My Jolly Alpha - Burgov Series V

19. Markella

"Oh Orson, that's excellent news!" - I said, covering my mouth with my hand from all the emotions pushing my tears up front.

The news about how the antidote worked and how David, Orson's parents and even Teddy were all witnesses to Kimmy's scent changing and her aggressive defense leading to her beige locked under twenty-four-seven supervision is more than I hoped for. Not that I doubt for even a second that my Grandma knew her field to its extremities, but there were many things that could go wrong along the way, like, for example, fixing it the wrong way. So I'm glad that everything worked out the way we wanted it to.

Although it's not over yet, I have a good feeling about this, and I trust Orson to bring me back to Midnight Banes faster than I suspected.

"I know, I can't quite believe it myself. And I have you to thank for that." - he said and I could hear the smile in his voice. - "But anyway, we've got just a few minutes before I have to meet my father in the office and contact the League, so we better get to the chase."

"What chase?" - I frowned, pressing the phone harder to my ear, feeling that sinking dread about something going wrong again.

"To the chase, I wanted to start yesterday, when we were so rudely interrupted."

"O-okay." - I said unsurely, on the verge of panic at that point.

"So… What are you wearing?" - he asked teasingly, and two things happened at once. My eyes darted to the group of people watching me expectantly, and right after that my cheeks started burning. No, not getting mildly warmer, but burning with fire from all the seven hells.

"Orson!" - I hissed in a whisper, but there was really no point, five other werewolves heard us quite clearly. Some, like Banks, Ellie's Beta and Danny, the Gamma, showed a surprising tack, pretending to be focused on something else, but Ellie, her mate and best friend all snickered, making me wish for earth to swallow me in that instance.

A joyful chuckle filled my ear and I couldn't stop myself from smiling right alongside him, even though I was dying from embarrassment inside.

"Come on, Markie, we both know you're not a prude. At least tell me the color of your panties to get through the day." - he said, and Ellie almost fell on her face laughing.

"Um… Orson, I'm not alone right now." - I said slowly, glancing at everyone gathered in front of me, who wrongly thought I would receive some serious information about our mission's progress.

Orson fell silent, but it didn't last long, well not on his side, because as soon as Ellie regained her voice she started shouting black over and over again, announcing to the world what I was wearing.

"Tell me they can't see your underwear." - Orson asked stiffly and this time I giggled.

"No they don't, your Cousin is simply a freak of nature and she can sniff out colors." - I answered, giving Ellie a pointed look.

"FYI, your strap is showing." - she said teasingly with a lopsided smile, and when I glanced down at my shoulder she was indeed right.

"In that case, you're good. Although you're not wrong about that freak of nature remark." - Orson chimed in. - "Anyway, I miss you and I hope to see you by the end of this week."

"I do too." - I said, turning away from the rest, hoping for even a little bit of privacy, yet they didn't seem to get the memo.

"Okay, beautiful, I'll call you later." - he said, and now my cheeks heated up from an entirely different feeling than embarrassment.

"I'll be waiting."

He disconnected and I turned to face the rest. And this time no one pretended to be preoccupied with something else, instead they all smiled at me encouragingly.

"So they locked the wicked Miss Nobody, eh?" - Ellie spoke first, even though we all knew the answer to this one, but even so, I nodded grinning like a fool in love, that I actually was. - "I don't know how you do it in Australia, but here that kind of news calls for a pitcher of Margaritas." - she announced, sending a knowing smile to Devina.

"Isn't it like 1pm?" - Banks, the Beta asked gruffly, watching his Luna with a little bit of judgment in his eyes.

"There's 5 somewhere." - Ellie shrugged, not even a little bothered by his comment - "Besides, what have I told you about your glass?" - she arched her brow at him.

"To see it half full." - he answered with a heavy sigh and not even a little bit masked eye roll. - "But I don't see how a pitcher of Margaritas would improve my life?"

"Well, for one, you could make Midnight Banes Luna your new best friend, and if that doesn't convince you, maybe complete lack of restraint in your Mate's behavior would." - she said, giving him a pointed look.

"Are you once again offering my ass to have things your way?" - Devina asked, but there seemed to be no shyness, outrage or hostility, just a plain and simple question.

"Yup." - Ellie confirmed shortly.

"Banks, listen to your Luna, otherwise she will kick your ass again." - Devina backed her friend up. - "Besides, you won't die if you let loose once in a while."

Danny and Maddox snickered at that, both rolling their lips to stop themselves from laughing, with tactical glances at the floor.

I watched them in amazement and with a little bit of amusement. That's what the leading squad should look like. Like a team of best friends working side by side, knowing absolutely everything about one another and complementing each other. I haven't been that long in Harvest Moon to see it this well, but I have a feeling they are just as close, and I would like nothing more than to help Orson create the exact same atmosphere in Midnight Banes.

