Chapter 3: He Doesn't Know?

I didn’t sleep at all. Every time I crept toward Dimitri’s door, my hand hovered over the handle before I chickened out and backed away.

What if he remembered? What if Alexi found out? The thought made me sick. What I’d done last night was unforgivable, heat or not. I buried my face in my hands. Even my wolf had gone completely silent.

The apartment stayed eerily quiet. No calls. No Alexi. No nurse or Sasha. By noon, the waiting was torture. I sat on my bed, hugging my knees.

Just punish me already. Anything is better than this.

A soft growl slipped from my throat. I hated feeling trapped. Hated feeling powerless.

Then the front door opened. Footsteps. Not Alexi’s heavy ones. The nurse.

I stayed hidden, listening. Her voice drifted down the hall—serious, on the phone.

“…yes, Mr. Romanov… stable… no significant changes…”

A loud crash made me jump.

I bolted out. “Nurse, are you—”

The words died in my throat.

Dimitri was sitting up.

Back against the headboard, one hand rubbing his forehead as he’d just woken from a nap. This is precisely what the nurse told me would never happen.

He was awake...

Awake.

“Oh my God…”

The nurse snapped out of her shock. “Mr. Romanov!” She rushed forward, bombarding him with questions. “Can you hear me? Do you know your name? How many fingers am I holding up?”

“One fucking question at a time,” he growled, voice hoarse and velvety. The sound made my heart stutter.

I stood frozen in the doorway, pulse roaring in my ears. My wolf went wild.

"Mate! Mate! Mate!"

This was it. The moment I’d dreamed about. I could explain the heat, apologize, and make him understand. He’d feel the bond. He’d forgive me. We’d be okay.

His icy blue eyes lifted and locked onto mine.

Nothing.

No spark. No recognition. No pull. Just the confused stare of a stranger looking at an intruder.

My wolf whimpered. "Mate?"

He turned to the nurse. “Who is that woman?”

The room went dead silent.

The nurse blinked. “What?”

“I asked who she is,” he repeated, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Every word cut like a knife. He didn’t feel it. The bond. The pull. My scent. Nothing.

The nurse hesitated, glancing between us. “She is your wife, Mr. Romanov.”

His head snapped toward me. He squinted. “That?” He pointed. “Is my wife?”

The nurse nodded.

He scoffed. “That can’t be. She’s not my type.”

He wasn't kidding when he uttered those words. He made sure I knew it every single minute since he woke up less than an hour ago.

The first insult stung.

The second hurt.

By the tenth, I was honestly impressed by his creativity. Too short. Too pale. Too skinny. Too quiet. Too awkward. Too strange. He even criticized my hair, as if that had anything to do with the situation.

I stood frozen near the doorway while Dimitri Romanov looked at me as if I were a rat who had suddenly barged into his pristine apartment. The nurse shifted uncomfortably, glancing between us as if hoping one of us would magically disappear. Neither of us did.

Dimitri rubbed a hand over his face, then pointed directly at me. “Please take her outside.”

“The woman?” the nurse asked in disbelief.

“Yes, the woman.” His eyes narrowed. “There is absolutely no way she lives here.”

“Mr. Romanov…”

“I don’t know who she is, but I would appreciate it if you removed her from my room.”

My wolf whimpered. Each word cut deeper than it should have. Logically, I knew he didn’t remember me. But logic didn’t stop the pain of my mate staring at me like an intruder.

The nurse swallowed hard. “I think… I’m going to call Mr. Romanov.”

“My father?” Dimitri frowned.

She practically bolted from the room before answering.

Awkward, suffocating silence fell between us. I stared. He glared. Finally, I found my voice.

“She wasn’t lying.”

His eyebrow rose. “What?”

I swallowed. “You asked why I’m here. I’m your wife.”

The words sounded ridiculous even to me.

Dimitri stared for a beat, then laughed—a cold, disbelieving sound. “That’s funny.”

“I’m serious,” I deadpanned.

His amusement vanished. “No.”

“No?”

“No.” His voice was flat, leaving zero room for argument. “You’re mistaken.”

“I’m not.”

“Then someone lied to you.”

My throat tightened. “Dimitri—”

“Don’t call me by my name.” The sharpness made me flinch. His gaze swept over me slowly, then he scoffed. “There is no universe where you’re my wife.”

The words landed like slaps. My fingers curled into my palms.

“Dimitri…”

“What the fuck did I say?” He let more of his aura slip, forcing a whimper from my throat. “I know exactly the type of woman I date. You don’t even look like someone I’d talk to. You certainly don’t look like someone I’d fuck, and even less, someone I’d marry.”

My wolf growled. "Mine."

“I don’t know what kind of scam this is,” he continued, “but whoever came up with it wasn’t very creative. Leave.”

“I live here.”

His expression twisted with disgust. “Then leave anyway. Before I throw up.”

The tears I’d been fighting burned hotter. I hated him for this. No—I hated that fate had given me a mate only for him to look at me like this.

The apartment door slammed open. Heavy footsteps. Alexi appeared in the doorway, looking genuinely shaken for the first time since I’d met him.

“Dimitri.”

“Father.”

Alexi crossed the room quickly but stopped short of a hug. The distance felt telling.

“Thank the Goddess,” he breathed. “You woke up.”

Dimitri nodded slowly. “I did. Although it seems like it would’ve been better if I stayed down for a couple more weeks.”

Then Dimitri pointed at me and ruined everything. “Now that you’re here, get that crazy woman out of my apartment. She claims to be my wife.”

Alexi’s relief vanished. “No. She stays.”

Dimitri frowned. “No?”

“She’s your wife,” Alexi said firmly. “She wasn’t lying, Dimitri.”

Dimitri froze. One second. Two. Three. Then disbelief turned to pure horror, then rage.

“What?” The growl barely sounded human.

“She’s your wife.”

“NO.”

The snarl shook the air. His eyes flashed gold. The temperature dropped as alpha power flooded the room. My knees nearly buckled.

“I would never marry her.” His gaze snapped to me, filled with raw hatred. “You’ve got to be joking. A grandson? With her?”

Alexi didn’t flinch. “Yes. With her. The contract is clear, Dimitri. She carries the Romanov heir, then she leaves. That is her purpose here.”

Dimitri wrenched free from his father’s grip, muscles straining. “I won’t ever have pups with a stray like her. I don’t even want kids! And if you keep this up, I’m going to make your life a living hell.”

He wasn’t talking to his father.

He was threatening me.