The mate finding spell business - book 1

OKSANA’S POV

Kojo and Angus’s meeting almost ended in disaster that day. After attacking Dima’s cousin, Oksana’s father used a spell to teleport in front of the man, but, unlike Dima’s bear, Kojo’s polar bear is not a peaceful fellow. And when Angus noticed that the enormous man in front of him was shifting, it was almost too late for him to run. And they ended up having a big cat and mouse chase on their property, with Mato joining in on the fun and tormenting Angus a little bit while at the same time keeping Kojo’s bear from killing her father.

Never had Oksana felt such stress in her life. It was worse than back in her school time when she once was in a comatose state for four days straight before her finals, and she had one day to catch up on everything.

At least her father learned not to mess with shifters who did not attack him first.

Dima’s training was also coming along well. Kojo was afraid of taking too much of their time to be together, so he tried to solely take Dima when she was busy with her mother preparing things for the wedding, but he also included her as much as he could.

Kojo seemed like a big, scary, mean man with a white mesh of hair in the middle of his dark hair, but he wasn’t that bad.

Close to six p.m. o’clock every day, Oksana, Dima, and Kojo went out on a ran. During that time, Oksana tried to get to know Dima and Kojo a bit more and learn about their family since everyone would be coming to the wedding. After they reached whatever destination Kojo chose for Dima’s training, Oksana would sit down to watch them and relax from all the wedding planning her mother and grandmothers wanted to get her involved in.

At the end of each session, Oksana noticed how Kojo would purposely step away from them to give them some time alone. It warmed her heart to see how thoughtful he was, and she noticed some serious improvement in Dima’s physic, besides being dead tired at night.

Fast forward one week...

Vania arrived today.

Oksana was extremely anxious about meeting Dima’s mother. And she was supposed to go with her mother and her two youngest siblings to pick them up because Dima, Kojo, Angus, and Jamila all went to pick up the rings.

Yep, Dima had not gotten the rings yet thought their wedding would be in a week. And because he was such a perfectionist, pessimist, and much more. He took Kojo to make sure he would buy something decent, Jamila to make sure he brought something Oksana would like, and Angus to see if he approved.

Her bear was such a sweet pushover, wanting to please everyone.

“VANIA/ZAINAB!” Her mother’s scream suddenly broke her out of her thoughts and made her and her siblings jump back in surprise.

The women ran towards each other like long-lost lovers and jumped into one another’s embrace, hugging while squealing like little girls.

“You perra (bitch), you look sexy! If you weren’t married, I would give you a smooch so big you’ll question your sexuality.” That was the first thing Oksana heard from her mother-in-law, and sincerely, it left her shocked.

“And you? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror recently? No one would say you birthed a huge bear like your son. If you weren’t mated, I would show you a good time.” Her mother flirted back and slapped Vania’s ass with a loud smack.

Akir and Oksana watched the scene with open mouths while Dania was confused.

“Sana, what’s a perra?” At that instant, Oksana felt like a deer caught in the headlights. How was she going to explain to Dania what a perra was without the kid getting either mad at what Vania called their mother or wanting to use the word herself to call it to their brothers?

“Oh, you must be Oksana!” Vania exclaimed, and the next thing Oksana knew, she had blond hair on her face, and Vania was hugging her to death.

“Hello, Mrs. Misha.” She tried to say, but the woman pulled away from her, holding her shoulders, and with a smile, she shook her head in disapproval.

“Drop the formalities with me, dear. You’re my daughter now. You can call me Vania or mom if you’d like.” The warm smile she received from Vania helped her feel more at ease, and with the thumbs up her mother sent her, she completely dropped her guard.

“Now, let me take a good look at you,” Vania said, and Oksana took that moment to observe the woman too.

Vania was roughly the same height as her, with blond hair cut a bit above her shoulder, green-greyish eyes, a straight nose slightly upturned at the tip, thin pink lips, and a small beauty moll right over the left side of her upper lip.

Yet, it wasn’t the woman’s eyes that caught her attention, nor was it the small brown dot over her lip or her straight white teeth and youthful look but the mark on her neck. Vania had four deep punter marks with smaller, less defined, slightly rounded ones between the two holes on top and the two lower holes. It was a bit mark, a claiming mark with a grizzly’s upper body on the inside and the letters J M under the mark.

