My Jolly Alpha - Burgov Series V

6. Orson

The second those words left my mouth, I had all the confirmation in the world that I needed. That's right here, rosy cheeks, lips parted in shock and heavy breath were the reaction one's mate should have when wooed. Not the indifference I've been shown for months, but the want and need that was making your body stop to listen and act on its own accord.

I really, really wanted to kiss her, and be done with waiting and anticipating, but Markella was right, Kimmy would feel it through the mark I so stupidly left on her neck. How could I not have seen the signs before? How could I agree to a life in misery and just bear it not once finding it strange?

But now that I'm standing in front of her, everything seems clearer and, what's the best part, reciprocated.

"You're beautiful." - I said, tracing her caramel cheek with my knuckle and smirking when it started getting redder and redder from my touch. - "Would you mind if I stayed here?"

That probably wasn't such a good idea, because the Goddess knows, I was never the master of self-control. But I just simply couldn't get away from her.

"Orson… Are you sure that's a good idea?" - she asked breathlessly, closing her eyes when my hand traveled to her lips.

"That's the best idea. I just can't get away from you." - I assured her in a husky voice.

"But, we can't…"

A mischievous smile spread on my lips. It seems that we even think alike, as getting her naked has been one of my main thoughts as well.

"I know. But how about we just talk?"

"Talk?" - she frowned, making me chuckle.

"Yeah, I know, that's not exactly what I would like to do with you either." - I smirked and she narrowed her eyes on me.

"Oh, and you know me so well to assume what I would like to do with you?" - she asked, and I very much enjoyed the little show of feistiness. Like an adorable kitten shredding a toy mouse to pieces.

"Well, I can't be sure, but by the way you clench your thighs together, I assume it's not playing chess." - I chuckled, and the face she made made me grin even more. She was getting so aggravated that I was sure she would either slap my hand away any second now, or throw herself at me.

But instead, she pushed her hip to the side and arched one brow.

"Well then, I would have to inform you that I'm an excellent player."

"Oh, really?" - I asked.

"Really." - she assured me smugly.

I enjoyed this way too much. It would be so easy to lose myself in her, and I had to remind myself time and time again what we're playing for.

So, despite the growling in my head, I stepped back from her and dropped my hand.

"Okay then. Wait here." - I said, going to the door, and carefully slipping out of the guest's bedroom.

I made my way down the hall to Liana's old room, where I knew she had an old chess set and I snatched it, because Markella and I should have something to keep our hands occupied, and then I returned to the room Teddy assigned for my mate.

My mate. Even that title brings a whole other effect than when I used those words towards Kimmy. With Markie, it just makes me smile, while with Kimmy it felt like just another duty that I would have to live with.

I went back into her room, finding Markella in the exact spot I had left her, as if she was rooted to the spot. I showed her the board and her eyes went big.

"Seriously?" - she asked.

"Yeah, seriously. It's a good idea to have something between us while we talk."

Her cheeks got a deep crimson and her hazel eyes sparkled, but she nodded, agreeing with me.

"Okay then. Let's see what you got there, Alpha."

I groaned, walking over to her bed.

"FYI, I hate this title." - I confess, opening the board and throwing all the pawns on the duvet.

"Why?" - she asked with a frown, sitting on the other side and arranging the white ones on her side.

"Because it feels like in a matter of a day I stopped being just Orson and became some stranger of whom my people are wary of." - I explained as best as I could.

"Hmm." - she hummed, and I stopped with the Queen in my hand.

"What is it?"

Markie glanced at me and shook her head.

"Nothing really. But it seems like you and Cilia share a dislike of the rules you were raised under."

"Yeah, I guess." - I chuckled. - "You will have to tell me how exactly the two of you became close. Don't get me wrong, I love Cousin, but she isn't easy to befriend."

She giggled in the most melodic way, that sent a jolt to my groin.

"She is. If you stop thinking about her last name and who she is, she's actually the most fun person there is." - Markella admitted - "But she was damn confused when she first came into my home and saw that no one gave a damn about her heritage and had her peeling the potatoes and washing dishes."

I released a deep belly laughter, realizing it was so damn long since I've done that.

"I would love to see that." - I admitted. - "Did she even know how to do that?"

"Oh Goddess, no! She ruined at least three perfectly good potatoes before she got the grip of the skill, but she's very enthusiastic and a fast learner." - I nodded with a smile, and focused on the rest of the pawns - "But we clicked instantly. I was shocked myself, but it just worked. It felt like we got each other and now I see why." - I looked into her eyes, feeling enchanted by them. - "We were meant to be a family."

