✿ Zoltan's POV
I watched my aunt smother Ulyana with hugs and kisses. I could tell she was trying so hard not to crack. What was with her and being touched?
Whatever that it was, she did clean up nice. The green hair was replaced by dark brown hair that looked thick enough to hide in. It flowed down her back, covering the laced back of the spaghetti strapped black polka-dotted dress she wore.
I leaned against the pillar and watched them.
“Engaged, huh?”
I knew the voice all too well that I didn't bother to turn.
“When did that happen?”
“I'm the Alpha, Geneva. I don't have to explain anything to you.”
“When it involves getting married to a woman from another pack, yes you do, Zoltan. Yes you do.”
I looked at her. She rarely spoke to me without formalities these days. Was she finally coming around?
“What do you want to know?”
“Where'd you meet her? No one here even knew Eammon Barlowe had a granddaughter. His entire family was wiped out in the Kane Massacre. So where'd she come from?”
“What are you two doing?” my aunt asked, joining us with Ulyana beside her.
She looked at me and I could tell her blue eyes were just screaming for help.
“Oh your nephew here was just about to tell me where he met this...” she eyed Ulyana, “... beautiful woman” she finished, her voice growing soft.
Geneva stared at her for a while, a small smile creeping up her face.
What is she doing?
I cleared my throat and my cousin blinked and looked away from her.
“Well? I'd love to hear how you two met” my aunt smiled, looking between the both of us.
“We met at the annual werewolf conference a few years ago” I said, watching Ulyana carefully.
She frowned and I gave her a look to not interrupt me.
“We exchanged numbers, started seeing each other in secret and we grew incredibly closer. I recently proposed and she accepted.”
I could see she was about to explode with the way she'd clenched her fist to her side. I opened my mouth to make an excuse to get her away but she beat me to it.
“Mrs. Wasserman, could you please show me to the bathroom?” she asked my aunt.
“Oh but of course, Ulyana” my aunt smiled.
She then turned to me.
“Parnell would be so proud of you if he were here. It was always his dream to keep close relations with Eammon and because of you, it's going to happen. Thank you, sweetie” she rubbed my arm gently before leading Ulyana away.
Close relations huh? Well I was going to get so much more from this marriage.
I chuckled and turned to see Geneva watching me. I'd forgotten she was still there.
“What?” I asked.
“That's the lame overview of your relationship you're giving me?”
Lame?
She sighed and faced me; her ginger hair a bit messy.
“Zoltan, right now I'm going to talk to you not as my Alpha or my boss but as my cousin” she said. “We both know what you just said is a lie.”
“It is?” I asked.
“I heard that without the question mark” she said. “Don't take this personally, Zoltan. But we both know you'd never do anything in secret.”
I put my hands inside my pockets.
“And why do you say that?”
“Because you're Zoltan James fucking MacQuoid. You're not scared of anyone or anything to do stuff in secret. And you're Alpha. Alpha's boast of their achievements... it's the natural order. So I think you're going to have to cook up a better story because the news has already begun to spread. And I can promise you your engagement party will be the talk of every household for years.”
I chuckled.
“Well I don't think it's odd if our cousin here decides to keep his romantic life private, Gene” Niail, her brother cut in.
“Yeah. I mean look at me. I keep mine a secret” Billy, her other brother added.
She made a face at him.
“You know you need a life before you can get romantic with anyone right?” she asked.
Niall laughed.
“Says she who has never kissed a boy” Bruce retorted.
“Or a girl” Niall added.
Geneva rolled her eyes just as Warren stepped up to her. She looked away and I shook my head.
“There's someone outside for you, Alpha” he said to me.
I nodded.
“Well I'm going to go talk to future Mrs. MacQuoid” Geneva said, her eyes suddenly twinkling. “You boys have fun.”
She walked away and I nodded at Warren to lead the way.
“What's this about?” I asked as my phone dinged in my pocket.
“There's a woman outside. She says she's from San Antonio, Texas and she needs permission to be in our territory.”
“What's she here for?”
“Apparently she's filling in for a friend who was supposed to be showing a house here tomorrow.”
“Real estate?” I asked, putting my phone back into my pocket.
“Yes.”
I took a left turn and she was seated on the couch in my home office. She got up and bowed a little.
“Hello Alpha” she greeted.
She was small and had blonde hair like Warren's. She could be his long lost step sister. I nodded at her.