So that was what her mark might look like in the future... Oksana’s only hope was that it wouldn’t hurt.

“Oh, don’t worry, dear.” Vania quickly reassured her when she saw how attentively Oksana was looking at her mark. “You feel a pitch, and then his fangs will release something akin to an aphrodisiac to chase away the pain. After that, you’ll feel high as a kite and quite content.” Vania said with a laugh and gave her a wink.

“Mom, what is a perra?” Dania pulled on her mother’s dress and suddenly asked.

Zainab and Vania looked down at Dania, shocked, and Oksana facepalmed. She had hoped Dania would forget that word, but the kid was stubborn.

Akir watched the adults’ reaction, and he understood right then and there that the word must mean something bad. So he looked at his little sister and shook his head in a ‘no’ motion, mimicking a disappointed father. “You couldn’t keep your mouth shut.” He mumbled and glued himself to Oksana’s side to show their mother he had nothing to do with Dania’s question.

Zainab recovered from her shock quickly and took a disdainful glance at Vania, who gave her an apologetic look and mouthed the word sorry to her.

“That, my love, is a word you will never ever let your father hear. Otherwise, if he even dreams that you said that it, you won’t eat sweets for a year.” Dania looked at Zainab in shock, her mouth wide open and eyes wide.

“What, mommy!?” She exclaimed with broad hand gestures. “That won’t do. I’m making reset on my computer as Axton did on his when the computer caught a virus.” The little girl apprehensively said and grabbed Zainab’s hand.

“Let’s go, mommy. The longer we stay here, the longer it takes me to forget.” The little girl complained and started dragging her mother towards the exit.

“Works every time,” Zainab whispered to Vania, who laughed at them and let the little girl drag her away.

“She just wants the sweets hidden in the car.” Akir signed and grabbed his older sister’s hand, leaving behind a laughing Vania.

Soon after, the five of them were in the car and on their way to Oksana’s dress fitting, with Dania munching on a pack of fruit gummies without sugar.

“Give me one, Dania.” Akir requested softly to his sister, who immediately denied and turned to face away from him.

“Dania, share the gummies with your siblings. Oksana included the ‘she’s going to try her wedding dress and shouldn’t be bloated when she tries it’ thing does not apply to your sister. The saleswoman was just envious of her, now share the sweets with them, or I will take your candy and put it in the trash.” Zainab quickly said, knowing Dania would use the saleswoman’s words to have to share with one less person.

“Alright, mom.” The little, impertinent girl conceded and gave a hand full of gummies to her two siblings, hoping not to have to give them more if they arrived at the dress shop quickly.

“Thank you, Dania.” Oksana thanked her little sister and softly petted her head, being mindful of her ‘angel wings’ as their dad calls the double ponytail hairstyle. “God knows when that woman will let me eat again.” She complained and ate the gummies before her mother gave her a lemon ice tea pack and a cheese and ham lunch.

“Thank you, mom.”

“Don’t worry, honey, I ain’t letting that spinach starve you the whole afternoon,” Zainab said earnestly, looking at Oksana through the rearview mirror.

“If the woman is so bad, why didn’t you change shop? Heck, why didn’t you curse her? We are called witches for a reaction. We can be good just like we can be bad from time to time, and with Oksana’s health issues, it’s not as if that woman doesn’t deserve it.” Vania asked.

It’s not that they didn’t want to change shops, but the next wedding dress maker is fifty kilometers away. It would be harder to prepare everything while having to make that long trip, besides just stretching those fifteen kilometers to this shop was already making the bond between Oksana and Dima feel pulled and uncomfortable beyond belief. Sometimes it actually started to hurt due to the distance and the long hours they spent away from each other.

‘Love, I found the perfect engagement and wedding rings for you!’ - Dima’s sudden message cleared the less than happy thoughts away from her mind, and the seed of sadness that was starting to take root in Oksana’s soul dissipated.

‘Really? I can’t wait to see them!’ Oksana answered him back and spent the rest of the trip to the shop exchanging messages with Dima while eating.