"That's true." - I agreed - "I should buy her flowers or something, for bringing you here."

Markella smiled softly, but her soft expression hardened quickly.

"What are you going to do now?"

I released a huge breath not having the slightest clue how to answer that.

"I don't know." - I admitted truthfully - "I need to find out why she did that, but I'm afraid that if I confront her now, she'll flee. So I have to be smart about it, and that's not exactly how I run things. So it's good you're here to keep me occupied, otherwise I could do something stupid." - I winked at her.

Markella nodded, looking down on the board.

"How did you two meet?" - she asked in a small voice, and the fact that she wanted to even know that, and help me understand the situation meant so much to me.

"She approached me on Alpha's summit."

"And what did you feel back then?" - she asked and I noticed how she swallowed hard, probably because this wasn't an easy conversation for either of us.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure. I was standing with my cousins, a bit pained and out of my game, because Ellie forcefully put me back into my place." - I chuckled at the memory - "And I remember I really liked her scent. Then we talked and just like that she came here with me."

"If you weren't sure, why have you marked her?"

"It's not that I wasn't sure, because her scent, well your scent worked on me. So I ignored all the red flags, because I thought I was doing the right thing. That no matter how many differences were between us, we would work them out with time. I never suspected…" - I shook my head, clenching my jaw, and I felt her delicate hand on mine.

"It's okay. You couldn't know." - Markella said soothingly and I smiled.

"I could. Because of this." - I rested my palm against hers, feeling the tingling sensation coming from our touch that had the power to chase all the clouds away. - "This wasn't there, and I should have known."

She smiled softly, not breaking our hands connection, as if she wanted me to savor this moment, showing me what a true mate should be like.

"I should start." - she said, motioning with her chin at the board. She made the first move with one of the pawns and looked up at me expectantly. - "So what do you think her goal could be?"

"I have no f*****g idea." - I said, moving my own pawn.

"Well, from what you've told me, I think she isn't doing it out of love."

"Why?" - I grinned - "Don't you think I'm good enough to have a psycho fan?" - I asked teasingly.

"No." - she rolled her eyes. - "But a psycho fan, you so long for, would probably do you every given chance." - Markella pointed out, making me knit my brows.

"That's true." - I agreed, and looked up at her. - "Someone's a little detective, I see. My mother would fall in love with you on the spot."

But somehow my little compliment had Markella biting her lip nervously and looking the other way.

"How's Kimmy's relationship with your family? Won't they be disappointed?" - she asked in a shaky voice.

"Her relationship with my family is non-existent. She doesn't like them very much, and they… Well, they try to be supportive, but I don't expect any tears when I break the news."

Markella nodded, looking a bit more relaxed as she moved her other pawn.

"Okay, so we know that she's not your mate and that whatever she did wasn't done out of love, so I assume her ulterior motive is rather dark and twisted." - I nodded, agreeing with her and moving my Bishop to the side of the board where it had a clear hit at one of her pawns. - "Any idea what it could be and why has she gone for such extreme measures?"

"Not a clue. But now that I think of it, she doesn't seem to be very fond of me, so maybe I wronged her in the past." - Markella tilted her head to the side with a question in her eyes. - "Sweetheart, you will have to know that I'm not an angel. Actually, there might be a large group of people who would say I'm a point-blank Asshole."

"Aren't you being too hard on yourself?" - she asked softly, making me chuckle.

"No, I don't think I am." - I shook my head - "I'm even pretty convinced that my parents don't like me very much either."

"If that's the case, which I think is not, it sounds like their problem, not yours." - she said with a smile.

"To be honest, I haven't given them many reasons to be proud of me or even like me." - I admitted, for some reason, wanting her to know all of me, the fun and outgoing exterior and the very conflicted inside, as well.

"Well, now I know you're just fishing for compliments." - she said cheerfully, making me look up at her. - "I know from Cilia that your parents are normal, nice people, so I won't believe for even a second that they don't like you, because every normal parent's love is unconditional." - she said with a cheeky smile.

I watched her for a moment, completely amazed.

I saw the way my father looked at my mother, as if she had hung the moon and stars, but I always thought it was because of the gratitude he felt for her for saving his life. But now I get it, I finally understand that it wasn't quite that, but the simple fact that she was exactly what he needed. And it feels different to know that behind you stands a woman who has your back. It makes you stand up taller and be ready to face almost anything.