“My Beta has already briefed me about why you're here” I said. “How long will you be staying?”
“Oh just tomorrow. I just needed to get away for a little while.”
I nodded.
“Well you have my permission” I said.
She smiled at me.
“Thank you Alpha.”
“Why'd you say you needed to get away for a while?” I heard Warren ask.
I looked at him.
“What are you doing?” I enquired through the mind link.
“Caring. Can't you see how sad she looks?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. That wasn't being caring. That was invasion of privacy.
“Oh, I don't want to worry you with my problems” the lady sighed woefully.
Oh God!
“No, it's not a problem at all. Tell me what's wrong” Warren urged.
The lady remained quiet.
“Good. Now get out before it's too late” I mindlinked my beta.
“She's going to talk, Zoltan. Give it time.”
I sighed inwardly. Why couldn't he just take this as a sign to back down? He could get out before she...
“It's my friend” she let out.
Aaannnd we're trapped.
“My best friend.”
An even bigger trap.
“What about this bestfriend of yours? What did he do?”
I looked at Warren. Did he seriously have nothing to do?
“She” the lady corrected.
Did I have nothing to do either that I was still here? I cleared my throat.
“I hope you and your friend work things out” I said politely, “Excuse me.”
I didn't wait for a reply. I just walked out of the office only to hear Warren gesture the lady further into the pack house.
“I'll get you a glass of water, then you can keep telling me about your friend, okay?” he said and walked away.
I glanced at the lady before going after Warren.
“You're going to get into trouble one of these days, Warren” I told him.
He shrugged and turned to me.
“I'm just trying to be nice. She looks disturbed. I found her crying before I came to get you.”
“And that's reason enough for you to get involved?” I asked, crossing my arms. “Whatever the problem is, it's between her and her bestfri...”
The sound of broken glass interrupts me and we turn toward the direction.
Oh, the other problem.
I watched her reach down to the floor to pick up the pieces of the broken glass. But she stopped midway when someone called out an unfamiliar name.
✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽
✿ Ulyana's POV
I stepped out of the bathroom and the first thing I noticed was Zoltan walking away.
“I hope the ground crumbles underneath you” I mutter to myself.
“Hello there” a voice called out.
I turned and the blue-eyed ginger haired girl with freckles was standing there, the same amused look on her face as earlier before. She was even prettier up close.
“Geneva, Zoltan's cousin” she introduced, extending a hand.
I took her hand and goodness her hands were so soft.
“Ulyana” I introduced again.
She smiled.
“Yes the bride. You have very soft hands” she said amusingly. “That's a good omen.”
Oh?
“It is?” I asked.
She nodded.
“It's written all over you, Ulyana.”
I gave her a little smile.
“So, let's have a chat” she said, finally letting go of my hand.
She gestured me to a seat nearby and we sat.
“Did you two really meet at the annual Werewolf Conference?”
“Direct aren't we?” I chortled.
She smiled.
“Yes we did. Why do you think otherwise?” I asked.
“Because this involves Zoltan” she replied. “You didn't get the urge to push him off a cliff or drive a sliver dagger through his heart when you first met him?”
I arched a brow.
“Oh don't worry. This is a perfectly safe place” she whispered with a smile.
I let out a little laugh.
“No... I didn't.”
She leaned back, the amused look returning.
“Not once? Because he's...”
“Gene!” a honey-blonde woman chirped from behind her.
Geneva rolled her eyes and a heavy frown replaced the amused look.
“... the devil” she finished off in a mutter.
The woman reached our side and grinned.
“Hello Gene!” she chirped again, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
I watched the ginger haired woman press a hard smile on her face as she stopped the blonde woman.
“It's Geneva, Claire. Please.”
The Claire lady chuckled.
“Oh you're such a spoilsport” she brushed Geneva off and turned to me. “And you must be Zoltan's bride! Hi!”
Geneva rolled her eyes when I smiled at Claire.
“Hello.”
“I'm Claire Howe. The Beta's wife.”
Geneva scoffed.
“Must you add that every time?” she asked Claire.
“Well if I didn't, she might just think I'm Warren's sister.”
I let out a small laugh.
“Sister? You two look nothing alike” Geneve shook her head.
“Oh stop it Gene” Claire chuckled, crossing her arms. “You're just so negative because you haven't found your special one.”
“Special one? Please” Geneva straightened her hair.
“You mean to tell me you don't want someone to watch the sunrise with you every morning?” Claire asked.
