Scorned Alpha - Burgov Series IV

6. Ellie

"You did a pretty damn good job, Knox." - I smiled at the young tattoo artist through the mirror, and then turned my attention back to my neck, where now proudly rested the crest of the Harvest Moon pack, the low hanging moon under the field of wheat and figures of three wolves representing my uncle Vanya, aunt Sasha and my Dad, everything locked in a shield outline.

"I know, I told you I'm as good as my father." - he said proudly, and I was secretly glad his statement wasn't just empty bragging. I didn't exactly want to end up with my neck f****d up for life, but the circumstances made it impossible for me to see Knox's father, who is close friends with my Mom. That was a big no-no.

"Can I ask you about the strange scars you had me tattoo over?" - he asked and my heart skipped a beat, even though my lips graced a sly smirk.

"I told you those were just the hickeys. They will be gone by tomorrow." - I lied. In fact, the shallow bites Maddox left me haven't disappeared in the last two weeks. And since I hadn't felt a single thing hinting he might have been successful in marking me, and I made it a point to avoid answering calls from any unknown numbers, I decided enough was enough. The turtle necks or constantly brushing my hair on the right shoulder to hide it started looking very suspiciously, so I needed something more permanent. Hence the tattoo. Besides, isn't it ironic to hide the sign from my fated mate, with the sign of a duty I'll be marrying. Maddox Huxley wasn't a man for me, but Harvest Moon would never let me down.

"The hickeys. Rrright." - Knox said without an ounce of trust in his tone.

I fished from my pocket twice as much as I owed for the service and handed the entire wad of cash to him.

"That's for your trouble, and I was never really here."

"As you wish, Gamma. But if you want to talk with someone you aren't related to, the word on the streets says the tattoo artists are even better listeners than bartenders and hairdressers." - he said sincerely.

"Thanks." - I giggled - "I keep that in mind."

I walked out of the salon on a sunny day and I took a deep breath, basking in the smell of early fall in my favorite place on earth. I've been around, and I can with all honesty state there's no better pack than Harvest Moon. Everybody knows how I feel about my home, so maybe a tattoo on your usual marking spot won't come as such a big surprise when the beans spill.

Besides, it's not like my parents never did that. Mom has a tattoo of falling leaves on her boobside, and Dad has at least three. The Pack's crest, just like mine, on his shoulder. The quote from what my Grandfather once told him, written in Cyrillic on the inside of his arm, saying that Gamma should always trust his instincts. And a four-leaf clover right above his heart, with each leaf adorned with O, E, D and M to remind him how lucky he is to have Mom, my brothers and me.

So maybe they won't make a big scene when they see my new creation. And what's more important, I hope they won't be staring at it too hard to notice two shallow marks hidden beneath the ink.

I started heading back to the Pack House, stopping here and there to exchange greetings with other wolves. I loved how everyone here knows me. How could Maddox think I would be okay with trading it for a place where the name Burgov doesn't mean s**t? And when I turned the question around, he lost his s**t as if joining the most famous pack in northwestern America was a disgrace in his eyes. I guess in the end he turned out to be just a really cute package empty inside, something pretty but really dumb. Maybe it's for the best, it's already behind me. And maybe with a little bit of luck I will find myself some nice Gamma to share my life's mission with.

I was just about to go through the revolting doors into the Pack House's lobby when my phone started ringing with Liana's ringtone. I had to set one personalized tune for all of my contacts, because I had a few calls from strange numbers. And Sam, the Pack's secretary, told me she had a few phone calls from a man asking for me, and I'm not about to confirm this was indeed my number. I know exactly who might be trying to reach me, but I'm not going to be persuaded over the phone. If he wants to say something, he should show up here, and probably get his ass arrested when my Dad hears what he tried to do.

But since it was Liana, I was safe this time. I haven't heard from her in five days, and for us, it's like an eternity, or the longest silent treatment we have had so far.

"Hey, girl." - I answered the call.

"Where are you?" - she asked in a frantic voice, which made me immediately spin around looking for her somewhere outside.

"Outside the Pack House?"

"Good. Can you go to the underground parking lot and meet Boris there?" - she asked, and for Liana that was a very unusual request.

"Surre, but what for?" - I asked, knitting my brows really hard.

"Just… please, do it. I need you right now."

Something in her tone was borderline desperate and I knew Liana was no actress, and she would never overuse no-questions-asked requests.

"I'm on my way. Should I bring something? Ice-cream? Tissues? A gun?"

There was a momentary silence on her side, so I knew she was honestly contemplating that. s**t, something was even worse than my non-healing neck wound.

"No, just go to him quickly. He's already waiting." - Uliana said.