"Where have you been all my life?" - I asked, and her full lips curled up into a gorgeous, sassy smirk.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I always had a knack for dramatic entrances?" - Markella asked back, and that got me laughing hard and feeling how easy it was with the right person. Amazing really.

Our game turned into a heated battle that lasted way longer than I would have suspected, but I loved every second of it, because it helped me get to know my mate better.

In the end, she won.

I ended up staying with her for the night, as we were lying in bed talking for hours. And sure, it would be damn perfect to be able to just take her in my arms and kiss the hell out of her. But it wasn't so bad. I actually found her company very exciting and I wanted to know as much about her as I could.

I learned that her parents are both dead. They died together in the mountains when they went hiking in one of the most unreachable places. Some boulders got loose and crushed them, killing the two on the spot. But Markella, even in such a morbid story, could find something positive, claiming that it's the perfect way to go. Fast and next to the person you love the most. Her view on death was very refreshing. She even said that the knowledge that they're with the Goddess together and neither is going through the hardship of living with grief made it easier for the entire family, because they believed that was the plan all along.

She told me about her brother, Dainen, and her grandparents, who are her only family now. However, the way she spoke about her tribe makes me believe she felt protective over each of them.

They really don't have the hierarchy as I know it, and she even admitted that she has no clue what her rank might be, not that it matters to me. But she did mention that her grandparents are like spiritual leaders to the small population of fifty, but no one ever addresses them differently than Robert and Myaree. They are both her maternal grandparents and her Grandmother has Aboriginal blood in her, hence Markella's caramel skin tone.

She asked a lot about my family, not at all intimidated by the number of my relatives, but rather self-conscious about what they might think of her and whether or not they would accept her. On the first day we met she had already shown me greater care over getting along with the whole clan than Kimmy had done in the last few months.

And finally, before we went to sleep, she asked the million-dollar question: what's my next step with Kimmy?

To be honest, I didn't want to spoil our first evening together, but I know that we won't be able to move forward if I don't get this matter resolved.

But how and where should I start?

Tricking me alone isn't exactly something that might be considered a serious enough crime. It's a well-known fact that there are she-wolves out there who would go above and beyond to snatch an Alpha wolf for themselves.

However, I've never heard of someone changing their scent to do so. That seems too extreme, and the lack of attraction, that Markie pointed out, makes this whole situation even stranger.

I would love nothing more than to arrest Kimmy and chain her in silver until she confesses. But I made her my Luna, and that does make her somewhat untouchable in my pack.

It feels like I've tied a knot around my own neck, and I have to be extremely careful to not make it strangle me in the end.

That's why we agreed to watch her from a distance, unsuspectingly, as if nothing was amiss and with that, play in her ridiculous game that she had no idea had a sudden change of rules.

In the morning, I woke up before her, feeling better rested than ever and that unfamiliar sense of fulfillment spread through my chest as I smiled to myself. I looked to the side at sleeping Markella with one wild curl falling over the middle of her forehead and teasing her nose, and then down at our hands that somehow clasped together at night.

She's something else.

What other woman would take all the s**t I poured on her and even decide to stay, knowing fully well it would be a road through torment, because if I know anything at all, it's that Kimmy won't make it easy for me.

I kissed my two fingers, just like Markie did yesterday, and I pressed my fingers to her luscious lips.

Her eyes fluttered suddenly and she blinked a couple of times before they settled on me with a lazy, gorgeous smile on her face.

"You know, if you went for cop a feel, you're doing it wrong." - she said, making me chuckle.

"Don't tempt me, Sweetheart, or our entire plan will go to hell."

Her smile suddenly fell and she looked embarrassed.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry." - she said in a small voice.

"Don't be, it's not you who put us into this place. But I will make it better."

Markella nodded, but her expression didn't hold as much mirth as before.

"Do you think I could tell Cilia? She will for sure ask why I left dinner yesterday." - she asked.

"Give me some time to come up with a game plan, and then we can start including people, okay?"

Markella nodded reluctantly and I gave her one last look before standing up from the bed.

"I have to go to my bedroom, take a shower and dress. I'll see you at breakfast? - I asked and she smiled weakly.

"You will." - Markie assured me, and I went to the door.

I didn't want to leave her. Goddess only knows that was the last of my desires, but if someone caught me walking out of her room, people would start asking questions and assuming the worst of me, as they always do. I don't need that right now.

