all Ellie's ideas."

Sasha didn't look surprised at all, actually she smiled at Dave and raised her glass.

"Let's toast to you, kids, growing up, the Goddess knows we couldn't have taken much more of your pranks." - she said, and we all joined her.

It felt so good and normal to dine with them. It surprised me that, even though I met them just a couple of hours earlier, it felt like home. The way they talked about their family and told all those stories made me feel like I'd been there through it all. They may be linked with the strongest, most notorious leaders in our world, but when you take away their fame, they are just your typical family. A bit larger, but aside from that, just as close as mine.

I hope it wasn't just my impression, but I felt great with them. The humor, the family time, the closeness and love you could sense in the air, were exactly what I always wanted to have in my own home when I started it. Being with VanWoerts and their close ones felt just right.

"Mom, I must say I missed your cooking." - Orson said, patting his stomach.

"I'm glad to hear it, baby." - she smiled sweetly. - "I have made some snacks for Eve, will you help me with sending them tomorrow?"

"Sure." - Orson agreed.

"Send someone in a jet." - Cilia suggested - "A pregnant she-wolf shouldn't be kept waiting."

"Are we seriously considering sending cookies by plane?" - Benson asked.

"Yes, we are." - Cilia nodded with a grin - "And that's why I'm going to be Nicky's pup's favorite aunt."

"I think you have a strong competition, baby girl." - Benson said - "I know from Nicky that Ellie is at their house every morning with fresh flowers and pastries, and Uliana…"

"Can't go to the bathroom without calling her sister-in-law." - Sasha ended for him.

"You know, I have in my stash a herbal blend that makes labor quicker and less painful. I'll be happy to share it with Evelyn and Uliana, if they want." - I offered and everyone looked at me, before Benson smiled and pointed his fork at me.

"And that's what could make a favorite aunt." - he said to Cilia, and I felt how my cheeks started tinting with red.

We sat by the table till the late hours of the night, or maybe early morning, depending on how you see it, and I went to my bedroom with the biggest smile on my face.

Orson tried to lure his Mother for a talk about Kimmy, but Sasha was adamant about not spoiling this perfect night, and we agreed to meet tomorrow after breakfast for it.

I wasn't expecting Orson to visit my bedroom that night, especially not after he admitted how Kimmy sought closeness with him. That news left me raging inside. I don't know why, especially given his reputation, but I knew I had nothing to be worried about, but the mere idea that she wanted to wrap her clutches around him again had me boiling. I knew that at most, he would most likely pretend to be asleep if she came in, but it still kept me awake far longer than the amount of wine I had consumed would suggest.

However, when I woke up, the first thing I noticed was a strong, impossibly warm hand draped around my waist and his slow breath on my neck.

He came.

I smiled to myself, turning around in his hold and watched his handsome face. How could anyone hate him? He had that easy charm surrounding him, a great sense of humor and impressive loyalty. For me it was hard to imagine even a single day without him, but it's probably our bond responsible for at least half the times I think of him. But why, why would anyone try to trap him in an unhappy relationship that was slowly sucking the life out of him?

His relaxed face suddenly curled up from a smirk.

"You're a creep, you know that?"

"Says the guy who snuck in on a sleeping girl." - I answered, smiling immediately.

"It's your fault, you haven't locked the door, anyone could come in." - he said, opening his eyes and setting those gorgeous gray orbs on me.

"Oh, so you were protecting me from even bigger weirdos than you?" - I asked, biting my lip.

"Precisely." - he grinned.

"Well then, thank you for your service, Alpha VanWoert. I'll be sure to leave you the five-star review."

He threw his head back and started laughing, tightening his hold on me even more until his nose was in the crook of my neck and he spent a few moments inhaling my scent.

"Ah, just what I needed." - he said, looking back at me. - "You know, I'm not even that big of a fan of sweets, but when I'm around you I really want to take a bite."

