THE ALPHA'S FATED SOULMATE

Busani's denial

THE ALPHA'S SOULMATE

Chapter 5

Busani

Maybe I'm crazy. Or I have a hearing problem. Because my ears can't believe what this old man just said.

I've been home for 2 weeks. Haven't gone back to the city to check my house.

"I said you already have a wife. She was chosen by Mpiyakhe." No. That man needs to leave me alone and stay in his grave.

Mpiyakhe. The same selfish man who decided to take a foreigner's life. Now I'm going through hell.

"Ngeke ngikwenze lokho, angifuni umfazi mina." He can breathe heavily all he wants. I'm not changing my mind. Who still does arranged marriage nonsense in this day and age? I love my peace. What will I do living with a woman full time?

"Uzokwenza uthanda ungathandi unless you want to die on the day you turn 35."

"Ngizofa-ke. We are all going to die anyway. Ngeke ngilawulwe abantu abafile. Umsangano lowo." I will not be controlled by dead people. That's madness.

I'm watching him hold his chest. He has a tendency of faking panic attacks. We're used to his manipulation. Let his saliva choke him.

"Don't you see I'm dying, wena nja?"

"You still have energy to insult me. You aren't dying, mkhulu. I'm not marrying anyone. Better put that through your stubborn head."

"Stubborn? You're the stubborn one. Can't you see how this will affect you if you don't do what they're asking? I don't want to bury you."

I'm over this conversation. We've been at it for days. Why must we pay for what we didn't do? Can't the dead stay dead and bless us peacefully? I have everything but I lack peace.

There's chaos in my head. I don't know how to shut down the voices and sounds I always hear when I'm alone. Mpiyakhe and Carter don't want to give me peace. If it's not Carter crying for his mate, then it's the dead coward telling me to marry MaZungu.

There are so many girls with Zungu surname in this country. They haven't shown me who they're referring to. Then grandfather is backing the dead people. Unbelievable.

I also have that stubborn little woman who hasn't communicated with me. Her phone is off. I don't have time to argue with him. He might actually have a real heart attack this time.

"Hey wena mfana, uyaphi?"

"Durban. Make sure you won't call me about the damn bull again. It's yours, you control it."

He lowers himself to the chair and sighs.

"You won't last a week there, so I'm not begging you to stay. Hamba Mngomezulu."

"He's not the begging type. Let's go to our mate." Not this wolf again. "We don't have a mate, Carter, and we don't need one." I've been telling him this for days.

"Please, I want to sniff her scent, Killian." He sounds desperate. Well, I'm not with him on this one. He'll have to leave me alone.

"No. Stop nagging, man." He growls. The sound comes out of my throat and I hate it.

"You're boring and grumpy." I know. I've been called worse. I grab my car keys. Ready to drive to the city. For now I'll tolerate it just to get away from the old man and his expired stories. Can't they marry each other in the spiritual world? The two who were supposed to marry are both dead.

I'm not packing anything. I have clothes there. I hate driving with Carter whining like a girl. If he wants a woman he should leave my body and find someone who loves women. One of my brothers will do.

"No choosing you wasn't a mistake. We are going to see her. We have to smell nice."

He's an animal. What does he know about smelling nice? I zone him out. I have a mine to run. That's the only thing keeping me from losing my mind. If it's not dreams of fetching herbs from the forest, it's dreams of me hunting. There's a lot going on. If I was weak, I would've killed myself long ago.

Bandla had to go to Switzerland to close deals. My father has been in Egypt for 4 months. Bekhizwe lives to please women, but he does his work. Just needs someone checking in once in a while. Which means I'm responsible for the family business too. I'm swamped with work and mkhulu had to drop that bomb on me.

They should've taken rejection like adults and moved on. Was Njengaye the only man rejected by a woman? I'm sure it happened a lot. Like how it happens these days. Why take it personal? Why carry the grudge to the next generation? We don't owe them anything. Let the living be.

Speaking of my father... he deserves a break. He worked hard all his life taking care of us and a woman who was busy with his business associate. That's why I don't like women. They're snakes. They pretend to be innocent.

Who could've thought my mother was capable of cheating? No one. She did it smart and lied for years. To the point of making my father raise a child that wasn't his. My sister was broken when we found out.

Buhle had to leave because she couldn't handle the truth. She lived 20 years of lies believing she was a Mngomezulu. We found out at my mother's funeral that she was cheating. Even brought evidence for my father to raise her. One of her nieces stood up when someone called my mother an angel. She stopped the person and started opening files. Telling people not to paint her aunt with a saint's brush. She doesn't know how to keep secrets. So many secrets came out. My uncles had to drag Nomazwe away because she was spilling everything.

My father was rushed to hospital. Minor heart attack. All because of a woman.

Now tell me why I should like them? I won't waste time on relationships. Let alone marriage.

"Stop lying to yourself. We love our mate."

"That's invasion of privacy. Stop listening to my thoughts."

"We are practically one person, so your thoughts are mine, Alpha." Not this alpha nonsense again. I'm no one's alpha. He needs to stop imposing his beliefs on me.

"Shut up. I need to think." The whining starts again. If I was around people they'd think I'm crazy.

*Azanothe*

We're gathered around the table having lunch with my siblings. We haven't caught up in a while and today is the day.

3 weeks later my phone is still off. I haven't stepped foot at the office. I only deal with difficult clients. The rest, my team handles. I needed time to mourn the end of my single life. I'm in black clothes as we speak. Fezeka has been giving me weird looks since we got here. She hasn't asked, but soon she will. She's the deputy parent and she takes her role seriously.

