Genevieve

Chapter 5: Party

Markus had the preparations for the party going on in full swing. The mansion was getting decorated, and everyone was invited. There was a special menu designed as per his mate's liking and Markus was going to prepare everything himself. He wanted to make a grand gesture for his mate at the party. He had a stage set up with his mate's favourite flowers, a beautiful backdrop, and romantic lights. He wanted to declare his love, scream, and tell everyone that he had finally found his mate, his queen.

The girls were also excited for the party, but Bella's concern was that they had nothing to wear. The party was going to be extravagant, and they wanted to look no less. Bella had grown closer to Markus and decided to ask him to take them shopping. Markus wasn't one to refuse since he also loved shopping.

He loved expensive, high-end brands and luxury items. He took the girls to various designers and boutiques which offered the finest dresses and suits. Bella's eyes gleamed as if she was a kid in a candy store. She loved fancy, sparkly, and pricey items, and even better was that Markus was the one paying. Markus showered all his attention on Bella who tried one every dress she liked and bought every single one as well.

Gen, on the other hand, surveyed the stores and well, but wasn't too inclined to buy anything.

"You shouldn't miss such a great opportunity Gen. It's not everyday that we visit such shops and get to buy everything we want." Bella offered but Gen wasn't uninterested or picky. It was just that all the clothes in the shops were meant for size zeros, and she wasn't one.

While Bella and Markus were busy with their shopping, Gen drifted away and visited the less popular shops. She discovered this wonderful cloth market, which offered a variety of fabrics, designs, laces, and the quality was great as well. She was enamored by the soft fabric, floral designs, and the array of colors to choose from. She was inspired by what she saw at the boutiques and came up with a plan of her own.

Once Markus and Bella were done with their shopping, they were frazzled as they realized that Gen was missing. Bella started to panic since it was an unfamiliar place and even the guards were with her. But since everyone in the southern kingdom recognized their guests, as soon as Markus mind-linked with his pack, Gen was found.

"Don't just wander around. Where were you?" Bella scolded Gen as soon as they reunited. Before Gen could even start talking about the great place she had discovered, Bella interrupted and started talking about herself.

"All the dresses were so pretty, so I couldn't choose, and I just bought everything. And I don't think you liked anything at the shop so you can borrow something from me, or we can visit other places to find something for you."

Gen wanted to tell her that it was very kind of Bella to offer her dresses and that she had figured something out for herself, but Bella kept going on about how she also wanted shoes, jewelry, make-up and what not.

It did get tiring for Gen as she wasn't a shopaholic. Bella and Markus, on the other hand, seemed like a match made in heaven as they clicked instantly and shopped till they dropped. Gen observed the werewolves around her, who were usually in human form.

"There is a place I want to take you both." Markus spoke and they reached the top of a mine where several werewolves were working. This area seemed different compared to the rest of the kingdom. The conditions were poor, and it looked like slum. The girls were told to stay as far as they could as there were toxic fumes and a lot of pollution, which could potentially harm them.

"This is where we mine our minerals and various gemstones. It is our main source of revenue and most of the pack works here." Markus spoke with pride. But Gen's heart sank. The place was extremely dangerous and even if werewolves were stronger and faster compared to humans, they weren't immune from accidents.

"Oh wow! So, you can find diamonds, rubies and sapphires?" Bella was enchanted by the sparkly gemstones glimmering in her mind, and Markus nodded in response.

They travelled back to the packhouse, and everyone went up to get dressed. But Gen had other plans. Gathering all the different kinds of fabric, she drew a picture of how she wanted her dress to be, and then took her own measurements. From cutting the cloth, to stitching the entire dress, she prepared a ball gown like never before. It was an off-shoulder dress which exposed her collar bone and had a low decolletage which was subtle enough not to be too flashy.

Markus could've sworn that no one in the entire room would look prettier than Bella, but Gen proved him wrong. She caught his attention in a way that he couldn't take his eyes off her. Her make-up was subtle, but the way she carried the dress was remarkable.

Bella, too, was awestruck. More so, she was upset, how could she have missed such a pretty dress?

"You are so sly Gen; you bought the prettiest dress for yourself and stole my spotlight." Bella huffed. Gen passed a meek smile as she didn't wish to explain herself.

When the dances began, Markus was drawn towards Gen no matter how much he tried to convince himself to dance with Bella. Even though Bella was eager, Markus kept putting her off and delayed their dance. On the other hand, he felt as if Gen was the one avoiding him and she had an upset expression on her face, which he wanted to wipe off.

Gen pondered over the mining situation, as if she had a hunch that something was wrong or going to be wrong. Either way, she prayed that she would be wrong. She wanted to enjoy the party, dance, and have fun. Her first dance was with Bella, who looked even prettier than Gen in her opinion.

As Markus approached her, she did feel like something was off. She scanned him head to toe and then her eyes zoned into the problem. Markus saw her rush to her room and followed her lead. Gen didn't expect Markus to follow her and was surprised to see him behind her.

Without seeking permission, she leaned into Markus and removed his tie gently. This action took him aback, but he still allowed her to continue. She revealed a bowtie in her other hand and wrapped it around his neck.

"You look great King Markus. But I think you'd look better with this bowtie." Gen commented, and when Markus looked at himself in the mirror, he agreed. Markus was double-minded. Could it be that he was wrong? That was a tough pill for him to swallow. He made up his mind and ushered everyone to the main hall as he had an announcement to make.

He stood up on the stage and gathered everyone's attention.

"It is with immense pleasure that I announce today that we finally have our queen here with us. Please welcome..."

Before he could utter Bella's name, the main door flung open as a bunch of werewolves charged at Markus, ready to attack him. Since werewolves were fast and had great reflexes and instinct, Markus, as well as the werewolves who would guard him, already stood in a protective position.

But other than the werewolves, there was also someone else who jumped instantly to shield Markus as stood as the attack occurred. He would've expected it to be Bella. But it was Gen. And he wasn't disappointed. But touched.

And for the first time ever, Markus wished that his gut instinct regarding his mate was wrong.