I agreed to her terms, beating my brain for the rational reason of my Cousin's strange behavior, and went to the parking lot under the Pack House. Just like Uliana said, Boris was already down there, leaning over one of the Pack's SUVs with his arms crossed and a troubled expression.

"Hey, I got a call to meet you here." - I announced my presence, and just then a young Beta noticed me.

"Hop in." - he just said, tilting his head towards the truck, reaching for the driver's door.

That was even stranger. Boris was a good sport, rarely a secret holder. So why were he and Liana acting like that?

After I climbed up, he started driving in complete silence, gripping the steering wheel as if it was his last resort.

"Boris, what's going on? You and Liana are scaring the hell out of me." - I asked when he wouldn't speak even after we left the Pack's grounds.

"You'll find out soon enough. Uliana just needs you."

"Is she alright? Sick? In trouble?" - I kept on asking.

"No, just… just wait, okay? I can't tell you, but I promise you will find out very soon."

That was an even stranger statement.

"Can I at least know where you're driving me to?"

Boris looked conflicted for a moment, but this time he caved.

"To the Midnight Banes."

Uliana's pack wouldn't be that strange if I were in a car with literally anyone else. I knew Dean sometimes hung out with Nicky, and Orson was an idol for my younger brothers. But Boris never showed even remote interest in being in VanWoert's pack.

The hour-long drive couldn't go any quicker and the time spent in a car did nothing to stop my racing thoughts.

When we arrived in front of Midnight Banes Pack House, Uliana was standing outside on the steps, hugging a cardigan close to her body and looking somehow miserable. I jumped out of the car and rushed towards her, catching her in a tight hug. There was something new and spicy in her scent, so hopefully, I came all the way here for aunt Sasha's garlic bread.

"What's going on? You're scaring the bejesus out of me." - I asked her, but her stiff frame hadn't moved even for an inch. I released her, and with my hands still holding her shoulders, looked into her eyes, the same gray shade mine had, but hers always looked brighter in contrast to her olive skin tone and dark brown, almost black hair. - "Liana, what is it?"

"Come on in. The rest should be here shortly." - she said, turning towards the entrance of the house and walking in.

Boris and I followed her, and I haven't missed how, when the Beta boy joined her side, he caught her hand in his and held it as if they were a couple. My eyes widened but I didn't say a word until we reached Uliana's room, and the door closed behind us.

"Okay, what's going on?!" - I demanded in the solitude of Liana's bedroom, putting my hands on my hips for better effect.

"Just wait a while longer, okay?" - Boris said, sitting on Liana's bed, by her side and putting his arm around her shoulders.

They were acting weird. As if someone had died, kind of weird. But just like they asked me to, I stopped asking and waited for Goddess-knows-what with my arms crossed, leaning over the wall.

It was probably more or less fifteen minutes we spent in that strange, unnatural silence, until I heard another car driving through the graveled parking outside Uliana's window.

Boris stood up at the sound as if that was what we were waiting for, and he went to the window to inspect.

"That's them. It's time." - he said to Uliana and that spiked my interest enough for me to see for myself who had just arrived. To my surprise, it was one of Harvest Moon cars, more specifically my Uncle's Grisha car.

Why the hell were we waiting for Boris's parents?

Uliana nodded, sighed and stood up from her bed before she started walking towards the door with Boris and me in tow. We passed the corridors once again in silence until we reached the family room, where I could already hear the voices of my aunts.

"What a lovely surprise for you two to come. You're just in time to join us for lunch." - aunt Sasha said cheerfully, like the perfect hostess she is.

"Surprise?! You summoned us." - Aunt Chelsea's surprised voice answered her, just as we were turning the corner to join the adults.

"Actually, it was me who emailed you from Mom's computer." - Uliana said, entering the room, and then she turned to her mother - "Mom, could you get Daddy here?"

Aunt Sasha, who after years of experience with dealing with Orson's antics, wasn't easily shocked, frowned. But witnessing her daughter's stern expression and the determination in her voice, she slowly nodded, and then her eyes glazed over from mind-linking.

"Son, what the hell is going on?" - Aunt Chelsea turned to Boris, but she didn't have any more luck than I did.

"Just wait Mom, okay?"

She wasn't happy with the request and her green eyes narrowed into slits proved just as much. She nudged uncle Grisha with her elbow, silently telling him to do something, but my uncle just wrapped his arm around her, most likely to prevent her elbow from hitting him again, and turned to look at his son.

Soon the approaching steps of uncle Ben were heard from the long corridor leading to Alpha's office and when he turned the corner he had the same pleasantly surprised expression aunt Sasha sported before she figured out something wasn't quite right.