When they arrived at the store, Oksana had a bright smile on her lips, laughing and joking with her mothers and her siblings, but unfortunately, it didn’t last long. The red-haired saleswoman greeted them at the door with a scowl and hurriedly ushered them inside.

Dania’s, Jamila’s, and Zainab’s dresses were ready and already at home, but Oksana’s dress still needed some last touches, and Akir and the boys were still in the fitting process, Dima included. But today, they would focus on finishing Oksana’s dress, and only then, if they still had time, would they get a move on, on Akir’s suit.

“Go change into your dress! It’s in the usual cubicle.” The redhead snapped, and Oksana sighed before leaving her belongings with her mother and doing what she was told.

“What a rude bitch.” Vania hissed at Zainab in disapproval, and the latter nodded in agreement.

“If she wasn’t the only one in the zone, I would have left already,” Zainab complained and led her kids and best friend to the black cushions they usually sat in.

Soon the red-haired woman, who Zainab nicknamed spinach due to her ever-present green face every time she spoke with her daughters, appeared with a wrist pin pad. The woman scoffed when she saw that Oksana wasn’t out yet and started irritatingly hitting her foot on the floor.

“She taps her foot one more time, and I will turn her into a rug,” Vania whispered to Zainab with a menacing look on her face. Luckily for them, Oksana chose that moment to come out with her beautiful yet simple off-the-shoulder white dress.

The saleswoman, whose real name was Louina, immediately ‘pounced’ on Oksana and started checking if anything needed to be changed on the dress.

Vania observed everything thoroughly and found the dress lacking something, so as soon as the human left them alone, she went up to Oksana to take a closer look.

“The dress is beautiful, dear, but I find it lacking something, a spark, perhaps. Do you mind if I try something? I promise if you don’t like it, I will take it back immediately.” Oksana liked the dress, but she also saw that something was amiss in it. Yet it was the only one that jumped to her eye, catching her full attention and making her enamored with it, despise that she still gave Vania the go-ahead.

Vania watched their surroundings, and once she saw the coast was clear, she used magic to sew a band of diamonds around Oksana’s waist. She finished the job quickly and directed Oksana to a full-length mirror near them.

When Oksana saw herself in the mirror, she could not believe the difference the diamonds made on the dress. The jewels gave a whole new life to the dress! It was simply gorgeous.

“Thank you so much, Vania!” Oksana thanked the woman with teary eyes and a massive smile on her lips. “This looks amazing.” She added and hugged the woman.

After that, they paid for Oksana’s dress and had it packed to take with them. They stayed a bit longer for Akir to get fitted, though the boy’s suit was quickly concluded as well, and the five of them left the store to head home, ready to immerse themselves in wedding plans again.

Vania couldn’t stop chuckling silently after they left the store, and Zainab noticed it.

“What’s up with you? What did you do?” Zainab instantaneously asked her best friend, knowing the woman must have done something wrong.

“Let’s just say that her head now matches her nickname.” She laughed uncontrollably and caught some passersby’s attention.

“What?” Zainab asked incredulously and unlocked her car once they reached it at the end of the street.

“Yes, yes! That’s precisely what you heard.” Vania said during her laughing attack, and opened the passenger’s door, ready to get in.

Oksana put the children in the car comfortably, and she was sitting between them when a scream was heard out of the blue.

“AAAAH! MY HAIR IS GREEN!” The woman screamed, and Vania and Zainab broke into a laughing fit.

A couple of hours later, Oksana, Zainab, Vania, Ivy, and Elspeth were all sprawled out on the living room’s floor, going through the wedding plans.

“Ok, so let’s recap,” Ivy said, taking hold of one of the sheets of paper spread in front of them. “Dania is the flowers girl. Her dress is done and hanging in her closet, awaiting the big day. Akir is the rings boy, and his suit is also done and hanging in his closet. Jamila and Keysha are Oksana’s bridesmaids, each has their own dress, and there’s nothing to worry about in this department. Kojo and Kato are Dima’s best men, and Vania has assured me her nephews have their suits ready. The priest has been contacted and confirmed his presence at the ceremony. The invitations were all sent last week, but we know the whole town will show up, the after party for everyone will last until four p.m., and the private one for family only will be at Elspeth’s house. Food was ordered for the first party, and for the private one, we’re making it. The ceremony will be held in Nebrura’s great gardens, same with the after party.”

