LOGINThe elevator groaned as Alexei pulled himself upward, his claws embedded in the metal like a ship's anchors in the midst of a storm. Their smoke streamed down his body, mixing with the dust falling from the shaft, creating a dark trail that swallowed the faint light of the emergency lamps.He could feel the elevator's motor struggling, the cables stretching beneath the force he was applying, and he heard the gunshots before he even saw them—sharp bursts fired from above by men trying to stop him.The bullets struck the metal, ricocheting around him, some passing so close that their wind brushed his face. Alexei did not dodge. He pulled his body upward with impossible strength, his muscles burning, his claws tearing through steel as if it were paper. When the elevator jolted violently and became lighter, he knew someone was trying to get out—perhaps cutting the cables or activating the emergency brake.It didn't matter. He was too close.Alexei drove his claws into the holes the bullet
Alexei advanced down the corridor before the creature could react. The first blow came charged with black smoke, his arms overtaken by claws that belonged to more than just the Lycan—they were extensions of their primordial side, sharp as blades and alive like darkness itself. Alexei's right hand grew, the fingers stretching longer, and the smoke covered his arms like living armor, pulsing to the rhythm of the rage burning in his chest.The creature dodged with agility identical to his own, and Alexei felt the air shift as the blow grazed the wall. The impact tore pieces of concrete away, which fell to the floor in a cloud of dust."You're slower than I imagined." The creature said, and the voice was Alexei's. The same timbre, the same provocation, the same venom."And you're stupider than you look." Alexei replied, and attacked again.The creature blocked, and the collision between the two made the entire corridor tremble. Alexei realized then what made it so dangerous: it wasn't jus
The sanatorium doors burst open with a thunderous crash, and Alexei entered first. The darkness surrounding him was more than smoke—it was a living extension of his body, rippling like a cloak made of shadows and fury. His violet eyes glowed intensely, illuminating the ruined hall like two embers trapped in a face that no longer seemed entirely human.Susan came right behind him, Morrigan's senses on maximum alert. She could feel every presence inside the place—witches, Lycans, creatures mixed with demonic blood—but there was something deeper, something pulsing in the lower levels of the sanatorium."They're going down." Susan said, her voice low. "Not up.""Carla is down there." Alexei replied, his voice deep, carrying a certainty that left no room for doubt.The first witch emerged from behind a column, and the runes on her hands began to glow. She unleashed a blast of energy, but Alexei's smoke rose like a wall, absorbing the attack as though it had never existed. Before the witch
Carla no longer knew which sound was more constant: the hum of the lights or her own breathing.The sanatorium was a silence that wasn't silence—it was a corridor of muffled noises, footsteps that never came close enough, doors opening and closing somewhere in the distance. She was in the basement, and the basement didn't allow anyone outside to hear anything.Not even her own screams."Have you noticed how the bond reacts to fear?"Konstantin stood before her, a syringe in his hand, his cold eyes moving across Carla's face as if he were studying a laboratory specimen. She was restrained on a gurney, her hands bound, her legs immobilized. Her entire body hurt, but the deepest pain wasn't physical—it was the feeling that something inside her was slowly being erased."Go to hell." Carla muttered, her voice hoarse."You've already sent me to hell three times." Konstantin replied calmly. "I'm starting to think you're not very creative."He approached, and the needle touched Carla's skin.
The journey lasted eight hours, and by the time they arrived, dawn was already beginning to break. The forest surrounding Krestov Sanatorium seemed alive.It wasn't just the snow falling between the pine trees, nor the wind howling through the ancient trees. It was something deeper, a presence moving through the shadows, breathing between the trunks, watching every inch of the territory as though every fallen branch were a potential alarm.Anatoly Dragunov advanced first, and the world seemed to bend around him.His tall body moved with a precision that wasn't natural, and the blue runes on his skin glowed like lightning trapped beneath flesh. He didn't run—he glided, disappearing between one tree and another as if space itself were swallowing him.Ilya Baranov followed him, quieter, more restrained, his eyes catching every movement in the forest like a predator that knew the territory. The two stopped at the same time, sensing the presence."How many?" Ilya asked, his voice low."Thr
The Rurik mansion still smelled of blood. There were no longer bodies scattered throughout the corridors. Marina and Vladimir had organized a team to wash the marble and collect the shattered glass, but the smell remained—embedded in the walls, the carpets, and the cold air coming through the broken windows.Alexei was in the war room, with maps, aerial photographs, old records of Vyborg, and sketches of the Krestov sanatorium spread across the table. He knew they wouldn't have time to plan every move—Carla was suffering, and every minute spent preparing was another minute in which Konstantin was trying to break her. But he also knew that going in without a strategy meant dying before they ever reached her.Dmitry stood beside him, while Sasha studied one of the maps with his arms crossed. Susan was closer to the window, her eyes lost in the snow-covered garden, but the tension in her shoulders betrayed the fact that she was listening to every word.That was when the doors to the room
“This is going to be a problem, Alpha.”The Lycan murmured in his mind, its voice low and drawn out, like a warning whispered through clenched teeth.Dmitry didn’t respond. He moved his wrist discreetly, checking his watch as if trying to remind himself that time still followed rules. It was an exc
The large meeting room at Rurik Motors exuded power. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows offered a privileged view of Moscow, while the dark wooden oval table dominated the center of the room. The black leather chairs, the discreet shine of the metal details, and the absence of any decorative excess
The drive to the Rurik Motors headquarters was made in absolute silence. The city pulsed outside, indifferent to the storm swirling inside him.Dmitry kept one hand firmly on the wheel and the other supporting his chin, his eyes fixed on the road, but his mind far away. He needed to focus. He had m
Dmitry opened his eyes and knew he was no longer in the waking world.It wasn’t the first time.That luxurious hall, with its ancient architecture and silent opulence, had welcomed him before. A distorted reflection of reality, perhaps. Or an ethereal plane that only existed in the intersections be