"Chelsea, Grisha, what a surprise! What brings you here?" - uncle Benson asked and all three sets of eyes of Sasha, Chelsea and Grisha turned towards Uliana. - "Baby girl, have you invited the Razins over? Oh and Ellie, how have you been, birthday girl?"

"Great, thanks for asking, uncle B." - I said quickly and Uncle Benson started looking at everyone else for some kind of explanation as to why he was summoned here.

"Alright, so will anyone tell me what's going on?" - he asked again, but soon his forehead creased with a deep frown. - "Is it about Orson?! Did he do something again?"

Boris once again took Uliana's hand in his and squeezed it encouragingly, nodding for her to begin.

"No Dad, it's not about Orson." - Liana began, but made a dramatic pause to inhale as if she was short on breath. - "I… we have something to tell you all." - she said, glancing at Boris. The tone of her voice and the fact she was holding young Beta's hand made uncle Benson clench his jaw tight and cross his arms defensively. - "I'm pregnant. And Boris is a father."

The deafening silence in VanWoert's family room was probably the right reaction to the news Uliana had just delivered. But with every second during which no one spoke or even moved, I saw how Uliana was getting more and more uncomfortable.

"Did you hear me? I said…"

"We heard what you said, honey!" - Uncle Ben snapped and narrowed his eyes on Boris. - "How could you do it to my daughter?! She's a good girl. How could you throw away her chances for a happy life?!"

"Wait a second, maybe we shouldn't throw stones just yet." - Chelsea said, defending her son.

"I agree with Chelsea, let's sit down and talk it out." - Sasha added in her conciliatory tone.

"Sit down and talk it out?! What is an unmated eighteen-year-old girl supposed to do with a pup? And at that, the pup of a seventeen-year-old boy!" - Benson started raising his voice, pointing accusingly at Liana and then at Boris. - "What is it with you, Razin men, that makes you chase after the wrong women?!"

"Are you serious, VanWoert?! You treat my son like he's the villain who forced her, and from what I can see, they are a rather united front here." - uncle Grisha pointed at Uliana and Boris's clasped hands.

"He's right, Ben." - aunt Sasha said - "You're talking this too far."

"I'm taking this too far?! It's not me who broke our daughter's life!"

Oh, for f**k's sake, this will never end if they keep going at it.

"No one's life will be broken, Dad." - Uliana broke the squabble with a force in her tone I hadn't heard before.

"That's right, Alpha VanWoert." - Boris echoed her. - "We know we rushed things, but we talked about it and we have a plan."

"Oh, you do?" - uncle Benson asked mockingly, plopping down on the sofa. - "Then please, share with us all, young Beta, what you're going to do with that?"

"We decided to, despite our young age, keep the baby and become the best parents we can be."

Atta boy, Boris.

"That's all very nice to hear, but what will you both do when her mate comes around and he wants to take her with him? Who is the pup going to stay with then? Because after what Vanya and Diana were through, we all know how messy things can get when a child is in the middle of everything." - Benson pointed out, painting a rather dark scenario.

"That won't be an issue, Dad." - Uliana said, glancing at Boris, who once again nodded encouragingly. - "Because as soon as Boris turns eighteen, we will mark one another."

"Oh, hell no! Don't you realize that the happiest you're going to be is with the man destined for you? You have no idea what you're giving up on, and…"

"Mom, don't!" - Boris interrupted uncle Benson's rant and my eyes whipped towards Chelsea, who was pulling the handgun from the holster under her jacket. Boris immediately pushed Uliana behind him, uncle Benson threw himself to protect auntie Sasha and I fell on the floor, protecting my head with both hands. And then I heard three gunshots, loud as explosions in the closed space of VanWoert's family room.

But I wasn't hurt. And I also haven't heard anyone groaning in pain.

So I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at where aunt Chelsea was standing. She was panting hard with her gun still pointed at the plush sofa pillow. But the pillow was untouched. What the hell just happened?

"Better, babe?" - uncle Grisha asked, as if that was no big deal, and he slowly took the gun out of Chelsea's hand.

"Slightly." - she admitted.

"What the hell was that for, Chels?" - Uncle Benson demanded, releasing Sasha from his hold, but strangely, aunt Sasha had a small smirk under her nose.

"You mean this?" - Chelsea pointed at the gun - "That's just my anger management technique."

"To shoot at people? Are you f*****g kidding me?!"

"I shot the pillow." - Chelsea rolled her eyes - "Besides, it's an airgun. The most it could do to a werewolf is to bruise you. And my therapist thinks it's better than hitting someone."

"Yeah, because a crazy woman with a gun is better than a crazy woman with fists." - Benson deadpanned, but Chelsea ignored him completely.

