LOGINInside the vehicle, no one said much. Alexei drove with both hands firmly on the wheel, his gaze fixed on the road, his jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth ached. Every few minutes, he brought a fist to his lips and coughed discreetly — blood, not much, but blood. He wiped it with the back of his hand and kept driving, as if nothing had happened.Lyra noticed. She didn’t say anything, but she observed every movement, every muffled coughing fit. She knew exactly why. The bond. Carla was still fighting for her life on that stretcher, and Alexei was being dragged along with her, his body reacting to his mate’s pain as if it were his own.Beside her, Sasha remained silent. One hand rested on Lyra’s thigh, his fingers absently caressing her knee in a gesture that was both possessive and comforting. It was his way of asking if she was okay without using words. She intertwined her fingers with his, and the silent answer was enough: “I’m fine, I’m here, we’ll make it.”When the car finally
The corridor of the medical wing seemed far too long. Each step echoed in the heavy silence of the mansion, and Alexei could still taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth. He ignored it.Before reaching the room where Carla was, he spotted two men sitting outside. Feliks remained with his arms crossed, his red eyes fixed on a distant point. Andrey stared at the floor, elbows resting on his knees. Both looked up when Alexei appeared, and the silence lasted a few seconds.It was Alexei who broke it, crossing his arms."So... you guys usually show up at my house uninvited, or was this a special occasion?"Feliks let out a sigh through his nose. Even in that chaos, Alexei’s humor was still there, but they knew why. It was the only way he had of not completely falling apart."We’d have preferred it to be another occasion. A dinner, maybe. Something with food."Alexei leaned his shoulder against the wall, his eyes moving from one to the other."Start explaining. Quickly."Andrey wen
Pavel’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
Susan was in a white field. No sound. No wind. Just her… And the figure.The woman was wrapped in black veils, her face partially hidden. Her eyes, however, shone in intense green tones. Identical to Susan’s. She observed her. She didn’t hide, didn’t run. She just… looked.Susan felt her blood vibr
Alexei drove in silence, his left hand firm on the wheel, while his right rested on his own leg, restless, as if it were being forcibly restrained. Carla, in the passenger seat, kept her arms crossed, posture straight, gaze lost out the window.But she wasn’t oblivious. She felt everything.The sil
Main Volkov Residence — YekaterinburgIvan’s office was spacious, lined with dark wood and ancient books. The lit fireplace broke the morning chill.Maksim entered without knocking, as he had always done. Ivan stood by the window. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.“Did he answer?” I
Rurik Mansion – Main Kitchen6:47 p.m.The aroma of fresh spiced tea filled the room, blending with the soft sound of the still-warm kettle resting on the marble counter. Susan wore a loose sweatshirt and thick socks. The afternoon had been heavy — memories of Jenn still echoed in every corner of t