His eyes started getting darker and the heat between us was undeniable and I once again felt like drowning in his eyes. The funny part, however, was that, despite my better judgment, one move from him, one touch or even a kiss and I would be a goner. Even despite knowing it would spoil all our efforts, I know I would do it. And I was never the one to be reckless.

So it left me both glad and disappointed when he rolled on his back and then quickly stood up from the bed.

"You're dangerous." - he said, shaking his head.

"Me? It's not me with those damn f**k-me eyes." - I said, pointing at him.

"f**k-me eyes?" - he chuckled, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, you know, with all that." - I said, motioning to his face.

"I definitely do not, but I would love to hear about it. Unfortunately, now I have to go before the rest get up."

I nodded with understanding, secretly dreaming about an ice-cold shower for myself. Dear Goddess, if he's able to make me all hot and bothered with just one look, I can't wait to see what he's capable of when the rest of him enters the game.

After a very, very long and cold shower, I met everyone downstairs at breakfast. I sat by the counter and was patiently waiting with the rest for Sasha to be done with her pancakes. It must've been a sight to see, a total of six people were waiting with their plates empty and drool almost dripping from their lips, just to get the taste of those bad boys that made the entire home smell heavenly.

I would hands down stay with Orson even if he was the biggest jerk on the planet just to have access to his mother's cooking. And I even considered this being Kimmy's motive, but it didn't quite fit, since she avoided both older VanWoerts like the plague.

Besides, when she entered the kitchen, she wouldn't even sit with the rest of us, she just filled her to-go cup and started cutting some fruits, as if it was her mission not to try pancakes. Maybe Cilia was right about her being a sociopath.

I sent a knowing look to David, who pretended to be massaging his sleepy eyes to hide the blue glow that appeared whenever he was using his heightened senses, and he took a deep breath.

I tried not to be too obvious in staring at him, but I just couldn't look away until I got my answer. So when he opened his eyes and barely noticeably nodded at me, I knew we had something.

Our first real clue.

Orson exchanged pleasantries with Kimmy asking about her plans before the party, and when she said she had a hair appointment outside the pack at ten, I almost jumped off my seat clapping my hands from excitement. That was the exact window we needed to peacefully talk with Sasha and Benson.

Having time to kill before Kimmy was gone, no one rushed with breakfast and we had a small repeat from yesterday with the most fun family meal I had in a long time. It made me almost nostalgic, because the last time my family was this happy was when Mom and Dad were still with us, but without them it was never quite the same. We laughed and smiled on a regular basis, but there was always that void that couldn't be filled with even the greatest story, or corny jokes my Grandpa pulls out of his sleeve at every occasion.

But here, with all those people, I felt at home again. And I would like to keep it that way.

We all watched as Kimmy walked out of the front door, and as if on command, we all stood with our coffees in hand and we walked to Orson's office. Teddy left us earlier, having some last-minute things to do, probably a decoy planned by Orson.

"So what do you have for me?" - I turned to David as soon as the door behind us got locked.

"What's going on?" - Benson asked, looking at us curiously.

"Oh, nothing. I just noticed how Kimmy was always carrying a coffee cup, and I asked Dave to check if it was actually coffee." - I explained.

"Well, look at that, a new detective-Luna. That's rich!" - he smirked, and David, Orson and Cilia chuckled.

"What am I missing?" - I asked, glancing at each of them.

"Nothing, don't mind him." - Sasha said, placing a protective hand over my shoulders - "They just always teased me that I should be a private investigator. But it's not my fault that I like the riddles."

"Finding weed in my things was not a riddle, Mom. It's called snooping around." - Orson chimed in, crossing his arms.

"You're right about that one, son, at least not the hard riddle. A hollow soda can that stood alone on your desk was barely a stash. I honestly expected better from you." - Sasha answered.

"The point is there are no detective skills, you're just nosy."

"I'm not nosy, that's my job to keep you, kids, safe." - Sasha defended herself and I saw first handed that she had her hands full with Orson and his siblings, and she was so unapologetic about keeping order in her home.

