Mag-log inPavel’s laboratory had never seemed so small.Alexei paced from one side to the other, unable to stay still for more than a few seconds. His hands were still stained with blood—his and Carla’s—mixed in a combination that made him want to punch the nearest wall.But his attention was entirely focused on the scientist, who worked without lifting his eyes from the equipment. His agile fingers adjusted microscopes, centrifuged samples, and noted results. Everything running at once in a low hum.The brigadeiro remained isolated in a glass chamber, Carla’s bite still perfectly visible on the once-innocent sweet.Alexei took a deep breath, and the breath scraped his chest like sandpaper. Soon after, the cough came—violent, uncontrollable. He braced one hand on the counter and the other over his mouth, his body bending forward.“She’s still suffering,” the Lycan spoke softly, his mental voice tense. “The bond is pulling her pain toward us.”Alexei closed his eyes. Another crisis, his entire b
The forest remained silent. Too silent—a silence that didn’t mean peace, but the certainty that something was very wrong.Sasha kept his amber eyes fixed on the two motionless hybrids in front of him, every muscle in his body ready to attack. The shadow at his feet remained alive, slithering through the snow like an impatient animal, stretching and contracting as if breathing.It would take only one thought—just one—and it would pierce through both their chests before either could blink.Feliks was the first to speak, his voice steady despite the crushing pressure that still held him paralyzed.“If it were us… we wouldn’t be standing next to the body. We’d be running. Or dead. Or both.”Sasha didn’t answer. He simply waited.Andrey breathed with difficulty, each word an effort against the Volkov’s authority.“Boris sent us to protect Alexei. Without interfering, without being seen. Direct order from him.”That made Sasha narrow his eyes.“Protect… while hidden?”“It was the order we r
Andrey hated observation missions.He had been standing almost motionless for nearly two hours among the snow-covered pine trees, without moving a single muscle. The cold didn’t bother him—his hybrid blood kept him warm—but the forced immobility was torture for someone used to action.Beside him, Feliks remained crouched on a thick branch, completely still, his red eyes fixed on the mansion. Higher up, almost invisible among the treetops, Yuliam observed the Rurik property through night-vision binoculars, his enhanced senses catching every movement.Until then, the mission had been simple, even monotonous. After the screams coming from the mansion, it stopped being.Andrey could still hear, in the distance, the intense movement of vehicles arriving, security guards running, orders being shouted, the unmistakable sound of a property on maximum alert. Something very serious had happened inside, and the three hybrids knew they were witnessing the beginning of something much bigger than a
Sasha walked slowly among the Rurik mansion staff, his eyes scanning every face, every expression, every slightest gesture. Cooks, gardeners, drivers, security guards, maids, laundresses. All of them stood lined up like defendants in a silent courtroom.He knew practically all of them by name. Some had worked there since he and Alexei were still teenagers, running through the corridors and causing trouble that drove Marina crazy. Others had arrived more recently, but all had undergone months of rigorous investigation before being hired.Background checks, family histories, connections to other clans. Dmitry was meticulous about the mansion’s security, and Anatolie had been equally strict before him.Even so, someone had managed to poison Carla. That could only mean one thing: either there was an infiltrator who had slipped through all layers of security, or someone had made a very serious mistake.Neither option pleased Sasha.He held a clipboard with the complete list of employees. B
The corridors of the mansion seemed endless. Alexei walked with quick steps, the small glass container firmly held between his fingers. Inside it, the partially bitten brigadeiro, almost insignificant, too small to carry the chaos that had just destroyed the happiest night they had lived in weeks.The laughter, the wine, Carla’s smile, everything evaporated in a matter of seconds.The Lycan remained silent.Not due to lack of thoughts, but because all the attention of both was focused on a single presence. Carla. She was still alive, the bond said so, pulsing weakly, oscillating, but still existing, like a flame that refused to go out.“Breathe…” Alexei closed his eyes for a second while walking, his boots echoing on the stone floor. “Breathe, love. You promised. You promised you would stay with me. That you wouldn’t leave me.”The connection between them responded only with a distant sensation.Pain. A lot of pain. A pain that burned, that corroded, that spread through the body like
Susan and Lyra knelt beside Carla. The little fairy held her face with both hands, a golden light emerging from her palms.For a second, it seemed to work. Then the light vanished, as if swallowed by a hungry darkness. Lyra paled, her face losing all color. She tried again, her hands trembling. Nothing. The light simply wouldn’t take.“I… I can’t…” Her voice came out weak, her eyes filling with tears. “My magic isn’t working. It’s like something is blocking it.”Susan immediately took over. Her green eyes turned golden, Morrigan’s power coursing through her veins. She placed her hands on Carla’s chest, and a golden light — more intense, more ancient — enveloped her friend’s body.For a moment, it seemed to work. Carla’s breathing stabilized.Then she arched her body. She vomited even more blood, much more, a dark torrent that spread across the marble. Susan stopped immediately, pulling her hands back as if burned.Everyone looked at her. The blood spread across the floor began to dark
While the mansion seemed submerged in a forced tranquility, with security tightening the corridors and Dmitry still secluded with Susan, that afternoon Svetlana moved with silent elegance behind the scenes.Natália’s personal advisor had dedicated years to the art of discreet manipulation, and now,
With a slow movement, Dmitry sat on the bench beside her and extended his hand, wrapping hers with firm possession.“Come here, malyshka (little one),” his voice came out as a hoarse whisper, a soft command that made her body react before her mind could even process it.Susan let herself be guided,
The soft sound of wood crackling in the fireplace filled the vast hall of the mansion. The night stretched cold outside, but inside the warmth was comforting.Susan adjusted the oversized hoodie she was wearing — one of Dmitry’s — inhaling his scent that clung to the fabric.A shiver ran across her
Dmitry’s breathing was still ragged.Susan’s touch on his skin seemed to strip away the densest layers of fear, control, and self-punishment he had worn for years. He was still holding her waist, her body pressed against his, as if only that way could he continue breathing.She lifted her face, her







