✿ Ulyana's POV

She wrapped me tightly in a hug.

“I'm going to miss you so much, my angel” she whispered as her eyes got teary.

I smiled sadly as I squeezed her back.

“I'm going to miss you so much more, Lolo.”

I fought to hold my tears back.

“What did I just walk into?” I heard Geneva mutter as she strolled in with the others.

“Oh c'mon you guys” Marioara frowned. “It's just one week. Why are you acting like she's not going to come back?”

Chole pulled away from me and I smiled lovingly down at her as I wiped her tears away.

“She just got back and she's going away again” Chole shook her head.

Brett moved up to her and rubbed her back.

“Let's go get you some water, Soledad,” he said to her and led her away.

“I take it from your brave acts that you're not going to miss me” I turned to my best friend.

Marioara gave me a light chuckle as she shook her head and pulled me close to her small frame in a tight hug.

“You know me too well to know this act is fake” she stated as her head rested on my chest.

A chuckle escaped my lips at her comment and I sniffed to hold back my tears. I bid everyone I had to goodbye, ignoring Zoltan who stood by the doorway with a bored expression on his face. 

After Anton, I didn't picture falling in love or getting married again. But I always pictured my wedding and goodbye a little different from this moment.

For starters, my husband wouldn't be standing by the doorway emotionless and looking like I was wasting his time as I bid my part of the close family present in the hall goodbye.

“I see you saved the best for last” Geneva's voice cut through my angry thoughts.

A small smile spread across my face.

“I did” I played along.

“I'm so flattered” she dramatically brought a hand to her chest.

I chuckled and she smiled at me before moving closer to take my hands.

“Have a great trip.”

I simply nodded, my smile still in effect. She glanced behind me at the doorway where Zoltan was now standing with Jean.

“Don't be afraid to kick his ass if he gets too unbearable” Geneva let out.

I laughed and she pulled me into a quick hug.

“You're good for him, Uls” she whispered before letting me go.

Before I could ask anything else, my uncle, his wife, and my grandfather walked in.

“Hey kiddo” my uncle smiled, moving up to me.

He held out his hands to me and I took them in mine.

“My sister would be so proud of this brave person you've become.”

“Well I am her daughter” I playfully shrugged.

He squeezed my hands.

“Be well, Ulyana.”

I nodded with a small smile.

“And don't hesitate to call us if you ever need anything” Fiona suddenly joined in as she slipped beside her husband.

I eyed her.

“If you ever want to talk to someone, I'm always here for you my sweet girl. Our home is always open to you, mm?”

She moved in to touch the side of my face but I panicked and quickly let go of my uncle's hands, smiling broadly to cover up my sudden terror.

Someone to talk to?

If I wanted someone to talk to why would I skip my best friend, Chole, and even Geneva and Mitchell to come talk to the woman who locked me up in a cage because I had a nightmare?

“Hey, Uls?” Marioara called out to me.

I turned.

“Since you'll be moving in with your husband when you two get back from your honeymoon... can I move into your room?” she asked.

“Yeah and since we're making requests, can I have the keys to your motorcycle? I need to teach myself how to cruise on that baby” Mitchell added.

I chuckled at the both of them.

“No, you can’t” I instantly slammed down their requests.

Mara and Mitchell exchanged looks.

“Okay. I'll just pick the locks then” Mara shrugged.

“And I'll hot wire the Busa” Mitchell added.

This earned a few chuckles from the close families present. My grandfather stepped away from where everyone else was gathered in the hall and I excused myself to go to him. When I reached his side, he held out his arms to me and I didn't think twice before hurrying to hug him.

He engulfed me in a warm hug and as we let go of each other, the apology in his eyes was evident.

No.

Before he could unnecessarily apologize again, I shook my head at him.

“None of this is your fault, Bubba” I whispered. “Now please promise me you'll stop feeling this way.”

He looked away from me at Zoltan who was still talking to Jean.