I was done with my morning routine in record time, with the difference that the girl I was picturing in the shower was the girl I couldn't touch the way I wanted. f**k, that's frustrating. Being so close to her, yet being unable to properly hold her or even kiss her. That's like the worst torture of all, and someone will answer me for it.

Walking down the stairs, I could already hear giggles coming from the kitchen, and when I entered, Teddy, Markella and Cilia were seated on the stools by the counters and my Beta was in the middle of another attempt to spike Cilia's interest.

"And then bam, he comes into the room to claim her. I thought the Burgov riots would start." - Teddy said and I almost rolled my eyes at how many times I'd heard the story since our ascending day.

"I really need to meet that guy." - Cilia said with a grin - "To give our entire family a middle finger and take what he wants… That's an attitude I could stand for." - then she turned towards me, noticing me coming over. - "And what do you think about Ellie's mate?"

"I don't give two f***s for him, but he makes her happy, so who am I to judge?" - I said with a shrug.

"Our little Ellie tamed by a guy…" - Cilia shook her head with a grin and dreamy eyes. - "That's what I'm calling science-fiction." - Cilia snorted and I nodded with a chuckle, stealing a glance at Markie and catching her eyes on me as well. - "And what about Evelyn? What kind of a woman is she?" - Cilia asked curiously, looking between Teddy and me, and since he looked so eager to continue the conversation with Cilia, I gave him a curt nod to go on.

"She's great. But she keeps Nicky on his toes. She makes it seem like she hates him, but we all know it's just a game. Besides, Uliana and her became like two bump-buddies…"

"Hello-lo-lo, is anyone home?" - David's voice spread through the house, cutting Teddy's story short.

"Kitchen! - I yelled back, and soon he stopped in the doorway, dressed in his tux with a untied bowtie hanging around his neck.

David's eyes immediately spotted Cilia and he grinned, with his sight a bit drowsy from yesterday's partying at Ellie's gala.

"Look at you, pretty girl. Show me some love." - he said, spreading his arms wide, and Cilia didn't waste another second before she rushed for a hug. - "Telling the guys in the pack I'm related to you would give me a lot of brownie points." - he said to our cousin, earning himself a fist on his arm.

"Be good Dave!" - Cilia threatened with her finger pointed at his nose. - "Come meet my friend." - Cilia began dragging him by hand to Markella. - "This is Markie, she's practically like a sister to me, so be nice."

Dave smiled at Markella and exchanged pleasantries, but my ass started sweating the moment I noticed his eyes turning neon blue for just a split second, that made his smile drop, and his eyes wandered to me with questions.

"I thought you were supposed to come back tomorrow?" - I tried playing it cool by changing the subject.

"Lilly and Carter flew the family here before going home." - he said shortly, and his eyes were burning a hole in me.

"That was nice of them." - I commented, cutting a piece of sausage, and savoring the moment when my eyes didn't have to be settled on him.

"Yeah, it was." - he agreed - "Actually Ors, one thing that needs your immediate attention came up. Can we go to the office for a second?" - he asked, and just one glance at his face told me nothing had come up, he just wanted to confront me.

Those damn Gammas and their bloody senses.

"Business, business, business. What happened to you, David?" - Cilia asked him mockingly.

"I stopped living off my Dad's money. You should try it." - he winked at her, knowing that this comment would aggravate her, but sometimes I think that David lives to cause mayhem. He reminds me of myself before the whole s**t fell on me.

Cilia huffed and knitted her brows together and focused on angrily stabbing her scrambled eggs.

"I know you still love me." - Dave taunted her even more, and her pursed lips curled up involuntarily.

"Of course I do. But I don't like you very much right now." - she told him, and she looked up at me. - "You can take him away."

Point for Dave. He definitely knew how to force my hand.

"Okay." - I agreed with a sigh, knowing he wouldn't let that go. - "Let's go before I lose my Gamma in an angry she-wolf attack." - I caved, taking the cup of coffee and walking away from the group with David hot on my heels.

We stepped into my office, and not even a second had passed since closing my door before he started talking.

"Could you explain to me why Cilia's friend smells like our Luna, and also a lot like you? And where the hell is Kimmy? I swear to the Goddess, Orson, if you're doing something shady…"

"Stop. Just stop." - I cut him off, knowing fully well that he probably already pegged me as an adulterer. There was no other way, I needed to tell him. - "Why won't you take a seat? This would be one of the rather f****d up stories." - I said, pointing to the sofa.

And there went my plan of thinking my next moves through.