Nkanyezi is avoiding alcohol and caffeine. I know a pregnant woman when I see one. Lungelo is just himself. Nothing new. And then there's me, the sacrificial lamb of the family. I wonder when I became Jesus who died for other people's sins. At this point I need a miracle.

The man I'm supposed to marry needs to disappear. Vanish without a trace. No, I'm not wishing death on him. He's a victim too. He should just board a plane and leave. Or maybe I should do it. But death isn't an option. The thought of my family members dying because of this breaks my heart.

"What's with the black clothes?" Here come questions from big sister. They're all staring. Nkanyezi drags her drink, making that annoying sound.

"I'm being shipped off to some family to be your grandmother's substitute wife." They think I'm being dramatic. That's why they sigh at the same time.

"Come up with something believable. How can you be her substitute wife? Are you marrying your own grandfather?" Staying home and minding pots has ruined her brain. Who marries their grandfather?

I start narrating the story mkhulu told me. They can't stop gasping. Lungelo's jaw is clenched. He's mad. I can see it. But he shouldn't be.

"That's absurd. Why you? Couldn't they ask for cows instead? Who does arranged marriage in this era?" Nkanyezi speaks. Fezeka sips her green tea.

"Have you met the man? We have to see him first. I'm not supporting this, but if you must do it, at least meet him. We can't have you marrying a chimpanzee." That's Fezeka.

"Mkhulu said we can only meet on the wedding day." Lungelo clicks his tongue. Control and him are best friends. Anything out of his control frustrates him.

"Who are these people and where do they come from?"

"Babanango. They're the Mngomezulus."

"Mngome what? No, it can't be. Ngcino, Killian is from the same village. Or is it coincidence? People share surnames, right? It can't be his family." I canceled that thought. But now that he mentions they're from the same village... what are the chances?

"No, they're not related." My mouth speaks but my head is spinning. If they are, then they better not send Killian my way. What will I do with him?

"So their ancestors were sending your potentials away. How selfish, doing the same to their son?" Nkanyezi asks. But there's no one to answer. The culprits are 6 feet under enjoying the warmth of soil. Do they know the chaos they left behind?

"I give it to our grandmother though. She decided to do this as an ancestor. Anyway, I hope the man isn't ugly. Otherwise she and I will have a serious problem." Nkanyezi speaks again. She and gogo were always fighting. Gogo wanted her to learn traditional beer and food. My sister hates the village. She'd tell MaKhumalo not to bother her. Said her husband would be rich and she wouldn't need to cook traditional food. The old woman would whip her into shape. She learned those dishes by fire, by force. She was no-nonsense but loved us unconditionally.

"How long do you have before you go be a yebo baba?" No, Fezeka doesn't know me. I would never be a yes-sir wife.

"5 months. And I won't be anyone's doormat. The man better prepare himself." He better, especially psychologically. Driving people insane is one of my talents.

"Please, you'll leave your craziness at home, Azanothe." No. Me and my craziness are a package. We don't leave each other behind.

"If they give you trouble, you'll call me and I'll come running. So are you really going to do this? You can refuse and we'll update our policies. Death is inevitable."

God was tired when he gave my mother Nkanyezi. What is she saying?

"Die alone, wena. Who will I leave all these women with?" Lungelo glares at her.

"So you'd rather have me in a marriage with a stranger than dying? Where's the love you always claim for me, bhuti?"

"It's in my heart. I didn't say I don't love you anymore. Truth is, I'd easily take a bullet for you. But for this, dying isn't an option. We can send Tholakele there."

We all burst into laughter. That's our great aunt he's talking about. It won't work. She has nothing to do with makhumalo.

"Spare the old woman. What will she do there? She sometimes forgets her own name." She's older than mkhulu and lives at the old age home. She begged her children to take her there so she wouldn't be a burden.

I needed this. I feel lighter and more energetic. I haven't been myself lately but I'm trying not to think about it too much. So far my mother's baking lessons have been keeping me busy. I can proudly say I know how to bake cake with steps now. Don't hesitate to order from me. I'm joking. The kitchen is hot.

"Here comes our client," Lungelo says, looking at the door.

My eyes shift there. And it's Killian. Robot-intimidating Mngomezulu.

Why am I getting excited and hot? Nkanyezi grabs the menu and starts fanning herself. Fezeka gulps her hot tea in one go and yelps, widening her eyes.

"Poor tongue," I mutter.

"Sanibona oMaZungu. Zungu, unjani?" Lungelo shakes his hand firmly. Is he showing off his strength? Too bad he winces, pulling his hand back.

"You're quite strong."

"What happened to your phone?" He's staring right into my eyes and I can't look away. He's pulling me in. My heart hammers against my chest, threatening to come out.

"Nothing. It's off." Why is my mouth moving without permission? I didn't want to answer but my body always betrays me when he's in the room.

"Turn it on then. We have something to discuss." That's definitely a command. My stomach dances to it. Excitement fills me.

"That's why I gave Thato your details. Talk to him." He chuckles before shifting his eyes to my brother, then my sisters.

"Nisale kahle. And MaZungu... I hate repeating myself." He says the last words and strides away. Shoulders squared. His presence alone speaks volumes. He knows it. I can see it in how he carries himself.

My mark burns the second he walks past me.

And I feel his voice in my head, clear as day:

*"I can smell you, Aza. Stop pretending you don't feel it too."