“Bubba” I called out to him firmly.

He raised his eyes back to my face.

“I don't exactly love the idea of going away for an entire week (to God knows where) with him” I sighed. “But I'm going to be just fine. He's not going to hurt me. If anyone should worry, it's him. Because I'm going to make him regret ever messing with the people I love.”

A little smile spread across his face. My grandfather drew closer and placed a kiss on my forehead before I hugged him tightly again.

Suddenly, I felt him stiffen a little. I furrowed my brows in confusion. But before I could break away from the hug to ask him what was wrong, a guess ran into my thoughts.

“We need to go now. It's getting late and the drive is long.”

Of course, it's him here to ruin our moment and our mood.

I let my grandfather go and turned to him.

“Can't you let me finish saying goodbye in peace?”

He tucked his hands in his pockets and calmly stared down at the two of us.

“We're leaving... now” he instructed. “Let's go.”

He grabbed my wrist and turned away to begin walking, tugging me closely behind him.

“Let me go, Zoltan” I hissed behind him as he tightened his hold on my wrist.

“This is what happens when you foolishly choose to make me repeat myself,” he said, not stopping.

I frowned.

“I was just saying goodbye to my—”

“Zoltan!” my grandfather barked.

Suddenly, he stopped, causing me to stop as well. I turned before Zoltan could.

“Take very good care of her.”

My grandfather's eyes looked a bit misty, despite the daggers he was shooting at Zoltan.

Oh, Bubba.

Zoltan simply nodded and resumed walking, dragging me along, my eyes still on my grandfather.

“Your bags are safely in the car, Alpha Zoltan,” someone said, the moment we reached outside, causing me to finally look away from my grandfather's direction.

“Thank you” Zoltan replied.

“Wait, I need my bags too, don't I?” I asked.

Zoltan glared down at me. But before he could say anything, Chole's voice interrupted us.

“I packed for you, Miha. It's in the car too.”

I smiled and forcefully tugged my hand away from Zoltan's hold to move closer to her. Chole didn't waste even a second to engulf me in the tightest possible hug ever. The nostalgia hit me and I buried my face in the crook of her neck.

Somehow Zoltan did start whining about how we needed to go. Chole let me go and Zoltan cleared his throat.

“C'mon,” he said bluntly and proceeded to grab my wrist again when Chole stepped between us.

His eyes flicked with surprise.

“I've known her since she was born. I've raised her as my own, seen her at her lowest... and I can't tell you just how much I love this girl” she stated so softly it made me want to cry.

Chole slipped her hand behind her and took my hand in hers. I squeezed onto it.

“Now I know she's strong-willed and impossibly stubborn...”

Zoltan glanced at me and I frowned at him.

“But she's her mother's daughter and I wouldn't expect anything less.”

I squeezed Chole's hand again.

“And I know this marriage isn't exactly what either of you want...”

It's really not.

“But it has happened” She glanced at me.

Unfortunately.

Zoltan was quietly watching her. Chole smiled at me before turning back to face him.

“Make sure you take very good care of my little girl, Alpha Zoltan... please.”

I frowned.

She didn't have to beg him.

“Sure” he bluntly replied again and attempted to move over to pull me away from behind Chole.

But she pushed me away from behind her with the hand I was holding on to and grabbed Zoltan's hand. His brows flexed but the frown never set in.

“I'm serious, boy” she growled slowly. “Take care of her. Because if she comes back with a single hair on her harmed, you'll be answering to none other than Soledad García Jiménez... got it?”

Zoltan blinked and looked down at Chole's firm hand on his before nodding.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I'll take very good care of her, ma'am.”

My heart skipped a little. Very good care of me? Was he planning something?

Chole let him go and smiled at him before turning to me to kiss both my cheeks.

“Be good, my angel.”

No promises.

I gave her one last hug before completely following Zoltan to the granite grey Maserati that was parked a few meters from the...