"Anyway…" - I said awkwardly, trying to break the family banter - "What did you find, David?"

"Well, she has coffee in there, but not only coffee. I sensed some eucalyptus, dried anemone pedals and two ingredients I couldn't quite catch."

My eyes lit up, because it would narrow down my search.

"That's perfect! And how on earth have you caught an anemone? It's supposed to be scentless." - I pointed out.

"Maybe to you." - he smirked in a very cocky way.

"That's helpful, I assume ?" - Sasha asked me curiously.

"Yes. You see, my family have passed down herbology knowledge for generations, and maybe with a little bit of luck I would be able to find what she used to change her scent."

"Impressive." - Sasha said with an approving smile, that it felt almost as good as if my own mother had praised me.

"Okay, so are we ready to talk about your ideas?" - Orson said, breaking our moment.

"Yes, of course." - Sash nodded, looping her hand through mine and walking us to the sofa. - "Well, I have a few theories as I mentioned." - she began when we were seated. - "First, the most obvious one is the money. For each year she served in this Pack she would require a p*****t even after she's dismissed by her Alpha."

"Even though she tricked me into getting her position?" - Orson asked, already agitated.

"I'm not sure. That's a very unique situation we're dealing with and it would have to go through trial, but we can't rule this out." - Sadha said.

"I don't think it's about the money." - I said, thinking it through - "It could have been if she wasn't going through all the trouble with changing her scent, that just seems much bigger than just a simple gold digger's stunt."

"Yeah, I second that." - Cilia echoed me.

"I agree." - Sasha said, and sighed - "But I would like to think it's about that, because the next potential reason I found is much worse." - she admitted sadly, making us all look at one another.

"Well, what is it?!" - Oraon demanded the answer.

"She might want to take over the Pack."

We all watched Sasha in utter disbelief for what felt like forever, before Orson burst into laughter.

"That's impossible. She has no claim without me." - he said so sure of himself, but my eyes stayed focused on Sasha and that concerned, ever-present sadness on her face.

"I'm sorry to be the envoy of bad news, Orson, but there is one precedent that could make this possible. She would have to, of course, prove that you are unfit to be a leader. That this place is struggling with you as the Alpha, and…"

"Okay, that doesn't make sense. Packs are like extended families. And if I was unfit, it wouldn't go to her, but to Dad, or my siblings, or their pups. VanWoerts are and always were leaders of Midnight Banes, she wouldn't be able to change it."

Sasha glanced carefully at me, and I didn't like that look one bit. To be honest, it made chills run through my spine.

"You're of course right, honey. In normal circumstances, that would be the case. But…" - she sent me yet another look and this time my mouth went dry, even before I knew what was at the end of her statement, simply because I knew it was nothing good. - "Tell me, is there a chance she might be expecting?"

Sasha's question threw me off and made my head spin. My eyes quickly found Orson's and I soundlessly begged him to admit there was no chance for that.

But when he started getting paler and paler, I knew my answer.

"You see, Orson, if she is with a pup, and she would present a strong enough case, she could take over on behalf of her child. If what she would present was incriminating enough, she could even take you out of the child's life permanently. That's a natural way of things that Pack goes from father to son, so no one would question it, and it wouldn't be the first time it happened. So we need to know if there's a chance that Kimmy is expecting?"

I think that the sound of my heart drumming in my chest was the only thing that was heard in the room, and I felt like breaking down and crying.

Not only would she take away the only home Orson ever had, but also his first born child. Not to mention that the sole idea of him having a pup with another was making me nauseous. Hooking up with somebody was one thing, but sharing something as important as a pup, it's another level completely.

Orson hung his head, unable to meet any of our eyes, and he nodded, confirming what I already knew.

"There's a chance." - he whispered.

I stood up so fast that I almost fell on my face, but Cilia was in a split second by my side, steadying me.

"I've got you. Everything will be fine." - she said soothingly, but I wasn't sure I believed that anymore.