MasukThe main doors — which were still standing by some miracle — opened again with a crash.Sasha entered covered in snow, his dark hair stuck to his forehead, with the expression of someone who had driven like a maniac for miles.He stopped in the middle of the hall, taking in the scene: Carla alive, Alexei holding Carla, three hybrids standing still, and one terrifying old man in front of the fireplace.Then he sighed, placing his hands on his waist.“Oh, thank God.”Everyone looked at him. Sasha pointed at Alexei with a mix of irritation and relief.“You. You are forbidden from disappearing like that. I almost crashed the car three times. Three! And I like that car.”“I didn’t disappear,” Alexei replied, still not letting go of Carla.“You disappeared from all of Russia emotionally. That counts as disappearance.” Sasha gestured vaguely. “I was in my apartment, the windows started shaking, my neighbor thought it was an earthquake. An earthquake! In Moscow! Have you ever seen an earthqua
Dmitry knew exactly when Alexei crossed the boundaries of the Demidov property.Not because someone warned him, or because some sensor detected the invasion. But because the world seemed to tremble.The bond between brothers vibrated like a rope about to snap, and Dmitry tasted the metallic flavor of danger in his mouth even before the first alarm sounded.Something was wrong. Very wrong.He remained in the improvised command room of the Rurik mansion, maps spread across the mahogany table, tracking teams scattered across the region, when the phone started ringing.The name on the screen was too familiar to be ignored.“Talk,” he answered immediately, his voice dry.“Dmitry.” Sasha’s voice was serious, something rare for the Lycan who made jokes even at funerals. “What the fuck is going on?”Dmitry rested one hand on the table, his fingers pressing the wood hard enough to leave marks.“What did you feel?”“Feel?” Sasha let out a humorless laugh. “I was in my apartment when the windows
Carla woke with the sensation of sinking.For a few seconds, she didn’t know where she was. The ceiling above her was too high, too dark, the black wooden beams disappearing into shadows that seemed to move when she tried to focus.The smell in the air was a strange mixture of snow, smoke, and something ancient. Very ancient.She blinked slowly. Her head was throbbing, her neck sore exactly where the blade had touched her. Her fingers instinctively felt the skin, searching for the cut, but found nothing. No scar, no scab, no mark. As if it had never happened.The bond was the first thing she looked for. Nothing. The emptiness hit her like a punch, stealing the air from her lungs. Alexei wasn’t there. She couldn’t feel him, couldn’t feel anything. No anger, no worry, no trace of that constant warmth that had become as familiar as her own breathing. Only absolute silence where there should have been life.Panic tried to rise. She pushed it down hard, sitting up abruptly in the bed.Bed.
Alexei was going insane.Literally.The office in the Rurik mansion seemed too small to contain the violence vibrating inside him. The air around his body rippled in small invisible distortions, the windows trembling slightly as the uncontrolled frequency of his rage escaped without permission.The phone was crushed between his fingers. The screen, already cracked, gave way completely with a dry snap. The last signal from the tracker had disappeared fifteen minutes ago — an eternity compressed into nine hundred seconds.Carla had simply vanished. Erased from the map, erased from the bond, ripped from the world as if she had never existed. And that made no sense.Not after everything. Not after the mark. Not after an entire year of feeling every beat of her heart as if it were his own.He should be able to feel her. Always.Even from a distance, even while she slept, even when she was angry and ignoring him on purpose. The bond was the only constant in a world of chaos, the balance tha
Carla realized something was wrong the moment she left through the hospital’s back door. The parking lot was far too quiet. The snow fell in lazy flakes over the parked cars, covering everything with a clean white layer.But the bond… the bond felt strange. Too quiet.She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and frowned. That didn’t make sense. Throughout the entire day, even while ignoring Alexei, she could still feel him. Anger. Worry. Anxiety. All mixed together.Now… nothing. Absolutely nothing. As if someone had closed a door.Her phone vibrated inside her coat pocket. She pulled out the device. No new messages, no calls. Her chest tightened immediately.Idiot.She had spent the entire day ignoring the man. Maybe he had given up. Maybe he was angry. Maybe…No. That didn’t explain the strange feeling. Carla quickened her pace toward the parking lot. Her car was only a few meters away. Just a few more steps.Then she heard a voice.“Doctor Carla.”She turned and froze.Three men w
Alexei stood still in the hospital corridor for several seconds after Carla went back into the emergency wing.Without looking back.Without answering when he called her name one last time.The bond was still there.Fragile. Painful. But alive.She was hurt, and he was starting to realize that maybe he had ruined more than just an argument.“You’re fucking up,” he murmured to himself as he ran a hand over his tired face.“You should drag her home.”Alexei ignored the Lycan.“I’m being serious.”“She needs to breathe.”“And what if something happens to her while she’s ‘breathing’?”That made his chest tighten instantly. Because the animal instinct inside him never spoke for no reason.The Lycan was territorial. Violent. Protective. And it had been restless since morning.The phone vibrated in the pocket of his coat.Dad.Alexei closed his eyes slowly.Great. Perfect. One more pile of shit.He answered.“What?”Anatolie’s voice came through calm on the other side.Too calm.“Are you goi
Natalia held the champagne glass between her fingers as if it were an extension of herself. Firm, delicate, perfectly controlled. But inside, her mind was a battlefield in flames.The elixir had no effect.Dmitry hadn’t even looked at her during the entire damn event. Not a single word. Not a singl
Dmitry left the meeting with sharp eyes and an impassive expression, as always. But inside, the beast was roaring.“Stay away from her. All of you! Lycans or not. She’s mine!”The tension with the partners about the Demidovs and their alliances with vampires was expected, yet irritating. Still, not
The private room was isolated from the rest of the event. The lights were lower, and the air inside carried the weight of hierarchy. Only the most influential leaders and councilors of the allied clans were present.Dmitry entered with a firm posture and eyes as cold as the Russian winter. His blac
When Susan entered the hall, Dmitry’s world seemed to stop.The dress hugged her body as if it had been molded by the gods just for her. The side slit revealed part of her leg with elegant sensuality, and the subtle shine of the fabric reflected the hall’s lighting as if she were the source of all