“What the hell?!” I heard Zoltan cuss as he reached the car first.

I doubled my steps to take a look at what he was about to whine about when I stopped at what I saw.

Oh my...

The back of the car had a large 'Just Married' sign sitting in the middle of a halo of greenery and brightly-colored flowers, with colorful streamers and tin cans, suspended onto the ground. I glanced at Zoltan's seething expression and I couldn't help but grin with satisfaction. I didn't fancy what all this was but it affected him more than it did me and I was glad about that.

He was about to say something when he caught my smile. He narrowed his eyes at me for a few seconds before exhaling in annoyance.

“I don't have time for this. Get in the car.”

He didn't wait for an objection as he walked to the other side of the car before getting into the driver's seat.

I rolled my eyes, a satisfied look on my face, and opened the door and got in. And just as he started up the car, I took one last look at the people I loved.

Only a week right?

It couldn't come soon enough.

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

✿ Zoltan's POV

For the first eight minutes of the drive, I held back everything in my power to not pull over and rip off the tin cans that were clanging loudly on the street as they trailed after the car. But since she started this routine, settling for the tin can sounds didn't seem so bad.

Ulyana would drum her nails against the car door as she read heaven knows what from her phone. Then she would merrily tap her shoes together as she typed on her keyboard which made loud clicking sounds as she typed. Her phone would chime with several notifications, and the routine would begin all over again.

For a second I thought it couldn't get worse. Till the sniffing, the loud slurping of liquids, and the occasional sticking of her hand out to flex and crack her wrist.

It was an entire ride filled with tin can hitting tin can, the drumming of nails, tapping of shoes, loud keyboard sounds, loud notification sounds, sniffing, slurping, and cracking of muscles.

I took in a deep breath.

Ignore it. She's not going to make me—

*clank* *clank* *clank* *clank* *tap* *tap* * tap-tappy-tap-TAP-A-TAP-TAP* *click* *click* *click* *ding-ding* *ding* *sniffs* grabs her water out of the cup holder and *slurrrrrrrrrppppp*

The refreshing *ahhhhhh* sound she let out after putting the water back in the cup holder became my undoing. I knew she was purposefully doing this to annoy me. But the car wasn't moving as fast as I wanted it to and her annoying sounds were making the drive long and torturing.

The minute she stuck her hand out to crack her wrist, I grabbed it and hit the brakes.

“Enough!”

“Hey!” she exclaimed as we jerked forward.

A car behind us honked loudly before driving past us. Ulyana tried to free herself but I gripped her harder.

“Let me go!”

“The second you turn off that stupid phone and sit still!” I growled.

“I am sitting still! And would you rather have a conversation with me?”

“I'm glad you know you're not even average company for anyone.”

She frowned and I let go before she could gain any form of satisfaction in snatching her hand away first. She eyed me as I moved the car again. The next two minutes consisted of her just rubbing her wrist, until her phone chimed with another notification, pissing me off.

This time she let out a soft laugh that reverberated through my chest like someone smashed a damn gong with a sledgehammer in there.

Warmth spread through my body, scaring the shit out of me.

I've had just about enough of this girl.

Before she could reach out for the bottle, I grabbed it, lowered the glass on my side, and tossed it out the window.

“Zoltan!”

“I said enough!” I barked, the ferocity in my voice ripping through the car.

I heard her breath turn sharp before I turned to her.

“You and that stupid phone will be next if you don't cooperate, Ulyana” I growled. “Don't test me.”

I turned back to face the road and from the corner of my eye, I could see her watching me. It took a moment before I heard her breathing again.

Did she find joy in holding her breath?

But most importantly, the only sound I could hear was the clanking of the tin cans... one I was surprisingly grateful for.

The sounds didn't come back and I drove in peace with my eyes focused on the road till she spoke.

“Where are we going?”

I gripped onto the steering wheel, closing my eyes for a moment before opening them again.

