ANMELDENThe smell of rare meat filled the room even before the tray crossed the door.“Thank the gods…” Yuliam practically sighed, already trying to sit up in bed.The nurse raised an eyebrow, her fingers firm on the tray.“The doctor said slowly. Gradual recovery.”“I am going slow. This is my normal speed.”She looked at the vampire, who was already sitting up, his eyes shining with anticipation.“That’s not slow. That’s a man who should be lying down.”“For a vampire who was almost dead, this is practically a sleepy turtle.”Feliks laughed from the other side of the room. Andrey just shook his head, but there was a contained smile on his lips.“You almost died and you’re still unbearable.”“It’s a natural talent.”From outside, one of the security guards entered with two more trays, balancing them carefully.“Orders from Mr. Sasha. He said to feed the patient well.”Yuliam opened a smile, his light eyes shining.“I knew I liked him. From the first moment.”“He said you could choose between
Andrey remained seated beside his brother’s bed since dawn.Yuliam was breathing better now. The antidote had worked, and the monitors showed stable vital signs.But his skin remained absurdly pale, like someone who had lost all the energy in their body in a single battle.Feliks was on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Neither of them said much.After what they had seen in the forest — the maid being consumed by the black smoke, Yuliam fallen in the snow — the silence felt more comfortable than any words.Andrey took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number he knew by heart. The call was answered before the second ring.“Speak.”Boris Demidov’s deep voice crossed the line. No greetings, no formalities, just the expectation of a report.“Patriarch. It’s me, Andrey.”“How is Yuliam?”He looked at his unconscious brother, his chest rising and falling in a still fragile rhythm.“Alive. Barely, but alive. The antidote worked.”On the other
The night passed. Then came the early morning. Then the dawn.And Alexei remained exactly where he was. Sitting beside the bed, one hand gently holding Carla’s, the other resting on the mattress. The monitors now emitted a steady rhythm, her heart beating in a healthy cadence, her breathing returning to normal, a rosy tone slowly beginning to return to her skin. But she was still sleeping.And he hadn’t closed his eyes for even a minute.From time to time, he would simply lean over to brush a strand of hair from her face. Other times, he just watched her chest rise and fall. Breathing. That was all he needed. Breathing.The door opened discreetly, and Alexei didn’t even turn his head. He knew those footsteps.“I brought coffee. And real food.”Sasha entered balancing a tray: black coffee, sandwiches, fruit, a bottle of water, and a huge slice of apple pie. Because he knew Alexei, and he knew he wouldn’t eat unless practically forced.“I’m not hungry.”“I knew you’d say that.” Sasha pl
The car didn’t even turn off. The moment it crossed the gates of the Rurik mansion, Alexei pulled the handbrake hard, and the vehicle stopped diagonally in front of the main entrance. The door was opened before the engine had even stopped completely, and he jumped out running, completely forgetting Sasha and Lyra in the back seat.The employees barely had time to get out of the way. Alexei crossed the hall practically sprinting. Pavel’s laboratory was in the basement, and every second felt like an eternity.When the automatic door opened, Pavel was already waiting for him, his eyes anxious behind the safety goggles.“Did you get it?”Alexei simply extended the box, his breathing still ragged.“Lyra had it.”Pavel opened the package with almost reverent care, his fingers hovering over the leaves without touching them directly. His eyes widened immediately.“My God… they’re alive. Perfectly preserved.” He looked at Alexei, his voice heavy with disbelief. “It’s not possible to grow this
Inside the vehicle, no one said much. Alexei drove with both hands firmly on the wheel, his gaze fixed on the road, his jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth ached. Every few minutes, he brought a fist to his lips and coughed discreetly — blood, not much, but blood. He wiped it with the back of his hand and kept driving, as if nothing had happened.Lyra noticed. She didn’t say anything, but she observed every movement, every muffled coughing fit. She knew exactly why. The bond. Carla was still fighting for her life on that stretcher, and Alexei was being dragged along with her, his body reacting to his mate’s pain as if it were his own.Beside her, Sasha remained silent. One hand rested on Lyra’s thigh, his fingers absently caressing her knee in a gesture that was both possessive and comforting. It was his way of asking if she was okay without using words. She intertwined her fingers with his, and the silent answer was enough: “I’m fine, I’m here, we’ll make it.”When the car finally
The corridor of the medical wing seemed far too long. Each step echoed in the heavy silence of the mansion, and Alexei could still taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth. He ignored it.Before reaching the room where Carla was, he spotted two men sitting outside. Feliks remained with his arms crossed, his red eyes fixed on a distant point. Andrey stared at the floor, elbows resting on his knees. Both looked up when Alexei appeared, and the silence lasted a few seconds.It was Alexei who broke it, crossing his arms."So... you guys usually show up at my house uninvited, or was this a special occasion?"Feliks let out a sigh through his nose. Even in that chaos, Alexei’s humor was still there, but they knew why. It was the only way he had of not completely falling apart."We’d have preferred it to be another occasion. A dinner, maybe. Something with food."Alexei leaned his shoulder against the wall, his eyes moving from one to the other."Start explaining. Quickly."Andrey wen
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
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 glass-walled room on the top floor of Rurik Motors offered a silent spectacle of Moscow at night — cold, pulsating, and indifferent. Dmitry stood before the wall of glass, shoulders straight, a lit cigarette between his fingers, releasing the smoke with the same slowness with which time seemed







