로그인The afternoon had already begun when Alexei returned to the office.Carla had insisted that he eat something during lunch, and he obeyed—more or less. He ate enough so that she could not accuse him of ignoring basic needs, and returned to the room as soon as they finished.Now, a few hours later, the table was covered with documents: maps, reports, old clan records, information on territorial movements, names, addresses, photographs, and an absurd amount of notes that were beginning to occupy even the spaces where the bottles of drink normally sat.The room was silent. Alexei preferred it that way; he did not need noise, he needed to think. He sat in front of the table and ran his eyes again over the open map before him, his fingers tracing the lines that marked territories and borders.Konstantin was not a man who simply appeared anywhere. He was a Supreme Alpha—he had territory, allies, structure, men, and, above all, years of experience in hiding what he truly did. Alexei would not
The first thing Andrei noticed that morning was the silence. It was not the ordinary silence of the Demidov mansion; that place had never really been silent while Boris was alive. There was always some door being opened, footsteps crossing the corridors, a voice coming from the library, or some complaint from the old man when someone left something out of place.That morning, there was nothing.Boris’s chair remained empty in the dining room. His glass was still in the cupboard, his coat was not hanging near the entrance. And for the first time in many years, no one expected him to appear at any moment.Feliks entered the room a few minutes after Andrei. He stopped near the door and also looked at the empty chair, his red eyes traveling over the piece of furniture as if expecting to see the old man sitting there. Neither of them said anything.Yulian appeared soon after, still with his hair disheveled, his eyes tired, and he also looked at the same place.“It feels wrong.” He murmured
The earth covered the last empty space, and Alexei remained still before the grave, watching as the men finished settling the soil over Boris’s body. There was no fire to consume his flesh, nor ashes to be carried by the wind.Among the Lycans, the earth received that which belonged to the earth, and that was how it should be.The torches continued to burn around the place, casting shadows over the snow, and the Moon remained high, silent, witnessing the end of the Crossing. Alexei lowered his eyes for a few seconds, feeling the weight of the moment settle on his shoulders.Beside him, Dmitry remained silent, his expression grave. Susan discreetly held Carla’s hand, and Anatolie watched the grave with eyes fixed on the freshly turned earth. Further back, Andrei, Feliks, and Yulian stayed together, the three still carrying on their faces the pain of those who had just lost the man who had raised them.No one was in a hurry to leave. The silence stretched on, respectful and deep, and Al
The fire remained lit. The flames of the torches illuminated the stone circle, while the Moon stayed high among the snow-covered branches. Among the Lycans, the Crossing did not end when the body was delivered to the earth; there was still one last thing to do: say goodbye. Not farewell. Never farewell.Alexei remained in front of Boris’s body, and at his side Carla did not let go of his hand. He felt the pressure of her fingers against his — a silent anchor on that cold night.The silence was broken by Andrei. He walked to the body and knelt, remaining still for a few seconds. Then he ran his hand through Boris’s gray hair, adjusting a lock that had come loose.Andrei closed his eyes, and his hand remained on Boris’s head for a longer moment.“You were my father.” The sentence came out without hesitation, firm despite the tremor in his voice. “No matter what they say, no matter the blood. You were.”He lowered his head, and when he spoke again, the words came loaded with a promise:“
The Moon had already risen above the treetops when everyone gathered around the stone circle. The snow reflected its pale light, while the torches scattered around the clearing kept the fire alive.Boris lay at the center, and Alexei remained a few steps away, with Carla at his side. Dmitry and Susan stood nearby, and Anatolie a little farther back. Everyone in silence, their eyes fixed on the body of the former enemy who had, in some way, become part of the family.The four Counselors stood before the circle, and Andrei, Yulian, and Feliks remained by the body. None of them seemed willing to step away, as if physical proximity were the last way to keep Boris present.The oldest of the Counselors raised his face to the Moon, and his voice crossed the clearing with an ancient solemnity:“The Crossing begins when those who remain recognize the one who has departed. Today we gather to deliver Boris Demidov to the ancestors.”The silence that followed seemed even deeper. Alexei looked at
The death of Boris did not end when the car arrived at the mansion. Perhaps because, among the Lycans, death was never truly an end. It was only a passage, a change of state, and that required preparation, respect, rituals that crossed generations.The old man’s body was taken to a reserved room in the Demidov mansion, where only the closest members of the family were allowed to enter. There was no music, no raised voices, and even the habitual movement of the servants seemed not to exist that morning.The entire house seemed to have learned how to remain silent, as if the air itself were in mourning.Andrei was the first to enter the room. Behind him came Yulian and Feliks, their steps slow, their faces marked by exhaustion and pain. The three remained in front of the body for a few seconds without saying anything, simply looking at the man who had raised them.Boris was dressed in simple clothes of his own lineage. The colors of the Demidovs were present, discreet, but no weapon had
As soon as the elevator doors closed behind her, Susan let out a shaky sigh. The seconds until she reached the apartment felt eternal.When she finally entered, she locked the door with more force than she intended, dropping her bag on the narrow cabinet beside the entrance and kicking off her heel
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
“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







