Scorned Alpha - Burgov Series IV

1. Ellie

"Please, Sean! I promise no one will know. Please, please, please!" - I begged my unfazed Cousin with puppy-dog eyes.

"I said no! Vanya and your father will kill us." - he said sternly, seizing me with his brown eyes, and as if I were just an annoying fly, he waved his hand dismissively and got back to reading the History of the Lunar Tide.

"No, they wouldn't, especially if they aren't aware of that." - I said with a big smile, hoping it would buy him over.

Sean sighed and put the book on his lap, before setting his gaze upon me with a disapproving glare.

"Do you have any idea how many flaws that plan has?" - he asked rhetorically. - "Parents will expect at least Uliana, Dean and Boris to come to your birthday party, and I can't take them to that place, they are underaged."

"But Sean…" - I whined, knowing how many times it worked on him in the past.

"I said no, Ellie. Now leave me be." - he said, and picked his book back up.

I needed a different approach to get this stubborn Alpha on board.

I sauntered around his room, tracing with my hand different things on the shelves. He had surprisingly a lot of picture frames for a boy. One of him as a pup with my Aunts Diana and Chelsea. From what I know, the three of them weren't even aware he was a werewolf back then.

Next to it stood a picture of Aunt Diana in a hospital gown, with newly born Dean in her arms and Sean and Uncle Vanya on each side of the bed smiling happily at my little Cousin.

Another one showed the five of them shortly after Sean and Dean's baby sister, Anya, was born.

Then there was a one taken at our family gathering, and there were so many of us that it was hard to make out faces that were smiling at the camera. The Orloves, who flew here all the way from Russia. The VanWoerts from the Midnight Banes. Even Sean's father, Arthur, was present. But my lips curled up sadly when my eyes settled on an elderly woman in the front. My great-grandmother, Elizabeth. The most amazing and badass woman I am named after. She was a true legend, spreading stampede wherever she went, and I miss her each day for the last five years since she's been gone.

Whenever I was troubled, I asked myself What Would Granny Do, and usually it helped. So I used this trick one more time, briefly glancing at all the other pictures, and my eyes landed on one of our entire gang. Sean and Orson look around sixteen, and they, together with Nicky, Orson's younger brother, stood in the center with their arms hooked on each other's shoulders. On their left were Dean and Boris. Dean was whispering something into his future Beta's ear, while my brothers, David and Mikey, were looking at them, ready to cry over not being included in another shenanigans young Alpha and Beta were planning.

And on the other Sean's side stood we, the girls. With Uliana in the middle, politely smiling at the camera like a goody-two-shoes she is. Anya was holding Uliana's hand, looking ever shy and maybe a bit afraid before her first kids-only survival trip. And who could have blamed her? She was maybe seven back then.

And then at the far end, looking at the older boys with admiration, instead of into the camera, was me.

I remember that trip perfectly. The grownups didn't know that, but Orson stole Uncle Benson's credit card, and when Uliana and Anya proved to be as miserable in the woods, as we all thought they would, instead of wandering around the forest and finding our way out, we rented rooms in a motel close by, and we spend two days feasting on all the junk food vending machines had to offer and swimming in the pool outside. It's one of my favorite memories, and it was possible because Orson did something wrong.

Knowing exactly how to approach Sean now, I turned back towards him with a sly smirk, everyone says I inherited from my father, and Sean immediately knew what was coming. He put down his book once again and shook his head.

"No, Ellie, I told you N-O!" - he spelled it for me loud and clear.

"Oh, I heard you, dear Cousin." - I said with a smile growing even bigger as I walked toward his bed to sit in front of him. - "But tell me, aren't those fights illegal entirely?"

"Yeah, what's your point?" - he asked suspiciously, narrowing his brown eyes on me.

"Oh, I don't know." - I shrugged nonchalantly, trying to kill him with suspense. - "I was just wondering what would your Step-dad, our Alpha say, knowing you and Orson are frequent visitors in the underground ring?"

"You wouldn't." - Sean said, but something in his tone hinted he knew I would.

"Or imagine your Mother." - I feigned a gasp. - "What would she think knowing her perfect son sneaking out to watch innocent wolves getting beaten up."

"Ellie, I'm warning you." - he gritted through his teeth. - "If you tell them…"

"Remind me" - I cut his threats off - " if watching the fights all together is forbidden, taking two seventeen-year-olds shouldn't be such a great crime, because I would like to remind you Liana is already an adult."

"She may be eighteen, but she's not an adult. She's gentle and Orson would never agree to take his sister to such a place. Just like I wouldn't take mine."

"Oh please." - I waved him off - "I mentioned to Uncle Vanya we would drink a beer to celebrate, nothing crazy and his face went all red. He will never allow his precious fifteen-year-old, Anya, to come with us."

"And what about your brothers?" - Sean asked, c*****g his head to the side.

"Same." - I shrugged - "My parents wouldn't let them go. But even if they do, you have nothing to worry about. David and Mikey would rather die than rat us out. You know they both live to cause mayhem."

