ログインThe Demidov mansion had never felt so silent.Alexei had always hated silence. It was in silence that thoughts grew too loud, that the memories he spent the entire day smothering found space to scream. For years, he had learned to fill any empty space. A joke, a provocation, a smile.Anything that kept people from noticing when something inside him was breaking.But that night there was nothing left to fill. He was sitting on the floor of the great hall, exactly where he had fallen hours earlier. Carla remained beside him — her body still recovering from the poison, and the afternoon had been far too long for someone in that condition. Dmitry also refused to leave, and Boris watched his grandson in silence.None of them wanted to leave him alone.And perhaps that was precisely the problem. Because for the first time in a long while, Alexei realized that everyone was looking at him as someone who needed to be saved. He hated that feeling. He had always been the one who ran to save — Dm
Feliks remained for a few seconds looking at the place where the portal had disappeared. The entire hall continued submerged in an uncomfortable silence, as if no one had the courage to be the first to admit that what had just happened had truly occurred.He had already faced creatures capable of splitting mountains, had seen Boris bring down a Lycan with nothing more than the pressure of his own aura, had witnessed Dmitry fight like a true god. But none of that — none of it — compared to the sensation he had just experienced.It had not been fear. It had been powerlessness. For the first time in his life, Feliks felt that if that man decided to kill him, he would not even be able to lift a finger to try to stop him.He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his dark hair, and looked at Boris, then at Anatolie, and finally at Dmitry.“Okay… can someone explain what the fuck that was?”No one answered immediately. Feliks pointed to the empty space where the portal had appeared.“Who wa
Carla still held Alexei in her arms when the silence of the great hall was broken. Not by footsteps, not by a door opening, but by reality itself.The space in front of them seemed to tear slowly, as if an invisible fabric were being opened by hands that did not belong to that world. A circle of darkness took shape in the air — deep and absolute, reflecting no light. The floor trembled beneath everyone’s feet, and the weight that descended upon the hall was immediate.It was gravity, authority, as if the world itself had recognized the arrival of someone above any known hierarchy.Boris instinctively tightened his grip on the handle of his cane. Anatolie remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the portal. The Demidov brothers — Yuliam, Feliks, and Andrey — took a step back. Even Dmitry felt his instincts scream not to advance.From the portal emerged a tall man. His black hair was combed back, contrasting with his bronzed skin. The long black overcoat moved slowly, though there was no
Susan had gone out to the garden in the late afternoon, taking advantage of the first day in weeks when Carla had managed to walk without tiring after only a few minutes. The sun was beginning to set behind the pine trees, painting the snow in shades of orange and pink.Demyan ran across the grass holding a small wooden wolf that Marina had carved for him, laughing so loudly that even the birds perched in the trees took flight.The boy had boundless energy, and seeing Aunt Carla recovered seemed to have restored the joy that had been suspended during the days of illness.Carla was sitting on a stone bench, still a little thinner after everything that had happened, but slowly regaining the healthy color in her skin. She wore a thick coat over her shoulders and watched the boy with a tired but genuine smile.Susan observed her friend with a discreet smile. It was still strange to think that, only a few days earlier, she had believed she would lose her. The black poison, the blood, the d
Yuliam kept his eyes fixed on Alexei’s car ever since they had left the small town. Sitting in the passenger seat of the pickup, he held a bottle of water he had barely touched since they left. The poison no longer burned through his body the way it had before, but it had left a deep exhaustion, as if part of his strength was still trying to find its way back.Feliks drove, hands firm on the wheel. Andrey watched the rearview mirror, his silver eyes attentive to every movement. None of the three lost sight of the black sedan.“He’s going back to the mansion,” Feliks commented, breaking the silence. “He’s on the route.”Yuliam didn’t answer. He kept watching.Then the turn signal on Alexei’s car blinked — once, twice — and the vehicle completely changed direction, taking a secondary road that wound into the forest.Yuliam narrowed his eyes.“No…”Feliks noticed too, his brow furrowing.“That doesn’t lead to the Ruriks. That road goes inland.”Andrey quickly checked the GPS, his fingers
The call ended, but the silence remained inside the car. Alexei left the phone on the passenger seat and kept driving without really paying attention to the road. The autopilot of experience did the work for him while his mind circled around a single question.Why?The Lycan also seemed unsettled, a restless presence in the corners of his consciousness.“They wanted Carla dead. Not you. Her.”“I know. She has nothing to do with this.”“But why?”That was exactly what he couldn’t answer. If the target had been him, it would make sense — after all, he was investigating his mother’s death, digging into stories buried for nearly thirty years, poking at wounds that many people would prefer to keep closed.But Carla? She was a doctor, a human, she wasn’t part of that story. She had never met Ulyana, had never even heard of Konstantin Velesov until a few weeks ago. So why poison her? Why choose her, of all people, on the night of her own birthday?He gripped the steering wheel a little tight
Main Volkov Residence — YekaterinburgIvan’s office was spacious, lined with dark wood and ancient books. The lit fireplace broke the morning chill.Maksim entered without knocking, as he had always done. Ivan stood by the window. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.“Did he answer?” I
Rurik Mansion – Main Kitchen6:47 p.m.The aroma of fresh spiced tea filled the room, blending with the soft sound of the still-warm kettle resting on the marble counter. Susan wore a loose sweatshirt and thick socks. The afternoon had been heavy — memories of Jenn still echoed in every corner of t
Dmitry’s breathing was still ragged.Susan’s touch on his skin seemed to strip away the densest layers of fear, control, and self-punishment he had worn for years. He was still holding her waist, her body pressed against his, as if only that way could he continue breathing.She lifted her face, her
A week had dragged by since Dmitry had brought Susan to the Rurik mansion.Seven days of silent hell, where time stretched like molten steel and every beat of his heart was torture.His exhausting routine kept him away from her, and like a condemned man trying not to break his own chains, he avoide