It was quickly decided, or rather, the women outvoted men, even though they were in the minority, and we ended up downstairs in a less formal sitting room, with four massive couches, that swallowed you whole once you sat on them, in the middle and a long bar, that Ellie proudly announced was her best improvement of the Pack House. The girls started busting behind the bar preparing drinks for everyone, while Danny went to the stereo to put on some music. Banks and Maddox, however, sat down, looking as if that was their exact job in a moment like this, and it was best to not mess with whatever Ellie and Dev had planned. Smart men.

It made me smile, wondering how long it would take me to create such a casual atmosphere.

I honestly thought that the life of Alpha and Luna was nothing more than just their duty, especially after Orson admitted how inadequate he felt in his role. And to be honest, it passed my mind a few times that I could not be what the Midnight Banes needed. But seeing from the living example that things can work no matter if you're cool and collected, or wild and untamed, I have a lot more hope for the future.

We sat down, each with drinks in hand, and we chilled for most of the day. Talking about everything and anything, playing charades, and joking. This was a pretty great time I spent with them, and I was more than grateful for all the help and support they've showered me with. It isn't something you do for a perfect stranger, so it must explain why I felt so good with Ellie and her clique.

Somewhere around the third pitcher, my phone started to ring and I jumped hoping it was Orson, making my a bit fuzzy brain spin for a moment. But it wasn't my mate, but my best friend instead.

"Cilia!" - I exclaimed, answering the call, which turned out to not exactly be a call but a FaceTime, when her face appeared on the screen.

"Are you drunk?" - she asked right away, knitting her perfectly groomed brows together.

"No, not drunk." - I shook my head, which turned out to be a bad idea when I started seeing two of her. - "I'm just… What's the word?" - I snapped my fingers, searching for something coherent to describe my current state with.

"Woobly?" - Ellie suggested, from her position on the opposite couch, where she rested her head on Maddox's lap, and hung her legs over the armrest.

"Yes!" - I pointed my finger at her. - "See? We think exactly the same! It's like we have one brain."

"Something tells me that right now you may collectively have one brain." - Cilia deadpanned, making me frown at the screen.

"That wasn't nice. You promised to work on the bitchiness." - I reminded her, but I don't think she listened to the word I said, when I started closing one of my eyes to get her into better focus.

"Markie, how much did you have?" - she asked.

"I don't know. Three?" - I answered in question, because to be honest I wasn't even sure.

"Three drinks?" - she asked.

"Three pitchers!" - One of the guys chimed in.

"Is there someone sober to talk to?" - Cilia asked in exasperation.

"I'm sober." - Maddox raised his hand, and I handed him my phone. - "So you're the famous Orlov girl."

"That's me." - I heard Cilia's flirty tone. - "And you're the hottie who kidnapped my cousin. Kudos for that, by the way."

"Is it still k********g if everyone knows where you are?" - Maddox pondered for a second, making Cilia giggle at his rather dry joke. But even I smiled a little. I was probably more drunk than I thought.

"Stop flirting with him!" - Ellie yelled, snatching the phone from Maddox's hand - "You're already on my black list, Cuz, so don't cross me any further."

"For what?! And if you thought that was flirting, I pity your man." - Cilia asked innocently, but I could hear the mirth in her tone. However, Ellie must've taken her words to heart because she started growling.

"One, you missed my bid day. Two, you're trying to woo Eve and I worked too hard for the Goddessmother's role to lose it now. And three, you're trying to get my man castrated." - Ellie counted Cilia's faults, with each new point raising an additional finger.

"I would never do such a thing! The castration, I mean, you know I have much too strong appreciation for this part of male anatomy." - Cilia answered.

"If he flirts right back with you, that's exactly what's going to happen to him, so yes, you are." - Ellie stated, and for some reason, only I snorted with laughter, all the men in the room however, looked like they got sudden chills with shivers trembling their bodies.

"Okay, fair!" - Cilia agreed - "But can anyone tell me what's going on? I tried calling Orson, but he's not answering, and you made my other source of information completely useless, so…"

I should probably take offense, being that other source of information, but I simply rested my head against the headrest with a smile on my face. Listening to their conversation was kind of amusing.

"Well, we found the blend Kimmy used to change her scent, and Markie told David how to make an antidote." - Ellie started explaining - "Long story short, it worked and they exposed the b***h, and she's currently locked away, and that's why we're celebrating."

"Wow, that went fast." - Cilia said, sounding really impressed and impressing her was never an easy task.

