LOGINCarla aligned his member against her wet entrance, feeling the hot, throbbing tip press exactly where she wanted it most. For a moment, she allowed herself to simply feel it. The heat radiating from him, the anticipation pulsing in the air, his clear eyes fixed on hers as if she were the most important thing in the universe.Then she sank down.Slowly. Inch by inch. Every fraction of movement was delicious torture, her inner muscles adapting to the invasion, embracing him with an intimacy that never ceased to surprise her. Alexei groaned — a deep, husky sound that seemed to come from the depths of his chest — and Carla saw his fangs lengthen slightly, his eyes sparking in a blue so clear they looked silver under the fireplace light.“Our female receiving us.” The Lycan’s voice echoed in Alexei’s mind, but Carla felt it through the bond like a satisfied growl. “So tight… So hot… perfect.”“Perfect,” Alexei repeated out loud, his hands on her waist squeezing with possessive strength, pu
Carla was nestled against Alexei’s bare chest, covered by a soft blanket he had insisted on fetching when he saw her shrug her shoulders. He wore only his pajama pants, his torso exposed, his skin hot like a furnace.Carla rested her head in the curve of his shoulder, her legs intertwined with his on the reclining sofa, and allowed herself to relax for the first time that day.On the television, a documentary about bird mating rituals displayed colorful images of tropical birds dancing, puffing up feathers, and building elaborate nests. The narrator explained with scientific solemnity that the male of the species Ptilonorhynchus violaceus spent weeks decorating his nest with blue objects to impress the female.“Look at this guy,” Alexei commented, his clear eyes fixed on the screen. “He spends weeks collecting blue bottle caps and all he gets is a reluctant ‘yes.’ That’s sad.”Carla laughed against his chest.“It’s nature, Lex.”“Unfair nature. Look at the poor guy’s effort. He even b
September 9, Night - Rurik MansionThe Rurik mansion had already sunk into silence.Susan had put Demyan to bed a little over an hour ago, after reading three stories and humming an old song that her own mother used to sing. Carla and Alexei had also retired.Dmitry observed everything from the second-floor veranda. The cold of the night did not bother him. It never had. His Lycan skin barely registered the negative temperature, and the wind blowing from the gardens only tousled his dark hair.Some answers, however… those still bothered him.Slow footsteps approached. He did not need to look to know who it was. He recognized the rhythm of that gait since childhood, the slight drag of the right foot that Anatolie had developed after waking from the coma.“Didn’t you manage to sleep?” Dmitry asked, without taking his eyes off the snow.Anatolie stopped beside him, resting his aged hands on the stone railing.“I haven’t slept properly in years. Since before the coma, actually.”Dmitry le
September 9 — Late AfternoonBoris closed the old book he had been pretending to read for nearly half an hour. He had not managed to advance a single page, and his thoughts kept returning to the same place.Alexei.The young man had barely entered his life and was already managing to disrupt decades of carefully built certainties.He rose from the armchair with the slowness of someone carrying centuries in his bones and walked over to the huge window of the library. From there, he could observe part of the gardens covered by a thin white mantle.But he was not paying any attention to the landscape. He was thinking about his grandson. About the phone call from the previous morning. About the overly controlled voice. About the way Alexei had asked questions without a single threat, without a single insult, simply seeking answers, as if he were assembling a puzzle whose final image he still could not see.The library door opened discreetly.Yuliam entered first, his black hair tousled by
September 9 — Early AfternoonShortly after lunch, because Carla had the rare opportunity to sleep in after three consecutive shifts, she was crossing the hall when she found Sasha talking to one of the staff members in a low voice.The moment he saw her, he immediately stopped the conversation, which was suspicious in itself.“Carla!” he exclaimed, with far too much enthusiasm. “Exactly the person I wanted to see.”“Hi…” She slowed her steps, narrowing her eyes. “What do you want?”“Answer me one thing. Quick. Without thinking too much.”“Depends on the question.”“Do you know how to make brigadeiros?”She blinked, processing the abrupt change of subject.“I do… it’s basically condensed milk and chocolate. Why?”“How many?”“How many… what?”“Brigadeiros. How many can you make? In one day? With unlimited resources?”“Sasha… why would I make brigadeiros? For what?”“Fifty?” He widened his eyes, making a horrified face. “Who said fifty? Fifty is an exaggeration. Absurd. No one needs fi
“You’re still thinking about the parking lot, aren’t you?”The question came softly, without any teasing. It was the tone Sasha used when he dropped the mask of humor and showed the real concern he hid underneath.Alexei remained staring at the steam rising from the mug, his eyes fixed on the white spirals.“Every minute. Every time I close my eyes, I see the tracker screen going dark. Every time she leaves my side, my heart races.”“I figured.”“I should have gone to get her.” Alexei murmured, his voice even lower now. “I should have insisted. I should have waited in the parking lot.”“No.”“I should have. I knew something was wrong. I felt it.”“You shouldn’t have.” Sasha’s amber eyes met the blue ones with unusual firmness. “You’re trying to control something that already happened. That doesn’t exist, Lesha. The past doesn’t get rewritten.”Alexei stayed silent, his jaw tense.“Do you know the difference between guilt and responsibility?”He shook his head.“Guilt looks backward. I
The VDNH was still buzzing with voices, laughter, and music when Dmitry crossed the main entrance once again. Eyes turned to him like magnets. His aura, previously contained, now exuded a primal power. Even without the explicit scent of sex or marking, the Lycans knew. They always knew.There was n
The car cut through the cold Moscow night, the headlights illuminating the thick fog that licked the asphalt. The deep rumble of the engine was the only soundtrack in the dense silence hanging between them.Dmitry drove with one hand firmly on the wheel, the other resting on Susan’s thigh — a touch
The private room was isolated from the rest of the event. The lights were lower, and the air inside carried the weight of hierarchy. Only the most influential leaders and councilors of the allied clans were present.Dmitry entered with a firm posture and eyes as cold as the Russian winter. His blac
The sun had barely risen when Susan opened her eyes, the sheets tangled around her legs, her heart beating faster than normal.The room was still submerged in darkness, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.Once again, the same dream. Dmitry. The clearing near the lake. His mouth. H