"Okay, now that everyone is calm…" - aunt Sasha grinned at Chelsea in a silent agreement - "We should focus on the things that matter." - she turned back to Uliana and Boris with her motherly smile. - "Have you had your first appointment?"

"Yes, I'm two weeks in."

"So that would be…" - auntie Sasha glanced knowingly at me. - "Ah, I see." - she nodded, realizing it must've happened during my birthday party. I guess they had a little too much fun. - "You're both grownups, or at least soon will be, so you don't need us to tell you how to live. But we should know where you plan to live."

"Are we seriously agreeing to their crazy plan?" - uncle Benson asked.

"Benny, it's their choice. If they want to be together and build a family, there's not much we can do other than support our kids. Besides, it's good they are being mature for the baby's sake." - Sasha said to him with a motherly mannerism and looked back at Uliana expectedly.

"We decided that since I don't hold any rank here, it would be best to raise the baby in Harvest Moon." - she said timidly.

"That would be a wise decision, and it would be easier for Boris to work if you lived there." - Chelsea said with an approving nod.

"W-work?" - Boris asked.

"Of course, baby. You are about to become the head of the family, you need to start bringing income to support your child and woman." - Chelsea said with a saccharine, almost sadistic grin. Okay, so she was mad too, but she chose to punish Boris with adulthood, not a guilt trip like uncle Ben tried to do.

"But I have money, I can support myself." - Uliana chimed in, but her voice was barely hearable in comparison to Chelsea's rant.

"Oh, no honey. No son of mine will live off his girl's money. That's settled. Grisha will find something to do for Boris around the pack first thing tomorrow. We only have, like, what, four months before the baby comes and setting up the nursery can be pricey."

Aunt Chelsea got closer to Boris and Uliana. She sighed at her son, and turned to Uliana with a genuine smile.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad it's you. You're gonna be a great partner and an even better mother. Welcome to the family, honey." - then she kissed Uliana's cheek and turned to where aunt Sasha was standing - "Will you find something to drink? I think I need alcohol to keep down the news about becoming a forty-two-year-old Grandma."

"I can whip some margaritas and heat up lunch." - Sasha offered.

"I love you." - Chelsea grinned while going to the kitchen after Sasha and in the family room were left only both Fathers and the three of us.

Uncle Benson sighed sadly and shook his head.

"I always thought this would happen to Orson."

"If I have to be honest, so did I." - echoed him uncle Grisha.

Benson looked one last time at Uliana with unspoken sadness in his eyes. It was clear he wasn't completely okay with the situation, but at least Chelsea's gun distracted his anger attack.

"I have a fresh box of cigars in my office. Would you fancy one?" - Benson asked Grisha, and Boris's Dad glanced at the kitchen where both mothers were already pouring themselves quite generous cocktails.

"It looks like I'm the designated driver, so why the hell not."

They started going down the corridor, but as they were passing us, uncle Benson stopped by Boris.

"Just… look out for my daughter. She means the world to me." - Benson said before disappearing behind the corner and Grisha followed him after a lopsided smile and a wink sent to Liana.

When we were left alone, Liana breathed out in relief and Boris, whose frame also loosened up, on the stiffness, hugged her as if he had done it a thousand times before.

"Alright, now I have to ask. How the f**k did that happen?" - I pointed at Liana's belly - "And why the hell have you brought me to see it?!" - They both shared a rather guilty look and the second part became obvious. - "You wanted me to be a buffer between uncle Ben and Boris, didn't you?"

"Kinda." - Liana admitted, wincing. But to be honest, if there ever comes a day I would have to tell my parents about Maddox, I would want her in the room too.

"Okay, that's fair. But how did that happen? And on my birthday?! How did I not know about this?"

They looked at one another again and this time smiled. Those two fuckers were happy. Like lovey-dovey two fools.

"It's all Orson's fault to be honest." - Uliana started. - "I was so drunk from all the drinks he was serving that I decided to get a breath of fresh air before bed, and it turned out Boris had the same idea."

Our future Beta chuckled like it was a big achievement to be in the right place at the right time when a drunk chick comes around.

"One thing led to another and…"

"You pervs did it on the deck?!" - I interrupted her.

"Not exactly, but close to it." - Boris said, looking at Uliana as if he wanted to devour her.

"Okay, I've heard enough." - I waved my hand to stop them. - "But since it was on my birthday I want to be a Godmother."

"Actually, we were thinking of asking Cilia." - Boris announced with a straight face, but he couldn't keep it for very long and soon enough started chuckling.

"You asshole!" - I punched his arm and he started laughing harder before kissing Liana.

Huh, so I guess he didn't turn out to be too-much-tongue guy after all. And at least one good thing came out of my birthday celebrations.