"Yeah. Our cousin's mate has some interesting skills, without her we would have been fucked." - Ellie said.

"Of course she has, that's why I'm friends with her." - Cilia agreed, making me smile even wider.

"But I still think she's too good for Ors." - Ellie said teasingly, forcing me to open my eyes and glare at her.

"Obviously." - immediately agreed Cilia, and the two laughed at their inside joke, like two hyenas. - "Ellie, since I have you on, would it be okay if I swung by next week?"

"More than okay. Mi casa es tu casa." - Ellie said in very questionable Spanish.

"Perfect, and may I ask if my brother…"

"Send me 100k for your stay?" - Ellie cut her off. - "The answer is yes, yes he did."

"I should have strangled him in the crib." - Cilia muttered, making me snort.

"I tell myself the same thing whenever I have to have a longer dinner with my brothers. So, I got you, sister." - Ellie assured her. - "Come down here, and we can make a dummy with Igor's face, and then destroy it together. I'm thinking, decapitation."

"I'm thinking, let's set him on fire." - Cilia countered.

"Whatever you want, Cilia. Just come down here." - Ellie said with a smile.

"I will. And don't let Markie drink anymore, she doesn't have our stamina."

"Hey!" - I whined in protest - "I can hold my alcohol just fine."

"Then why do I know so perfectly how to hold your hair?" - Cilia answered and to that I had no response, not that it would be well heard, since everyone was already laughing.

Ellie disconnected and we settled for a comfortable conversation once more. I had so much fun with those people that I really felt like I was with my tribe. Who am I kidding, they are my tribe, a little extensive, and through my mate, but they aren't strangers, and I will do everything in my power to keep this acquaintance going.

Our relaxed state brought us to the most ridiculous topic of all times, which is strange things we did under the influence. I almost peed myself when Ellie, without any shame or remorse, told me the story of her eighteenth birthday and how she met her soulmate after downing eighteen shots and what went down after.

"His nose is still a little crooked. See?" - Ellie said, pointing to Maddox's nose.

"And I'll wear it proudly, it's the first gift I got from my woman." - he said, capturing her lips, to which Danny started making retching sounds.

"What about you, Banks? Any funny stories?" - I asked the Beta, who looked the most sober and still the most stiff, but I guess that's just how he is.

"No, I don't think so." - he shook his head.

"Bullshit!" - Maddox exclaimed - "What about the time you fell asleep on the steps leading to the Pack House because you were too tired to go home?"

"I was like sixteen, it doesn't count." - Banks grumbled.

"It counts to me." - I muttered, hiding my grin behind the rim of my glass.

"Oh yeah, what about you, Markella?" - Banks asked me challengingly, and I laughed at that.

"See Banks, that's the beauty of being new to the group. No one knows my bad side." - I answered smugly.

"Sassy. I like her." - Dany grinned at me.

"But while I won't elaborate on my drunken nights, because to be honest, I know them mostly from second-hand stories, I may tell you guys that I had the most peculiar dream after I smoked sage with Orson last time." - I said, feeling like I needed to say something, and while dreams are alway a bit out there, I felt safe to do so.

And so I told them. Everything about the boy who stayed behind watching other kids playing. As much about the kids that I as could remember. About the rain and how kids gathered together when it started pouring. Everything that I could recall.

"And that's the story I'm gonna tell my kids about why you shouldn't smoke unknown substances." - I ended my story with a giggle.

"How many were the kids?" - Ellie asked, watching me with great interest.

"Hmm. I'm not sure, something around a dozen." - I said, trying to remind myself of the dream, but it was all very blurry now.

"Dozen sounds about right." - she nodded knowingly.

"What do you mean?" - I frowned, having a feeling there was some hidden meaning behind her words.

"Three VanWoert kids, all dark haired. Three Burgovs with medium brown hair. One dark blond for Dean, one redheaded girl for Anya, and one brown-haired and brown-eyed for Sean." - she listed, and it somehow matched what I saw in my dream.

"That's nine. One is missing." - I said, feeling uneasy.

"Ah yes, and one brown-haired with green eyes for Boris. That gives ten."

My eyes went wide, because I would never even consider that, especially when I didn't know how half of them looked.

"Okay. What's your point?" - I asked, sitting straight.

"My point is that it wasn't a dream. You said it yourself, that this blend you used sometimes makes people see things. I think it was some sort of guidance for you. The thing you had to do to help Orson. He was defenseless alone, and to be honest, for the last couple of months, maybe even years, he kept moving away from the rest of us. I started even before Kimmy and I believe you were supposed to bring him back." - she explained, and my mouth went agape.

"But what about the rain? And the fact I saw it after I had him bring his parents back and contact you?" - I asked.

