✿ Geneva's POV

Dancing to a slow song was Ulyana and her grandfather. Her head was on his shoulder and it was nice to watch them. Before today, I had hope of doing this someday... soon.

But he stupidly had to ruin this for us.

I caught sight of his blonde hair and a deep frown set in.

Damn you Warren Howe!

“Do you need anything Miss?” one bartender asked.

I glanced over my shoulder at her and then back in Warren's direction to find Claire sliding her arms around his waist. Warren didn't look like he was going to shake her off and I suddenly fought the urge to be sick.

“Yes,” I finally answered the bartender.  “I need fresh air.”

I moved out of the hall.

How could he lie to me like this?!

I groaned as I paused in the empty hallway. It was quiet, and so I took my time to calm down. I knew I'd have to go back in there sooner or later. Ulyana would be looking for me in case she needed something and Mara wouldn't be around.

But just as I was about to head on back, a hand wrapped around my wrist, tugging me behind a door. As I got ready to land a punch on the person, the hand moved from my wrist to cover my mouth.

Warren stared at me and I quietly stared back. The second I felt like my emotions were going to betray me, I pulled away from him.

“Let go of me!” I growled.

“Eva” he huffed, taking my hand to make sure I couldn't get away.

“Don't you dare say my name!” I warned. “And let go!”

I snatched my hand away from his hold.

“My love—”

I shut my eyes.

“I swear to God, Warren if you say one more word—”

His lips immediately crashed into mine. It happened so fast that my angry thoughts screeched to a halt and I had no time to prepare myself for the way my stomach twisted or the stabbing sensation that sored through my heart.

Heat rushed through my limbs, bringing with it a flood of emotions I couldn't quite decipher. After several thunderous heartbeats, I felt the anger attempting to melt away and I kissed him back. My lips molded to his, holding on for dear life and trying to keep up with the frantic mingling of breath and hands as he took control of my mouth and obliterated any grasp I had on rational thoughts.

Goddammit Gen, he kissed another woman a few minutes ago, right in front of you!

And that's when my senses came back.

Shit!

In a lightning-fast move, I shoved him away from me, slamming his back into the wall behind him and knocking a box off the top shelf with a noise loud enough to alert whoever was nearby of our hiding spot.

I glared at him and he exhaled. I waited for an explanation, but all I got was Warren staring at me.

No.

“Geneva—”

I lifted a hand, shutting him up.

“Explain.”

“My love—”

“That is not a very good explanation Warren. Don't test me” I growled.

He exhaled deeply and threaded a hand through his hair, not saying a word. I scoffed and nodded.

“Okay. I'll start with a prompt” I announced. “Why the hell were you out there, down on one knee, proposing to Claire, in front of all those people?!”

“Gen...” he stopped short, probably expecting an interruption from me.

I gestured with my head for him to continue but he just sighed.

“It's complicated.”

“Simplify it then” I countered.

He looked at me, his gaze beguiling as it burned into my soul, making me want to fly across the room and kiss him senselessly.

But no.

No.

There was no way I was going to let him off just because his kisses set fire to a burning need in my veins.

“Geneva, I swear to God that it's not what you think at all okay?” he whispered as he neared me.

Warren took my hands in his.

“I can't explain. I can't tell you what's going on. But what I can tell you is that I love you, Geneva. And right now, all I need for you to do is to trust me.”

I cocked my head at him and stared.

Oh my God.

“This has all been a sick game to you” I muttered.

His expression changed as he stared back at me, conflicted and confused.

“No—”

“Warren, why would you hurt me like this?”

“I haven't, I swear, my love. I just—”

“Oh I'm sorry—” I scoffed nastily, snatching my hands away from him, “—did I just want to hear you haven't?”

My tone had changed drastically. Warren stepped back a little.

“I met you first, Warren Howe. I loved you first. I was your first... was sure as hell that I was going to be your only.”

“You are.”

“That's a lie!” I snapped.

He huffed, backing further away.

“It's not Eva, I swear” he muttered. “I just...” he met my eyes, “... I fucked up.”

I pursed my lips and nodded.

“I agree.”

He straightened.

“Ten years ago, I begged you to let me tell Zoltan about us, but you refused. Why? Because you said he wouldn't like the idea of his best friend dating the only sister he's ever known.”

“Eva—”

“Then two years later, you decided to play Good Samaritan to someone you hardly knew. Warren, you decided... all on your own to marry that bitch and give her citizenship... without asking me how I felt about it. You just gave away my spot in your life to some nobody... making me second best.”

“You have never been second best at anything in my life and you know it!” he growled lowly.

Ha.

“You wanna know what I know, Warren?” I chuckled angrily, shaking my head at him.

He flexed his jaw.

“For eight years, I've played second fiddle to that woman. And not once have I complained. Why? Because I love you Warren. And I didn't care how it looked like as long as I got to be with you.”

“My love” he whispered.

