Chapter 9 — More Susan

The day dragged on like torture.

Dmitry couldn’t work, couldn’t think, couldn’t even breathe without smelling her damn scent still clinging to his clothes, the armchair, his skin.

The desire didn’t fade. On the contrary. It grew. Like slow poison. Like fever. Like addiction.

He clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the constant burning in his chest. Trying not to think about her hands accidentally brushing against his.

About the lost look she gave him before pulling away—because she had felt it too. As if she knew.

“She felt it. Just like we did.”

“Shut up,” he growled under his breath, still sitting in the empty room.

“You can lie to us, Dmitry. You can pretend you’re in control. But the body doesn’t lie.”

His fist tightened around the pen until it snapped in two.

“Just one touch. One single touch and your whole damn armor crumbled. You want her. You want her scent, her taste, her skin. You want to bury your cock inside her until the world disappears.”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Because it was true. The self-control he had cultivated like a monk for years was cracking.

His mother’s death, his father’s silent despair… Dmitry had sworn he would never allow himself to feel. Never. He would never give anyone the power to destroy him the same way. But now…

“Now you want to be destroyed by her, don’t you? You want her to tear everything apart. Every layer, every defense.”

“Enough,” he whispered, his voice dry and desperate.

When the end of the workday finally came, Dmitry rose like a contained hurricane. He left everything on the desk and strode down the corridor with firm steps.

He didn’t even glance at his secretary.

“Get the car ready,” he ordered without looking at her.

He rode the elevator down, tense. He needed air. Just a few minutes outside this building and maybe he could calm the beast.

But the moment the glass doors came into view, he froze.

She was there, just a few steps away. Talking to Alexei.

His brother was smiling. That cynical smile he used when he wanted to provoke. And she… She was smiling back. Laughing softly, as if she were genuinely comfortable.

“She’s smiling at him.”

Dmitry felt his blood boil. The air burned in his lungs. His vision blurred. The Lycan inside him rose like a living shadow—hungry, feral.

“He’s too close.”

“She’s nothing to us…” he tried to remind himself, even as fury made him speak through gritted teeth.

“Liar.”

“Just an employee.”

“Liar.”

“She can’t mean—”

“THEN WHY THE FUCK DO YOU WANT TO RIP YOUR BROTHER’S THROAT OUT?!”

The internal roar shook his bones. The Lycan didn’t want answers. It wanted action. It wanted to protect. To claim. To take. And Dmitry didn’t know how much longer he could resist.

He took a step forward. Firm. Instinctive. Enough to draw their attention.

Alexei turned first.

“Dmitry.” His tone was light, his gaze mischievous. He knew. The bastard knew. “Any problem?”

“None,” he cut in, his voice laced with venom.

His eyes locked onto his brother’s like blades. He didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe deeply. He just… stared. Like a predator facing a threat.

Susan, caught between them, felt it.

She looked from one to the other, her green eyes slightly widened. Confused. Alert.

Her own instincts were screaming. But before she could say anything, a female voice called out:

“Susan!”

It was Maki from marketing.

Susan hesitated. She glanced at Dmitry for a second, then back at Alexei. She offered a polite, distant, almost formal smile.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rurik.”

And she walked away.

Dmitry followed her with his eyes like a hunter watching his prey disappear into the forest. Every step she took hurt. As if the air was being ripped away with her. The silence between him and Alexei stretched for a long second. Then the bastard smiled.

“I never thought I’d see the day when Dmitry Rurik lost control over a woman.”

Dmitry stepped forward. His presence grew heavy, animalistic.

“Mind your own business, Alexei.”

“I’m just saying… It looks like you’ve finally found a real reason to live.”

The provocation was clear, but there was something else in his tone. Admiration. Genuine.

Dmitry ignored it. Or tried to. Because what he really wanted was to run after her. Drag her back. Mark every inch of that pale skin. See if a second touch would be as devastating as the first.

“Let’s go to her. Let’s feel her. Just one more time. Just…”

“Shut up,” he whispered.

“You want her, damn it! You need her! Ever since she touched your skin, you haven’t felt cold anymore. She woke you up, Dmitry. She woke everything.”

Yes.

She had done what no one else could. She had shattered his armor. Broken down the walls. Simply by existing too close to him.

Dmitry took another step, trying to walk away from the madness he was sinking into, and Alexei followed, now more serious.

“The councilors want to speak with you.”

Of course. It was obvious.

The succession. The pact. The farce. The theater he wore like armor. Him and Natalia. The fake smiles. The icy marriage. The agreement between clans.