“Zoltan, where are we going?” she repeated.

I glanced at her and met her annoyed honey-brown eyes. Her eyes seemed incapable of shedding tears.

“Does it matter?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“No. Just be quiet” I shut her up.

I heard her exhale deeply before turning to the window. For a minute I was glad she was cooperating now. Till breathing was all I could hear. Loud breathing.

Heavens!

She drew in another deep breath and I slammed my palm against the steering wheel.

“Dammit Ulyana! Would you stop breathing so loud?!”

There was a deep frown on her face the moment she turned away from the window.

“Are you insane, Zoltan?!” she asked.

“You're the one breathing like a NOS-powered leaf-blower, so you tell me!”

Something flicked across her face and she closed her mouth.

Finally some peace and—

“You still didn't answer my question on where we're going” she let out.

This girl was out to destroy me.

I took one look at her and then turned back to the road without saying a word.

“Zoltan” she called after a while but I still gave no reply.

What made her think I wanted to talk to her?

“Zoltan” she called again.

I exhaled deeply.

“Zolt—”

“Ulyana does. it. matter?”

“Well since you could be taking me to a slaughterhouse to get rid of me, yes Zoltan, it does matter” she mimicked. “And you might not care about anyone but yourself, but me, I have people I'd very much like to go back home to.”

What kind of hell is this?

“I understand this is a business thing so it's nothing romantic.”

“It is a slaughterhouse, Ulyana.”

For a second she looked terrified. Then she shook her head.

“No. You're too egoistic to pay someone to get rid of me.”

“Really now?”

“Mm hm. You'd rather do it yourself and boast all about it. After all, it's what you narcissists do best.”

I scoffed.

“Are you going to lock me away for a few days?” she spoke up again after some time.

“Very tempting. But keep talking and I'll lock you
away for the rest of the week.”

“Yeah of course. Predictable” she muttered loud for me to hear and shrugged nonchalantly.

I flexed my jaw in annoyance.

“Are you going to tie me up and drop me in the ocean? Or maybe you're going to stop the car and just abandon me by the roadside.”

Does she ever quit talking?

“Are you shipping me to Europe?” she kept going.

She really wasn't going to stop until I gave her an answer.

“Or are you taking me to—”

“My house” I cut her off.

She sat upright.

“I'm taking you to my house.”

“But I thought—”

“The Pack House is for official werewolf business. I have my own house there, along with the house I was raised in. Aside from that, I have my own place out in the human world, and that... is where I'm taking so you can stop with the absurd guesses.”

“Really?” She asked in an oddly enthusiastic tone.

I glanced at her in annoyance.

“Yes really. And it would be even more helpful if you'd shut up.”

She leaned back into her seat.

“Is it far?” she asked after a long moment of silence.

I rolled my eyes.

“We would have been there by now if you didn't take such an incredibly long time saying goodbye.”

I expected a snarky retort but it never came. I glanced at her and she was looking outside the window, her fingers playing with my mother's necklace. My annoyance suddenly deflated and I looked away from her.

“I'll be pulling over once we're in the city. A driver will be picking us up to chauffeur us the rest of the way.”

She turned to me, her fingers still fiddling with the birthstone on my mother's necklace.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

She turned away, then very quickly turned back to me.

“Why don't we just stop at a station and ride in?”

Wait, what?

I wrinkled my nose.

“And why the hell would I ride in on a dirty public transport when I have a driver who gets paid to take me where I want to go?” I asked. “I'm an Alpha. Why would you even suggest that?”

I couldn't be seen on a public transport with luggage and an unbearable wife. A person could only take too much.

“There's nothing wrong with public transport” she shook her head. “The subways and trains are very useful in the crowded city. We'd skip so much traffic.”

“Thank you for your unnecessary input” I let her know.

She made a face at me and turned away. No one spoke for a long time and I thought she had fallen asleep till she sat up and peered closely through the window and at the sky.