I lifted a hand and pointed in the direction of the reception hall.

“But today... out there today, Warren, in front of all those people, you took away whatever right I had left over you.”

“Gen.”

My heart throbbed.

“You ruined our love.”

“No, I—”

“You ruined everything for us. Everything has been you, according to your will, all. your. fault. So yes, you fucked up, Warren Howe.”

He swallowed.

“And the worst part is that I'm being denied a fucking explanation” I scoffed.

He touched a hand to his forehead and I shook my head.

I should have been the one getting proposed to out there in front of everyone today!

My lips began to quiver.

Don't you dare, Geneva!

“Will you at least tell me why, Warren?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

If he didn't tell me something, I'd be forced to come up with an explanation to feed my soul and I hated that. Warren looked up at me.

“Why did you ask her to marry you, huh?” I asked again. “Weren't you supposed to ask for an annulment? What happened to doing right by me? What happened to us not spending Christmas in secret this year? Where'd everything you promise disappear to?”

My nose was burning as hot and angry tears stung my eyes.

“Geneva—”

“That's my name, Warren. Don't wear it out” I spoke up, my voice cracking as my emotions were an inch close to betraying me. “Now talk.”

“I can't” he quickly let out, permitting my tears to cloud my sight. “But I swear to you my love, it'll be over before you know it. I promise.”

A humorless laugh escaped me, scaring my tears back into my ducts because my vision cleared and they never fell.

“It'll be over before I know it? That's my explanation?” I asked. “Or what? Because I've sat around for eight years without demanding explanations, I'll keep doing it in the name of love?”

“Geneva, please” he pleaded. “I'm sorry, but I had to.”

You had to break my heart?

“Had to?” I questioned.

He stared at me.

“How could you do this to me, Warr? You're the last person I thought could have betrayed me like this.”

The disappointment in my voice visibly made his heartbreak. But I didn't care.

“Eva.”

I shook my head at him.

“You're not the person I fell in love with at first. Who... who are you?”

Tears filled his eyes and I could feel myself seething.

“Geneva, I'm begging you, my love. This isn't what you're thinking, I swear.”

“Then look me in the eyes right now, Warren. And tell me you didn't fucking lie to me this whole time” I demanded. “Tell me Warren, that you've respected everything we've ever shared. Every secret. Every laugh. Every night that we've made love to each other” I whispered. “Tell me it wasn't all for nothing and this is a big mistake. Tell me you're not in love with that...”

He immediately lowered his eyes and my resolve broke.

He didn't even pretend to try.

“I am so sorry” Warren whispered. “Please let me—”

“I wish sorry was enough right now” I cut him off.

“Gen” he exhaled desperately.

Then the words left my mouth.

“I hate you, Warren Howe.”

And in the ten years we'd been together, this was the first time I'd seen the blood completely dry from his face.

“You don't mean that,” he said, his voice suddenly coming out in a whisper as he shook his head.

“Right now, I do” I assured him. “More than anything in the world.”

“More than the I love yous?”

“... More than every single one I've ever said to you in our ten years together, Warren.”

This shattered him.

God!

He opened his mouth to talk but no words came out. And without a second thought, I walked out of the room, hurrying down the hallway and back into the reception room.

It wasn't the safest place for me to be in at this moment as my emotions could betray me any second but here, Warren couldn't come near me.

Booze! I need booze.

I swiftly moved to the bar. The bartender from the engagement party smiled at me as I approached.

“Hey, Miss Geneva right?” he asked, his eyes twinkling. “What would you like?”

“Your cooperation” I replied, moving behind the bar.

He blinked. I pointed to the top shelf.

“Give me the bottle.”

He followed my hand with his eyes.

“That's wine.”

“Get it for me...” I peered at his name tag, “... Rocky?”

The disappointment in my voice was more than I intended it to be.

I imagined him to be Italian or something.

Rocky grabbed the bottle and held it out to me.

“Open it” I ordered.

He complied and uncorked the wine bottle. I picked it up.

“Would you like a—”

“No” I cut him off and brought the bottle to my lips.

I took a long swing and shuddered a little. I hated wine. But right now, I hated Warren more.

Thirty minutes later, I was slumped against the bar, watching Ulyana still slow dancing.

“She's so lucky” I sighed and rubbed my temple.

I couldn't hear what they were talking about. Not that I cared to that much. I wasn't the type who went around using my werewolf hearing to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. I just needed a distraction... a big one.

Ulyana's laugh rang through the room as her cousin spun her. I raked my nails on the almost empty bottle of wine in my hand as I slumped against the bar. I watched them dance.

That could've been Warren and me someday.

Her cousin dipped her.

Warren wouldn't have dipped me without trying to give me hickeys.

Mitchell led her back up and the crowd applauded.

I should have been the one being applauded instead of Claire!

I turned away with a sigh. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rocky watching me intently.

“I need air” I muttered and stepped back out, this time into the open.