"I know, all the Burgovs do." - he said with a smirk.

"Shut your mouth, Maslow." - I grinned back. - "So do we have a deal? You get us in, and my lips stay sealed, allowing you to still fool everyone about being a flawless golden-boy."

Sean exhaled audibly and shook his head, turning his face towards the ceiling.

"I'm twenty-five, why do I let a little girl manipulate me like this?" - he asked the heavens above.

"I will let you slide with that comment this time, but call me a little girl once again, and I won't be this nice."

"Nice?! " - he chuckled - "Ellie, you're the bane of my existence. And for the record, if anyone is fooling others here, it's you, Ellie-boo." - he mocked me using the nickname only ever my Dad calls me.

Okay, I'll admit that I'm the apple in my father's eyes. In his opinion, his Ellie-boo can do no wrong, and I like to keep it that way. So spilling the beans of what Orson, Nicky and Sean do in their spare time is not in my best interest, because adults could start looking closely at what we all do, when we leave the Pack House. But it doesn't mean I can't get something out of it for myself.

"Irrelevant." - I said smugly, lifting my chin. - "So what do you say, Alpha Maslow? Are you going to give me the best gift ever?"

"Fine." - he finally caves - "I'll talk to Orson right away, he knows a guy who could get us in."

"Yiii!" - I squealed, throwing my arms around his neck. - "You're the best Cousin I could have asked for!"

"Yeah, yeah, but somehow I don't feel like a winner here." - he said in a flat tone, but I knew he didn't mean it. Sean often posed for a grump, but under the surface he was sweet and soft like a fudge. - "Now scram, I have two chapters to memorize, before going back home."

I released him and glanced at the thick book on his lap.

"Uncle Art is still torturing you with that godforsaken history?"

"I am going to be that Pack's Alpha, I should know what happened before me." - he said matter-of-factly.

"You're such a responsible boy." - I cooed in the voice of a proud mother. Sean chuckled and threw a pillow in my face.

"Go, before I change my mind."

I did as he asked. After all, I got exactly what I came here for.

On my way to the elevator I waved to Aunt Diana and Anya, who were watching TV in the family room. I didn't have to ask where Dean was. On a Sunday afternoon, he's either downstairs at Boris's, or the two of them are somewhere causing the chaos.

But I didn't care. I had to immediately share the news with someone, and my favorite go-to person was always Liana.

Uliana and I grew up like sisters, being so close in age and the only two girls in the group before Anya came along. When boys were doing their things, we did ours. Even though I always found those crazy, slightly dangerous boy' activities interesting, and more than once I joined them, it was Liana who was my secret keeper.

That's why as soon as I closed my bedroom door, I was already dialing her number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, girl. Get ready because next weekend we are going to see some gorgeous wolves having their asses whipped." - I said, having a hard time containing my excitement.

"Oh-My-Goddess! He agreed?!"

"Of course he agreed." - I said confidently.

"I don't know how you do it, but Orson doesn't even allow me into his room, not to mention doing things for me."

"I've been in his room, and trust me you aren't missing out." - I pointed out. - "The stale smell in there is something no Gamma would ever be able to get out of her memory. Honestly, it's hard for me to look at your brother without a grimace now."

Liana started laughing like she always did whenever I pointed out how disgusting our brothers or cousins were. All except for one. Boris, Harvest Moon's future Beta. She'd been making googly eyes for him for years, but was never brave enough to cross that invisible line. We all knew Uncle Benson and Uncle Grisha only tolerate one another, so if Uliana and Boris would have started dating, hell would inevitably break loose.

"But Ellie… are you sure about that? What if we get caught? I would be grounded for two eternities." - Liana's unsure voice brought me back to the conversation at hand.

"Honey, you're an adult now. And if something happens, remind your parents they too were young once, okay?"

"Yeah, you're right." - she agreed immediately and I could almost see her nodding her head eagerly.

"Or we could always say it was Orson's idea, he would probably kill us, but no one would doubt it."

A fit of giggles came from the other side and I smiled, watching myself in the mirror. My brown-blonde hair grew a bit too long. I should probably cut it before next weekend, but with my schedule, which Dad always makes sure stays busy, I don't think I will be able to squeeze in the appointment with Aunt Cassie.

"Did you hear me?" - Liana's voice interrupted me daydreaming.

"What? No, I haven't. What did you say?"

"I asked what you would wear?"

"Oh, my Goddess, Liana, we're going to the underground fighting ring, so don't put on a dress. Black pants and a hoodie will do." - I said with exasperation.

"Oh right, because if I tried to leave the house on your birthday in that, Dad would have no questions at all." - she deadpanned. Good point.

"Okay, so wear something less suspicious and leave a bag in Orson's car."

"Orson doesn't have a car anymore."

"What?! What happened to it?" - I asked in shock.

"A tree grew right in front of his hood, or at least that's what he's been trying to convince Mom about." - Uliana said with a mixture of amusement and disappointment.

"Has she bought it?"

