Chapter 5

Dimitri:

Alina Morozova was going to be a problem. I knew that, and yet, I still found myself enjoying her presence as she walked beside me wearing my coat, her chin lifted, and her eyes fixed ahead as she refused to look my way.

“You are going to stay inside this time,” I said, watching as she annoyingly looked at me.

“You are insulting me by simply speaking the way that you are to me.” She said, making me raise an eyebrow.

“You know, most people don’t dare look me in the eye, let alone talk back at me… especially after trying to run away.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Alina watched me like she was deciding which part of me would break first if she swung hard enough.

And the worst part was my wolf admired her for it.

Mine.

I pushed the word down as we reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Well, I am glad that I am failing your expectations about being like most of those people.” She said, making me shake my head at her.

Anya stood in the hall with the same controlled expression she always wore. Her eyes moved to Alina first, then to the coat around her shoulders.

“She tried to run,” Anya said. “I went to see her in her room and didn’t find her. The guards told me that she was with you when I tried to send after her.”

“I simply walked out the door,” Alina said calmly. “It wasn’t my fault that no one was actually positioned there to tell me to go back.”

I fought the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose. The girl had been in my house one night and was already testing every nerve.

“She is going back to her room,” I said. “And this time, she is not going to leave for the night.”

Alina looked at me. “Am I?”

“Yes.” I said, looking her in the eye.

“I thought you said I wasn’t locked in.” She stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You are not.” I said calmly. “But it is late, you are injured, and if you keep arguing with me in the hall, I might consider returning you to your room over my shoulder.”

Anya inhaled sharply, expecting Alina to lower her gaze. Instead, the girl stepped closer to me, making me raise an amused eyebrow. My wolf rose so fast that my vision sharpened in both interested and desire. And to make matters worse, she chose to speak… “I dare you,” she whispered, making me smirk.

I leaned down, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “Do not tempt me, little wolf. You might not like how much I enjoy winning.”

Alina pulled my coat from her shoulders and shoved it into my chest. “Take your stupid thing, and never offer me your clothes again.”

“You were cold.”

“And I would rather I freeze to death next time. I wouldn’t want your ego to decide that you can have a claim over me.” She said, watching as I caught the coat.

Alina turned to her. “Since everyone is so concerned about where I sleep, I assume you remember the way to my cage. Given the fact that I can safely say that you look like you want to be the one to make sure that I go to the room.”

“Move along,” Anya said, choosing to control herself. And though I knew that she had a lot to say, I could tell that she was doing her best to control herself… at least in front of me.

I watched as she left before turning just as Mikhail approached. “If you are here to report that Morozova tried to run…”

“Actually, it concerns Ivan, this time.” He said, stopping me. “He is going to try to run away. He has given you his daughter and he thinks…”

“Keep him alive.” I said, stopping him, knowing well that his daughter would not be willing to accept the idea of her father dying no matter how angry she was. “I will manage to make him settle the debt, for now, I don’t want him dead.”

Mikhail nodded and took a step back as I walked to my officed and poured myself a shot of vodka. I didn’t drink it, though… because my mind went back to the woman who dared defy me.

The night should have been simple. I was supposed to collect the debt or kill the man… instead, I had a menace upstairs, my wolf paced beneath my skin, and she was doing her best to play my patience beyond control… and the worst part, I wasn’t even reacting.

I opened the reports on my desk. Rival activity near the docks. A shipment delayed by customs. Two Black Fang patrols attacked near the border. A council messenger requesting a formal meeting.

I read the first line five times and understood none of it… because my mind was fixed on something else… someone else.

The door was knocked, and Anya walked in without waiting for me to answer. Well, given the fact that she raised almost everyone in the pack, including myself, I didn’t expect her to.

“You are patient with her,” she said calmly as she walked toward me.

“I am patient with problems until I decide how to solve them.” I said calmly.

“And is she a problem?”

“The kind fate tied to my soul. The kind I do not need.”

Anya’s eyes lowered for a moment. When she looked up again, her expression had changed to cold practicality. “I thought so. You wouldn’t have been as calm if not.”

Before I could ask what she meant, she opened the office door.

A young maid stepped inside, dark hair, nervous hands, cheeks flushed. I recognized the face but not the name. She wore a simple black dress; her hair was loose, her lips painted. My irritation rose.

“What is this?” I asked.

Anya did not flinch. “A distraction. I figured that you would need one after the day you had today.”

The maid lowered her gaze, and a small seductive smile formed on her lips. “Pakhan.”

I set my glass down. “Leave us.”

Anya nodded and turned. “Not you,” I said. She paused, and my gaze moved to the maid. “Her. You are going to leave.”

The young woman gathered courage and stepped closer, fingers trembling as she reached for my shirt. Her fingers barely brushed the fabric before my wolf snarled so violently my bones ached. I caught the maid’s wrist before she could touch me, looking her in the eye as I did.

“I am sorry,” she whispered. “I thought…”

“You are going to leave.” I said, keeping my eyes on hers. Anya was quiet as she took in the scene before her eyes.

She tried to smile, desperate and frightened. “I can please you, Pakhan.”

I released the maid’s wrist and stepped back. “You will leave. Now.”

Her eyes widened. “Did I displease you?”

“No.”

“Then I can…”

“You did nothing wrong. Go to your quarters. No one will punish you for this.” I said, looking at Anya whose eyes met mine.

“I wanted to see if the girl upstairs had already affected you.” She said, already knowing what I was going to say.

My eyes darkened. “Careful.”

Anya lifted her chin. “You told me she was only trouble… but it seems to me that this girl is going to destroy the order of this house because you are giving into a bond.”

“Anya…”

“You are a Pakhan before you are an Alpha.” She said, stopping me. “And you need to know to control that wolf of yours before he forces you to make a mistake that you won’t be able to undo…”