It was when I realized that I hadn't seen Zoltan in over an hour that I decided to go back inside the hall.  The bottle was getting hard to hold. Not that it was heavy, no. It was almost empty. But my fingers were growing numb. I approached the bar again.

“Gimmie a glass, would you?” I waved my hands at the bartender.

He didn't ask questions. He just grabbed a fresh glass, picked up the wine I'd set on the counter, and emptied the remaining into the glass.

“Here you go,” he said, handing the glass over to me.

I smiled at him.

“I'll put in a good word for you.”

He just looked at me and then moved away.

“Rocky” I scoffed as I turned away.

That was how I knew I was drunk. I was mocking someone's name.

“Well hello there, gorgeous” a man purred beside me.

A loud groan escaped me.

“No, no, no, no, no!” I let out.

He gave me a confused look.

“And that means...”

“Walk away buddy” Mitchell's voice reached my ears.

I turned and the man, probably intimidated by Mitchell's stature, hurried off.

“You didn't have to do that, you know. I had it under control.”

“Sure you did.”

I eyed him.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Both our cousins got married today... remember?”

“I meant here.”

He looked around.

“It's an open bar.”

“I meant...” I exhaled deeply. “What do you want, Thor?”

“The bride's looking for you and I promised to find you and bring you to her personally.”

“Bring me?” I asked. “I can walk just fine, you know?”

“In that dress, drunk, and looking vulnerable?” he questioned. “I'd rather take you.”

Right here?

I snorted out a laugh making Mitchell arch a surprised brow at me. I knew he didn't mean it in the perverted way I was thinking but in this moment, my mind was all over the place.

“Care to share?” he asked.

I shook my head. He was about to say something else when the screeching of a microphone interrupted him. The noise in the hall died down.

“Good evening everyone! We've reached the most important part of the reception... cake!” the M.C. cheered into the microphone earning cheers and laughter from the guests.

“Cake?” I asked. “Who gets excited about cake?”

“Me,” Mitchell said, leaning back against the bar beside me.

I chuckled.

“If we could have the couple up here to do us the honors...” The M.C.'s words trailed away as Garred hurried up to him and whispered a few words into his ears.

What's going on?

The noise came back and a few of the guests looked Ulyana's way.

Like a deer caught in the headlights.

She smiled; one that didn't quite reach her eyes.

“Okay everyone!” the M.C. began again. “There's no problem. The groom is being excused for a while so... why don't we get on to the second most important part of this wedding—”

“Excused?” Mitchell questioned.

I turned to him and he had a frown on his face.

“He's embarrassing my cousin.”

“Relax. It's not like he stood her up” I scoffed.

His piercing blue eyes met mine.

“If he did, he'd be a dead man.”

“The bouquet toss!” the M.C.'s voice came again.

I blinked and looked away from him.

“Come on out single ladies!” the M.C. urged.

I sighed.

“I'm going to go see if I can find Zoltan,” I said.

“No, you're coming with me. Ulyana's looking for you” he stopped me.

I shrugged.

“Okay.”

I took the lead. My steps were a bit unsteady but I knew better than to fall.

“Someone tell the gorgeous bride to get up here!” the M.C. smiled in Ulyana's direction.

“No, no you don't have to—”

“Yes, you do” I interrupted her.

She whirled around and Mitchell bowed a little.

“Told you I'd find her and bring her to you.”

Ulyana smiled thankfully at her cousin and turned her attention to me.

“Gen, are you okay?”

Not even a little bit.

“Yes of course I'm—” a giant hiccup interrupted me, “I'm okay” I snorted out another laugh, “Just a little... *hic* drunk. This dress is doing some serious wonders for me.”

I earned a playful eyeroll.

“Uls!” Mara called out to her.

“Shall we?” I smiled at me.

“I don't wanna do it” she confessed in a whisper.

I shrugged.

“Well, it's not like I'm catching it. So just throw it. You can aim for Mara” I advised.

“Okay.”

I watched her make her way up the platform.

“Okay ladies, are you ready?!”

Cheers erupted all around me. I groaned and moved to the back of the crowd.

“Shouldn't you be in the front?” her annoying voice reached my ears as she slipped beside me.

“Shouldn't you be out of this group?” I countered.

She smiled.

“Yes,” she sang, playfully pushing my arm.

I eyed where her hands touched.

“What is your point exactly, Claire?”

“Oh I'm not doing this for me, silly” she giggled. “I'm going to make sure the bouquet gets to you.”

Oh, now she's mocking me?

She smiled and weaved her way to the front.

“This is all your fault, Warren Howe” I muttered.

“Okay ladies, on three!” the M.C. instructed.

“One...” everyone began to count down.

I sipped my wine.

“Two...”

My taste buds were getting accustomed to it.

“Three!”

Thank you for reading!
Vote and comment if you enjoyed the chapter and recommend!
See ya.
~the_atticwriter