"Has she ever bought any of his stupid excuses?"

"Fair point. So what do we do? Maybe Nicky's car?"

"Na-a, it's in the shop getting a new paint job."

"Then ask your Father for your own. You're old enough." - I pointed out.

"I know." - she said with a sigh. Liana, just like every other little princess, didn't like to drive on her own. She claimed she was a crappy driver, but I knew her reasoning reached deeper than that. - "But that would make me a designated driver to my brothers' drunken asses." - and there was her reason.

"Just take one for the tram, Cuz. You are not spoiling my birthday because of a damn truck." - I said sternly, knowing that pulling a birthday girl card would win this game.

"Fine." - she said with a sigh. - "But you owe me one. Or more accurately, one more."

"I know, how about I whisper a good word for you to Boris." - I teased her, knowing she would explode in 3… 2… 1

"Ellie!" - she shrieked - "Don't you dare talk with him about me."

"I won't, but I know he likes you too."

"He does?" - she asked with hope in her tone.

"Oh, please, other than you, I saw him staring so hard only at Aunt Sasha's pirozhki." - I assured her.

"You're just saying that."

"I swear I'm not." - I made a cross sign on my heart even though Uliana couldn't really see it, but she knew me so well she probably was picturing it. - "Besides, I think it's long overdue you two do something about that s****l tension."

"Ellie…"

"I'm not saying it like that, but go out there and test the waters. Maybe he will turn out to be a too-much-tongue guy and puff, your childhood crush will be gone."

I know I was playing a devil's advocate here, because from what I heard from other girls at school, Boris wasn't that type of a guy. At some point, I think he had an even bigger throng of guppies than Dean, our indestructible future Alpha. But Liana needed to loosen up on the chastity belt, it was almost sad that an eighteen-year-old girl had never even kissed a boy.

"You think?" - she asked cautiously.

"I know it." - I assured her - "Just promise me you will try to have fun too. You can't sit back and sip a lemonade on my birthday."

"But I will be a driver."

"You are a werewolf and half Russian, honey, you can have a drink or two and still stay sober."

A long exhale I heard meant she was fighting with this idea, but losing.

"Okay. But only for your birthday."

I threw my fist up in victory and grinned, just in time, a fast knocking spread through my room and my Dad poked his head inside.

"You are not going to regret that. I gotta go, my Dad's here." - I said quickly.

"Okay, so see you next Saturday. Love ya!"

"Love you too." - I said before ending the conversation and turning towards my Dad.

Ah yes, my father. My absolute favorite person in the whole wide world. I know many girls have a certain level of admiration for their fathers, and some even tend to pick men similar to standards the older generation had set. But none of those girls has even an akin role model to me.

My Dad is an absolute legend. He's the best Gamma I have ever seen, and my Mom's family is a long line of them, so I know what I'm talking about . He's absolutely hilarious and each time I spend time with him my stomach hurts from all the laughing. And most importantly, he's always passionate about everything he does. It doesn't matter if it's just simple scouting around the area, training younglings from Harvest Moon and our other sister packs, being a great father, or making my Mom feel like an absolute queen, he's always giving all of himself. And I know it sounds tacky, but I want to be just like him.

"What made you so excited, Ellie-boo?" - he asked, narrowing his eyes at me. Yes, he was also hard to fool, but thankfully, in his eyes, I was a perfect daughter, unlike my two brothers, who didn't care about precautions and keeping appearances. In my Dad's eyes, I was polite, well-mannered, and mature enough to take on the role that was set on me from the day I was born, becoming this Pack's Gamma.

"I convinced Liana to be a driver on my birthday." - I answered with a grin, not lying per se.

"Huh." - he hummed, crossing his arms.

"What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just amazed by your choice. I love my niece, but you know that girl is unable to go faster than sixty miles per hour. Even on a highway." - he pointed out with his signature smirk.

"I know Dad, but she's also the most responsible driver. I was hoping this way you would be okay with Dean and Boris going with us." - I said with a sweet smile.

"Hmm." - Dad hummed, scratching his chin. - "I don't see why not. And with you and Uliana there is a lesser chance of Orson getting into trouble." - he said to himself - "Okay baby girl, I'll talk with Vanya and Grisha, but I think they will be on board. It's important for Alpha, Beta and Gamma to share those kinds of moments."

I grinned even harder, because unknowingly, Dad had just signed up to make the next point of my birthday agenda possible.

"Now come on." - he beckoned me with his head - "Your birthday is a week away, and you may be an adult, but I still have a few tricks to show you."

"Are we driving somewhere?" - I asked, excited at the mere thought. Road trips with the great Ilia Burgov were always the best.

"Yes we are. The boys pissed off your mother again. She said she needed a Spa day, so I'm taking you into no-man's land."

"To track someone?" - I asked with hopeful eyes.

"To teach them a lesson."

I giggled and grabbed my jacket, following Dad out of my room. My brothers are so screwed. The only thing more creative than our father's parenting techniques were his punishments. But as long as they weren't aimed at me, I was all for it.