“Ok, that seems to be in order.” Oksana agreed, and they went to the next one.

“Alright, this is the food list for our private party. The main thing is the wedding cake. It’s an orange cake with chocolate filling and covered in whipped cream and grated coconut.” Elspeth read and looked at Oksana to confirm the request.

“That’s right, grandma. Thanks for making my wedding cake.”

“You’re welcome, dear. Next, we have two roast piglets, half a dozen roast chickens, salads, potatoes, rice, an Amos-style ham, Douglas’ famous carrot pie, Ivy’s cookies, and pies, and the drinks are provided by Angus.” This went on and on for a few hours until they got to the flowers’ list.

“Carnations and gardenias on the bouquet, right?” Vania asked since it was her turn to read a page.

“Yes-” Oksana answered, and the front door was opened, in walking Angus, Jamila, Kojo, and Dima.

Angus was the first one to approach them, having to walk past them to reach the stairs.

“Hi, love.” He bent down and kissed Zainab’s lips before he greeted the rest of the women. “Mom, Ivy, sweetheart, Vania.” He kissed Oksana’s forehead and the cheeks of his mother and Ivy, only shaking hands with Vania. “Are the boys ready to go?” He asked them, referring to Kaavy and Axton.

“They should be, honey. They’ve been upstairs with Akir and Dania, waiting for you.” Zainab answered him and got up with his help.

“Ok, love. I’m going to take them to that spinach store to see if the suits are ready, and we’ll be back in two hours max. I’m not in the mode to put up with that woman’s bitching. It was nice meeting you, Vania.”

“Likewise,” Dima’s mother answered and got up, as well, to welcome her son and nephew. And to meet Jamila.

Dima and Kojo hugged the petite woman, greeting her, but as soon as Dima disentangled himself from his mother’s embrace, he hugged Oksana and kissed the daily lights out of her.

“If this is how you will receive me every time I go out, then I need to leave more often,” Oksana whispered in a daze and kissed Dima again, pulling him down to her level.

“I missed you, my lovely mate,” Dima whispered warmly in her ear and left, and a teasing kiss against her neck.

“I missed you, too, my lovely bear,” Oksana whispered back with her hands wrapped around his neck from their previous kiss.

“AWWE! You’re so cute!” Jamila suddenly yelled at them with a dreamy glint in her eyes. “I also want a shifter mate!” The girl declared for the second time since Dima’s appearance.

“NO, YOU DON’T!” Angus yelled from upstairs. “You will stay as single as a pringle!” The man declared, appearing in front of Jamila in a second, using a teleportation spell.

“You’re not fair, dad!” Jamila complained, and Dima used that opportunity to sneak off with Oksana upstairs.

“I want to show you the rings.” He whispered to her and locked her bedroom door to prevent the others from interrupting them. Staying away from one another the whole day was torture for both, so the little alone time they got was very much appreciated.

Dima fell with Oksana in her bed and cuddled with her for a few minutes, simply relaxing and breathing in her scent. All the aches and sensations of longing the bond made them suffer throughout the day disappeared, and the two enjoyed the little peace they had while it lasted.

“I got you these.” Dima lazily said after they spent one-hour cuddling and half snoozing on Oksana’s soft bed. He took two boxes out of his pockets, a dark blue one, and a red box. First, he showed her the red box containing their wedding bands, two simple gold bands with a diamond inside a curly line that together formed a heart.

Oksana fell in love with them immediately.

Then he showed her the engagement ring. This one was a lot more lavish than the simple wedding bands, made with white gold and completely covered in diamonds and yellow diamonds forming an intricate design.

Oksana was appalled at the sign of such an expensive ring. But with a little bit of coaxing from Dima’s side and a huge makeout session with some light petting, and she changed her opinion, happily wearing the ring.

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Hey guys! There are only two more chapters left, enjoy!