I furrowed my brows.
“Watch the sunrise?” I asked.
Claire turned.
“Yes. Watch the sunrise together.”
I shifted my weight to watch her carefully.
“You wake up before sunrise to watch the sun rise? And with your husband?” I frowned a little.
Geneva had a smirk growing on her face as she watched me intently.
“Well not exactly” Claire answered. “I'd like him to wake me up so we can watch the sunrise together but he's not a morning person. You should ask Zoltan to do that with you. It'll be so romantic.”
I crossed my arms.
“Sadly I'm not a morning person either so... I don't think that'll work” I told her.
“Oh” Claire let out quietly. “How about you, Gene?”
Geneva laughed and crossed her arms.
“There is no sunrise so beautiful that it's worth waking me up to see it.”
Claire groaned.
“You two don't know what you're missing out—” she swinged her arms to stress on the gravity of the 'sunrise' and accidentally knocked down the expensive looking glass vase on the pedestal behind her.
Claire jumped out of the way as I stood up.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no!” Claire panicked, wiggling her fingers.
“It's okay, it's okay. I have a friend who knocks into vases all the time” I said.
“Even the very expensive and antique kind?” Geneva asked, still seated with her arms crossed.
“Especially the very expensive and antique kind” I chuckled.
“Mm” she hummed.
“Can you fix it?” Claire asked nervously.
“Depends on the damage. Here I'll take a look.”
I bent over to pick up a piece of the broken glass but stopped midway when someone mentioned my name.
“Tate?!”
My eyes snapped toward her and I stood up straight.
Oh, no, no, no! What was she doing here?
“What are you doing here Tate?” she asked.
I blinked.
“I'm sorry, Tate?” Zoltan's Beta, Warren, asked.
“My best friend. The one I was telling you about,” she said.
“I think you have the wrong person because she's not called Tate” Warren said.
Marioara shook her head.
“Oh she's called Tate” she assured. “Tate Engle. My best friend since college.”
Oh God.
“She has the coolest hair color, drives a vintage motorcycle and makes anyone else wearing a leather jacket look like dog food.”
I fought back a smile. Marioara's eyes roamed my body.
“But then again... she does not have the legs to pull off that dress” Mara sighed, narrowing her eyes. “That is a fantastic dress by the way. Where'd you get it?” she grinned.
Annnd we've lost her.
Then she frowned.
“No, no. I'm not getting distracted!” she said seriously and marched up to me. “What exactly are you doing here, Tate? This isn't Missouri!”
“Her name's not Tate, ma'am” Claire tapped her gently. “It's Ulyana.”
I watched Marioara furrow her brows.
“Uly what?” she asked.
“Ulyana” Claire releated. “Like Unicorn... but without the... nicorn.”
Geneva made a disgusted face. I met Zoltan's eyes and he looked mad as usual. I looked away.
“That's ridiculous. Who names their kid Ulyana?” Mara chuckled. “And Barlowe? There's only one Barlowe I've heard of and he owns this big shot engineering company.”
“That's her grandfather... right there” Claire pointed out.
Mara followed Claire's gesture and her eyes grew wide.
“You're... no, no” she let out a short laugh, not continuing her sentence.
I tried not to say anything.
“She is” Claire kept talking. “And she's engaged to Alpha Zoltan over there.”
My eyes widened as Mara paled.
“Engaged? You?” she whispered.
I gave her a guilty look and her eyes fell on my left hand.
“Oh my goodness” she muttered, stumbling back a little.
She looked between Zoltan and I.
“You two are getting married?”
“We are” Zoltan answered.
I shot him an annoyed look but he didn't seem to care. Mara let out a loud exhale through her mouth.
“I think I'm having a seizure” she whispered as her eyes slowly began to droop.
But before anyone could say anything else, she fell back.
“Mara!” I snapped out of my still and caught her before she hit the ground.
You have got to be kidding me!
I reached out to pat the side of her face repeatedly.
“Mara! Wake up. This isn't funny. It never is” I said.
“Wait you know her?” Claire asked.
I looked up.
“Of course I know her. She's my best friend” I replied angrily.
Then my eyes roamed around the room as they all stood still.
“Isn't anyone going to help me?!” I exclaimed.
“Well she's not one of ours so... no, not really” Geneva replied, still seated in the chair.
She hadn't moved an inch. Not when Claire broke the vase and not when Mara collapsed.