“There are no stars.”

I just sighed deeply and ignored her.

“Zoltan.”

It was official. She loved my name.

“Zoltan.”

I ignored her again and she turned away from the window to look at me.

“Zoltan, I think it's going to rain.”

“And I think you talk too much!” I snapped.

She frowned.

“Pull over.”

I scoffed.

“Are you seriously trying to test my patience?”

“You have no patience... pull. over” she said firmly.

I glanced at her.

“You haven't even come the tiniest bit close to me not getting annoyed at the sound of your voice. So you don't get to tell me what to do... in my car.”

“Well we are married aren't we?” she folded her arms. “And so your car... my car. It's our car now” she finished off with a challenging look.

The nerve of this woman.

“Pull over Zoltan.”

“Shut up and be quiet.”

“It's going to rain, pull over!”

“Do I look like I care?”

“Well, I do! So you better pull over right now or I swear you're not going to—”

The car hit something and galloped, shutting her up.

Shit!

The sudden screech of burning rubber echoed through the night as I quickly gripped the wheel and tried to regain full control of the car. Time seemed to slow, each second stretching out as the car spun out of control like a top. By the time I slammed on the brakes to stop the car, there was a loud 'bang' and the car had hit a curb close by.

Dammit!

The sharp tang of gasoline filled the air and my thoughts tumbled over each other in a frantic whirl as I tried to comprehend what had just happened. I exhaled and leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes. I felt the adrenaline slowly ebb away. But over the sound of the rain thumping heavily down on the bonnet was an even louder sound.

The sound of her heart pounding in her chest like a wild drum, each beat echoing her rising panic.

The radio continued to play cheerfully, a stark contrast to what had just happened. Ulyana shifted in her seat and I watched her hands tremble as they brushed against the smooth surface of the deployed airbags.

God!

“Ask if she's okay”  my wolf suggested.

“No. This is what happens when you talk too much.”

A soft sigh left her lips.

“Well... who doesn't like seeing their life flash before their eyes?”

“Don't you even—!” I barked.

She immediately pursed her lips and looked away.

She just didn't know when to stop!

Ignoring the throbbing in my head, I got out of the car to inspect how bad the damage was. A tire was burst, the area reeked of fuel meaning the gas tank was probably burst, and that dent on the side...

“Dammit!” I cussed and ran a hand through my wet hair in frustration.

I had to do something.

I took off my jacket and rolled up my sleeves before hurrying to the trunk of the car. But the moment I moved our luggage into the backseat, I realized the worker who loaded the car with our bags had taken out the spare tire. All that was left underneath the truck carpeting was a toolbox.

“He's fired the minute I get back” I muttered to myself as I brought out the toolbox.

The trees waved frantically in the wind that whistled as I jacked up the car. Then suddenly, I didn't feel the rain on me anymore.

“If you listened to me, none of this would have happened.”

I looked up to my side and my eyes met hers. For a moment, I couldn't look away. Her eyes, in that moment she was standing there, her gown still dried, were like magnets drawing me in. 

Wait, how is she still dried?

I blinked twice and followed her hand to the shade over my head. She was holding up one large umbrella over me.

“Is it bad?” she asked.

For a brief moment, her tone sounded genuine. The wind was blowing the rain in her direction even though she was under the umbrella too, and she was getting drenched gradually. I frowned and looked away from her.

“Shut up and get back into the car.”

“You don't have to be rude, Zoltan. I just asked if it was bad.”

“Yes, Ulyana!” I snapped. “It is bad. Very, very bad. And maybe if you'd shut up like I asked you to, we wouldn't be here right now!”

She narrowed her eyes at me.

“You're not seriously blaming me for your lack of proper hand-eye coordination, are you?”

I stood up and took hold of the umbrella with her hand and pushed it back to shade her.

“If the umbrella fits” I let out before I could stop myself.

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