LOGIN“The old man told me she was born in that house,” Alexei continued, his eyes still fixed on his father. “That she was an Alpha. That she loved you, father. That she chose you against everything and everyone. That she abandoned her own clan because of you.”He paused, and his voice dropped even lower.“And he told me that someone killed her. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t the war. It was murder.”His clear eyes met Anatolie’s with an intensity that hurt.“He said the next truth wasn’t in his house. He sent me back home.” The silence that followed was absolute. “Because he said someone here knows.”Alexei’s voice faltered for a second. Just one, an almost imperceptible tremor. But Carla felt it, not just by ear, but through the bond — a stab of pain so sharp it made her eyes burn.Anatolie was the man Alexei admired most in the world. The father who had taught him to fight, to lead, to survive. And that same man had clearly lied to him for twenty-eight years.“And I want to believe it
The road back to Moscow seemed way too long.And way too quiet.Carla ended up falling asleep halfway there.Not deeply. It was that light sleep that comes when the body and mind have been pushed to the limit. Even while sleeping, her fingers remained intertwined with his, and Alexei drove slower than usual.Much slower.Because he had no intention of ever letting go of that hand again.The Lycan sighed, as if lying in the sun.“Ours.”“Ours,” Alexei repeated quietly.“Never again.”“Never again.”“Not even alone.”“Not for a second.”“Not even angry.”“Especially when angry.”“Not even while working.”“I’m going to become the terror of the nurses.”“Ours.”A small smile broke through the darkness on Alexei’s face.“Ours.”The car radio crackled.“You’re talking to yourself again, aren’t you?” Sasha’s amused voice came through.“Drive.”“I am driving.”“Then drive more.”“Are you nervous?”“I am.”“Want to talk?”“No.”“Want to kill someone?”Alexei stayed silent for a second. The Lyc
Carla was still trying to understand how her life had become this.Twelve hours earlier, she had been angry with Alexei because of an argument at the cinema, a stupid fight about jealousy, about things that now seemed absurdly small.And now, she was in a Demidov mansion, surrounded by hybrids, a terrifying patriarch who spoke about his mother as if she could walk through the door at any moment, and watching the man she loved discover that half of his own life might be a carefully constructed lie.And honestly? She wasn’t sure if she was more scared of the Demidovs or of the expression Alexei had been carrying since the old man mentioned Anatolie.Because he wasn’t angry. That would have been easier to deal with, more familiar.No.Alexei was quiet. And Carla had already learned, after an entire year by his side, that quiet Alexei was infinitely more worrying than shouting Alexei.“Ah, before we go…” She spoke, slowly getting up from the sofa. “My bag.”Yuliam raised an eyebrow, his g
The 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.
Dmitry kept his hands planted on the illuminated table, his blue eyes fixed on the map as if he could see straight through it, directly into the enemy lines.Susan remained near the wall, arms crossed, trying to control the rhythm of her own heart. Even without fully understanding the complexity of
Dmitry remained standing at the head of the table, his hands firmly planted on the dark wooden surface, his icy blue eyes scanning the gathered leaders. The Lycan inside him pulsed, growled, impatient.“They’re taking too long. Cut the skin, show the teeth.”Leonid Pavlenko was the first to explode
The great hall was being prepared. Marina was giving orders to the servants to set the meeting table: long decanters of water, trays with snacks, crystal glasses.The papers were stacked at the head of the table, where Dmitry would position himself.Susan noticed the almost military attention to de
Irina wiped her arms with a damp cloth, useless against the stain on her expensive dress.“Dmitry… Will they listen to us?”He cast a brief glance at her.“They don’t have a choice.”In the meeting room, the holograms came to life, projecting the aged and austere faces of the council. Men and women







