Chapter 16 — Under the Pack’s Gaze

When Susan entered the hall, Dmitry’s world seemed to stop.

The dress hugged her body as if it had been molded by the gods just for her. The side slit revealed part of her leg with elegant sensuality, and the subtle shine of the fabric reflected the hall’s lighting as if she were the source of all light in the place.

But it wasn’t just her appearance. It was the magnetism. Susan exuded something primitive, something that made every Lycan’s eyes turn to her as if they were hypnotized.

Dmitry felt the bold stares, the interest in the air. And something fierce exploded inside him.

“Rip the eyes out of those sons of bitches.”

“No.”

“They’re devouring her!”

“I know.”

“Then do something, fuck!”

His jaw locked. His hands clenched into fists. Jealousy. Possession. Irritation. Desire. Dmitry felt everything at once, tearing his rationality apart with every new emotion.

Around him, close allies — Ivanenko and Volkov — exchanged discreet glances. Sasha, ever provocative, let out a low whistle.

“This… is going to be really fun,” he murmured, taking a sip of his whiskey.

Dmitry didn’t respond. The muscle in his jaw moved with visible tension. Aleksandr, as always, didn’t miss the opportunity.

“Relax, Rurik.” He patted Dmitry on the shoulder with that insolent smile. “You look like a caged animal.”

Dmitry looked at him slowly, eyes cold.

“I am an animal.”

Aleksandr’s amber eyes sparkled with amusement.

“Yes, but even an Alpha needs to keep up appearances. Your wife is over there, smiling like a good hostess. Maybe we should go greet her.”

Dmitry restrained the impulse to crush the glass. Sasha just smiled, raising his hands.

“Okay, okay. I’m just saying… I can go over there and break the ice with your guest.”

“If he takes one more step, I’ll rip his head off.”

“Do it.”

“Focus! She’s looking at me.”

A deep growl reverberated in Dmitry’s chest. It was low, but carried an ancestral threat. The nearby Lycans caught the sound. Aleksandr smiled even wider.

“Alright. Message received. I’ll behave. For now.”

Dmitry turned his eyes back to Susan. She lifted her gaze and met his.

And everything in Dmitry went still.

“Fuck… She looks so beautiful. I want to rip that dress off with my teeth.”

She hesitated. Bit her lower lip, unaware of what it did to him. Dmitry felt the heat rise through his body. The connection between them was like a live wire driven straight into his spine.

“Go to her. Now. Claim her.”

“Not yet.”

“Why? Fuck… She’s right there, so fucking hot, so ours. Only ours.”

Susan looked away, a subtle blush coloring her cheeks. She felt it.

Dmitry finished his whiskey in one gulp and headed to the stage. The hall fell silent as he took the microphone.

“Good evening, everyone.”

All eyes turned, but his never left her.

“It is an honor to have you here tonight to celebrate another year of success for Rurik Motors. We have grown together. We have innovated. We have fought. And we have won. None of this would be possible without each and every one of you.” He raised his glass. “To the future.”

The toast echoed amid applause. Dmitry stepped down from the stage without taking his eyes off Susan. He walked toward her with the determination of a predator, stopping right in front of her.

She looked surprised. Enchanted. Nervous.

“You promised me you would come. You kept your word. Now it’s my turn to keep mine.”

She accepted his hand with slight hesitation.

“And what exactly did you promise?”

The smile he gave her was not just a gesture. It was a statement. Almost savage.

“That I would be by your side, if you allow it.”

She nodded, her trembling fingers intertwined with his. Dmitry felt it. The vibration in her body. The effect of his touch. The sweet scent of anxiety and desire.

“She’s wet just from looking at me. Fuck… I need her. Now. Here.”

Susan was trying hard to appear composed, but he now knew every nuance of her essence.

He guided her through the hall, always keeping one hand on her waist, like a declaration. Eyes were on them, but Dmitry didn’t care. He wanted them to see. He wanted them to know.

She was his.

He introduced Susan to allies, investors, and politicians. She showed herself polite and kind, trying to maintain her composure even as the tension between their bodies threatened to overflow.

Dmitry sometimes leaned in, murmuring something too close to her ear just to see her shiver.

“I’m driving you crazy, aren’t I? Fuck it, you’re mine.”

Irina Vasiliev, Alpha of the Velkanov clan, greeted her with a curious smile.

“You must be very special for Dmitry to make an exception and bring you here.”

Susan smiled, slightly flushed, but Dmitry answered first.

“She is more than special.”

“She is my addiction.”

Ivan Volkov approached.

“Dmitry, are you going to introduce your guest to everyone and forget our meeting?”

Dmitry took a deep breath.

“I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

Other Alphas arrived: Viktor Dragovich, from the snowy mountains of the north, and Lev Orlov, old and conservative.

Viktor analyzed Susan with attention.

“There’s no scent of witch. Nor of fae. What is she?”

“Mine,” Dmitry answered without hesitation.

“Mine. Only mine. Whoever dares to get close, I’ll kill.”

Lev raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes assessing.

“Be careful what you declare in front of the Ancients, Rurik.”

Dmitry’s Lycan growled, but he kept his posture.

“I don’t declare. I state it.”

“I state it to this whole fucking world: she is mine!”

Irina let out a soft laugh.

“I like this new side of you. Human… but still lethal.”

Dmitry turned, leading Susan toward one of the VIP sofas. He brought her hand to his lips, leaving a subtle but intentional kiss.

“I need to go. Alexei will stay close.”

Susan nodded, trying to disguise the intensity of what she felt.