"I don't know." - Ellie shook her head - "The rain could be the threat Kimmy posed. And the rest I can't be sure. Maybe it was just a stoned hallucination, the figment of your imagination."

"Then how would I know what Sean, Nicky or you look like?" - I asked in a complete state of shock, and a lot more sober now.

"Like I said, I don't know. But something tells me we will find that out sooner rather than later."

Orson called me when he was getting into bed. But since he looked exhausted, having no sleep the night before and we were still sitting around, our conversation was very brief, and thanks to everyone's obnoxious comments, not very private. Again.

But he did tell me that Kimmy was still uncooperative, and even sending Teddy, who she always seemed to have a soft spot for, brought no new information whatsoever.

However, the news about his conversation with the League's Chairman brought me some hope. The man, who apparently was very close with the family, grew very concerned about the news, and he promised all the help he could give. Especially, when Sasha came up with the suspicion that Kimmy might not be Kimmy after all, when she couldn't track down the pair that posed for her parents at that one time, they visited the Midnight Banes for her welcoming party.

But there's just so much the League can do, and even though dealing with the bureaucracy is a new thing to me, I understand there are procedures they can't go around to have the blame falling onto the right person, without dragging Orson's name through the mud.

It was another day , with another step closer and a piece of puzzle that flipped over showing itself, but it still felt like we were far from the truth and that was killing me from the inside, because I didn't know what else to do.

We ended the day around three or four in the morning. It's been almost two days since I last saw Orson and I missed him like crazy.

How was it even possible that it took me just one week to lose myself in him, or to become so settled within this amazing family? If that's what finding your true place in the world means, I don't know why I wasn't looking for it sooner. And I kind of understand all the young she-wolves who dream of nothing more than to find that magical spot where they just belong. Had I known, I would have left home years ago.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face and a slight daze from all the alcohol Ellie and Dev poured into me, and I slept like a rock. That is, until the crashing sound coming from right next to my head woke me with a start.

It was hard to comprehend what was happening in the darkness of my room, but I definitely saw two figures wrestling with one another. I was never a great fighter, rather an outstanding runner, so the only real help I could provide was to scream.

But I stopped when someone groaned in pain, and then I heard the stomach-twisting sound of punching or kicking someone's flesh. I didn't know who those people were and who was winning, or why the hell they were fighting in my bedroom for that matter, but after one distinctive c***k of bones that almost made me hurl, the commotion seemed to stop.

"That'll teach him." - I heard the feminine voice that I immediately recognized.

"Ellie?" - I asked, throwing myself to the other side of the bed to turn on the light on the nightstand, since the one I was sleeping next to could no longer be found, probably being that thing that crashed at the beginning.

But the scene I saw in an illuminated room wasn't anything I ever expected. Ellie was standing above the man, who looked badly beaten and most likely unconscious, with blood everywhere around.

I glanced up at Ellie, but the fast dripping red drops from her hand got my attention before my eyes could meet her eyes.

"Ellie, your hand!" - I gasped.

"Yeah, I know. Fucker had a knife." - she said, waving me off, and with that sanding a few drops on the sheet I was sleeping under.

Suddenly, a panicked-looking Maddox, followed by Banks and Danny burst into the room, taking in the scene.

"About f*****g time, guys!" - Ellie said to them mockingly.

"What the hell…" - Maddox asked, coming closer to the bed and looking around. - "What the hell happened?"

"Well, my wolf woke me up. She felt uneasy, pushing me to check if everyone was okay." - Ellie started explaining. - "And after a while I felt the scent of an intruder and I came in when he was standing above Markie. The rest you probably can gather."

"And you haven't woke me up?! We've talked about this..." - but Maddox's voice trailed off a bit when the blood drained from my face hearing that.

"He… He stood over me? With a knife?!" - I asked in complete shock.

"I'm afraid so." - Ellie confirmed grimly - "Something tells me your identity is no longer that well hidden. And that this might be one of our moles." - she said, kicking the unconscious man on the floor in the leg.

"What do we do with this piece of s**t?" - Banks asked, and for the first time I actually looked at the man, who just tried to… apparently kill me, and I frowned.

"I know him." - I whispered, but even that faint sound was enough to stop the conversation Ellie and the guys had.

I took a good look at the dark complexion of the attacker and, despite his busted lip and visibly blackened eye, I knew I'd seen him before. Not too many times, just this once when I was looking out the window of the guests' bedroom in Orson's home.

"I saw him at Midnight Banes, he was working around the Pack House."

Ellie looked back at Maddox, and without a word he pulled out his phone and handed it to her.

"What are you doing?" - I asked.

"Calling my cousin, he may have more moles in his backyard than we thought."