Is she just like her cousin?
“What do you mean she's not one of yours?” I frowned. “She's a werewolf.”
“No see, she meant your friend is not a member of our pa—”
“I know what she meant by that, Claire” I said with annoyance as I stretched her name.
Geneva chuckled. I frowned at Zoltan who stood still... not an ounce of emotion on his face. He just didn't care and he was leading his pack in his nonchalant, devilish ways. A pit formed in my stomach.
This is the man I'd agreed to marry? He had no concise!
My fingers trembled against Marioara's skin.
“Ulyana?” a voice called.
I finally looked away from Zoltan's emotionless face and at Brett's.
“C'mon. We'll take her out to the car and get her conscious” he whispered.
I frowned.
“No!”
“Ulya—”.
“I said no!” I exclaimed. “We're not going anywhere until they get us help.”
He sighed beside me.
“It doesn't work like that here. We'll take her out to the car and—”
“Brett, I said no” I let out firmly.
He reluctantly kept quiet but continued to stay at my side. I stood up from the ground and glared at Zoltan.
“You're going to help me... right now.”
“Is that an order?” he asked.
“Do want it to be? Because it can” I threatened.
The few pack members around gasped and Zoltan glared back at me. Geneva grinned from ear to ear. Zoltan stepped closer to me, took my arm and yanked me out of the hall.
"What is wrong with you?”
“What is wrong with you?!” I barked.
He gave me a displeased look.
“Is this the kind of pack I'm marrying into? A 'She's not one of ours' pack?” I asked. “Zoltan that's absolute evil!”
“I don't remember asking you for opinions on how to ran my pack”.
“We're getting married, aren't we? I'm going to be expected to be Luna...”
“Woah!” he stopped me. “This marriage is solely for monetary purposes. To help you and your pathetic grandfather out. You'll not be required to do anything afterwards so don't get excited.”
I clenched my fist.
“First, pack members aren't allowed to use the same door as the family members and close relations of the Alpha. And now you can't help an unconscious girl because she's not one of yours?” I asked angrily. “What's next? Set them on fire if they challenge the Alpha?”
He slightly arched a brow.
“That one would only be for you because you have no decorum.”
I pressed my fist to my side.
“How dare you?” I growled.
“No, how dare you Ulyana Barlowe?!”
He said my name... my full name!
“Need I remind you that I'm the Alpha and so long as I am and you are on my territory, you will show me absolutely nothing but respect!” he barked. “Because I'd hate to pass that last law.”
Then it hit me.
Territory!
I blinked.
“You're right” I let out.
For a second he looked stunned. But he recovered quickly and nodded stiffly.
“Good” he said. “Now...”
“No, no” I stopped him.
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“So long as I'm on your territory... that has got to apply to my friend too” I smiled.
He stared at me.
“I have to show you respect... I'm on your territory... and so that means you're responsible for whatever happens to me... on your territory.”
His face slowly fell.
“And if Marioara is here, it only means you gave her permission to be” I said.
I smiled with satisfaction and unclenched my fists.
“And so, for as long as you've given her permission to be on your territory, you're equally responsible for whatever happens to her.”
I watched him flex his jaw in annoyance. He was defeated! I'd defeated him. This marriage wasn't going to completely hellish if I could have more of these wins.
He took a threatening step towards me and I pinched myself to not move back. He towered over me.
“You will not twist my rules and use them against me” he growled.
Then a certain force pushed me to take a step... not back, but forward. Then I smiled.
“Oh but I have, Zoltan James MacQuoid” I whispered with a smirk.
He flexed his jaw again, angrier than a person could be capable of being. The he side stepped me and moved back into the hall.
“Get her upstairs” he ordered.
I smiled to myself and hurried back into the hall. His people began to murmur.
“But Alpha Zolt—”
“I said, get her upstairs!” he said firmly.
A man moved to where Marioara was laying on Brett's lap and carried her.
“Warren, get the pack doctor here now” he added and stormed off.
His beta blinked, not quite sure what he'd just heard.
“Warren!” Zoltan barked from somewhere in the hall.
That got his beta to move. Bubba gave me the brightest and proudest smile I'd ever seen and nodded approvingly. I smiled back. A chair scraped and Geneva was finally up on her feet.
She had a smile on her face as she moved to my side. And with a gentle hand on my arm she whispered, “Good omen.”
Thank you for reading!
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See ya.
~the_atticwriter