“I’ll be fine.”

He stared at her for a long moment, his blue eyes darker and more intense, conveying what he couldn’t say there, in front of everyone.

“You are mine. My beautiful female, my weakness and my strength. Whoever dares to touch you, I swear… will bleed until there’s nothing left.”

Dmitry walked away, each step firm like the silent promise he was making.

***

As soon as Dmitry left, Aleksandr approached with that lazy, confident stride, crossing his arms with a smile that screamed provocation before he even opened his mouth.

“The Alpha left you babysitting the redhead?”

Alexei rolled his eyes slowly, as if he had been expecting exactly that line, in that tone.

“Yes. And before you ask, no.” He spoke firmly, but with a trace of amusement on his lips. “I’m not giving you passage.”

Sasha laughed, leaning his body to the side as if observing a rare painting at some extremely expensive auction.

“What a waste. I just wanted to be polite. Introduce myself, you know?”

“She’s an employee, Sasha,” Alexei shot back dryly, giving him a bored look. “You’re acting like you found a lost relic.”

The smile on Aleksandr’s face widened like embers being blown on.

“And isn’t she?” He raised an eyebrow. “You saw the looks, Lex. You felt the scent. It’s not common. She’s different. And Dmitry… Well, he noticed it before everyone else.”

Alexei didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Sasha was right, and that was exactly why he was there. Not only as a brother, but as the only barrier between Susan and a possible bloodbath caused by an destabilized Alpha.

He moved around the hall with the lightness of someone who belonged in that world, handing out smiles, quick jokes, and excessive charm. But his eyes always returned to her.

Susan Grigorieva.

The redhead was among the Rurik Motors employees, laughing discreetly at some joke. What was curious wasn’t just how she smiled, but how everyone around her reacted to it.

Curiosity. Desire. Envy. Disdain. Everything hung in the air like electricity before a storm.

“Shit, Dmitry. You practically marked her in public.”

With smooth steps, Alexei approached the group, smiling with his usual mischievous sparkle.

“Ladies, gentlemen,” he greeted, his voice full of trained charm.

Tatiana, as always, didn’t miss a beat.

“What is a Rurik doing among mere mortals?”

“Raising the group’s standard, of course.” He winked. “A gift from me to you.”

Some laughter spread. Maki rolled her eyes, Susan just gave a shy smile, as if she were still trying to figure out if all of this was real.

Alexei turned to her with a softer look.

“Susan.”

She tilted her head slightly, polite.

“Mr. Rurik.”

“Ouch.” He placed a hand on his chest, pretending to be hurt. “I just aged ten years. Call me Alexei, please.”

“Sorry,” she said, a bit awkward. “Alexei.”

“Much better.” He smiled, genuine this time. “So? First time at a Rurik family event… Survived so far?”

Susan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the gesture instinctive and too sweet for that environment.

“Strangely comfortable, considering… everything. I’ve never been to a place like this.”

Tatiana interrupted, laughing.

“She almost backed out. If it weren’t for us, she’d be home reading some weird book.”

Susan blushed, and Alexei tilted his head, curious.

“Weird books? Now I’m interested.”

“They’re just fiction. Suspense, mystery… Sometimes romance.” She shrugged modestly.

“Romance?” He raised an eyebrow. “The sugary kind or the ones that keep you up all night reading?”

She bit her lip, thoughtful.

“The ones that make you think. I like imperfect characters. Relationships that are built over time. Real feelings, you know?”

Alexei’s smile remained, but his eyes grew more attentive.

“You don’t believe much in instant passions?”

“I don’t believe in them much. True love needs roots.”

He nodded, now more serious.

“I agree. Anything that is born from nothing also dies too easily.”

She looked at him with attention, and he saw the curious sparkle in her green eyes. But before the silence stretched too long, he pointed to the glass in her hands.

“Juice? With all these absurdly expensive wines being served?”

“I don’t drink,” she answered simply.

Tatiana grumbled, but Susan continued:

“My father was an alcoholic. Before he passed… he wasn’t exactly kind.”

Alexei’s smile softened. When he spoke, his voice had a rare calm.

“That makes you stronger than half the people here.”

She frowned, surprised.

“Strong? I don’t know…”

“Trust me,” he said, serene. “You’re in a hall full of arrogant and dangerous Lycans… holding a juice and smiling. That takes more courage than it seems.”

Susan laughed, relaxing. But Alexei felt it. The stares. Of desire, judgment, strangeness.

He moved subtly closer, as if simply changing position. But now he was beside her. A casual shield.

“Don’t mind them,” he murmured, only for her. “They’re staring because you confuse them. And Lycans hate feeling confused.”

She looked at him, startled.

“Are you serious?”

“Always.” He smiled sideways. “But that’s good. It means you have more power here than you imagine. You just need to learn how to use it.”

“I don’t want power,” she whispered. “I just want to leave this event alive without fainting.”

Alexei let out a sincere laugh.

“Then we have the same goal. To keep you alive… and conscious.”

Susan laughed too, more at ease now.

“Thank you, Alexei.”

He leaned in slightly, as if sharing a secret.

“You don’t need to thank me, and if any Lycan approaches with second intentions… let me know. I promise I’ll bite back.”

She laughed, blushing. He loved that.

“Alright. Deal.”

Even while smiling, Alexei remained alert. Because no matter how relaxed he seemed, he knew exactly what was at stake.

Susan wasn’t just an employee. Nor just a passing distraction. She was the only reason Dmitry hadn’t buried someone that night yet.

And Alexei would do whatever it took to keep things exactly like that.