But now, all of that… felt so distant. So dead.

“She is real. The rest is a lie.”

Natalia wouldn’t give up easily. If the councilors were moving, she was already playing her game. And he knew exactly how she played.

Subtle. Relentless. Venomous.

The Lycan growled, nauseated.

“End this shit. Susan is ours.”

Dmitry closed his eyes for a second.

Yes. As much as admitting it made him even more insane. But he also knew the danger. Exposing Susan too soon… would be an invitation to war. The clans would move. Natalia would act. And Susan would become a target.

He would still resist. For the name. For politics. For caution.

But the truth? Deep down?

It was fear.

Fear of losing her. Fear of not being worthy. Fear of having everything taken away before it even began.

“You felt her. There’s no going back.”

No. There wasn’t. Because for the first time since his mother’s death, Dmitry wanted to feel. He wanted everything. The warmth. The skin. The laughter. The scent. Her touch had awakened every fiber of his body.

And he needed more.

So much more of Susan.

***

Susan couldn’t explain it. She didn’t even know where to begin. But the exact moment Dmitry approached, her entire body reacted.

An electric wave ran across her skin, a cold shiver racing up her spine and settling at the nape of her neck—like a subtle warning. Or perhaps a sentence.

The air seemed to grow thick, almost suffocating.

She noticed how his blue eyes fixed on Alexei, sending a silent message that said more than any words could. A contained threat. A warning of marked territory.

But Alexei only smiled. That light, mocking smile that seemed to poke at wounds no one else dared touch. A stark contrast to Dmitry’s dark presence.

And then she was saved—by something she didn’t even understand. But deep down, she felt it wasn’t just tension or attraction. It was something far more dangerous.

As she walked away toward Maki, she still felt the weight of Dmitry’s gaze burning into her back.

She didn’t look back. She didn’t dare. Not this time.

“What was that?” Maki asked as soon as Susan stopped beside her.

“I… I have no idea,” her voice came out lower than she wanted.

Maki crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she studied Susan’s expression.

“Whatever it is, it looks like you’ve caught the attention of yet another Rurik. You’re getting famous. Come on, Tatiana is waiting.”

Susan took a deep breath, trying to ignore the growing knot in her stomach. A knot that wasn’t just anxiety—it was an omen.

Her blood, cursed and blessed by Morrigan, was beginning to react.

Tatiana was waiting in the parking lot, glasses perched on the tip of her nose while she reviewed some papers, even though the workday had ended.

“Girls!” She waved with a smile when she saw them approaching.

Susan smiled back, but her heart was still racing.

Tatiana unlocked the car and motioned for them to get in. She took the wheel naturally.

“About the launch event for the new model…” she began, fastening her seatbelt. “We received confirmation today that some celebrities will be attending. The media will cover everything, so we can’t afford any mistakes.”

“Some employees can go, right?” Maki asked, adjusting her own seatbelt.

Tatiana nodded.

“Yes, those who received invitations. But it’s not mandatory.”

Maki looked straight at Susan, who was still fastening her belt.

“You’re going, right?”

Susan hesitated, thinking quickly.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea…”

“What do you mean?” Maki widened her eyes. “It’s one of the most important events of the year! Good food, real drinks, and music that doesn’t sound like elevator crap.”

Susan let out a nervous laugh.

“That all sounds great, but…”

“But what?” Maki pressed.

Tatiana glanced curiously through the rearview mirror.

“Are you afraid to go?”

Susan looked out the window.

“It’s just that… I don’t think I have anything appropriate to wear.” She lied—or at least tried to convince herself the excuse worked.

“Oh, we can fix that easily!” Maki replied with a wide gesture. “We can go to a store tomorrow. You need to go, Susan.”

She bit her lip. The truth was she did want to go. But she couldn’t. She would be surrounded by Lycans, and by now she was certain her blood was reacting to Dmitry’s. The mark had been made. And the worst part… she felt that he knew it too.

She needed to find a spell to break the bond. Before it was too late. Before she was dragged into that dark desire that grew with every encounter.

“Looks like I don’t have a choice, huh?” she murmured, trying to fake a smile.

Tatiana smiled through the rearview mirror, but there was something in her eyes. The gleam of someone who saw more than she said.

“It’s going to be interesting. Especially because the owners of Rurik Motors will be there.”

Susan frowned, suspicious.

Maki let out a little giggle.

“She’s talking about Dmitry.”

Susan sighed.

“I knew it.”

“You noticed that all the women in the company basically drool over him, right?”

“Yes, Maki, I noticed.”

“He’s gorgeous. And dangerous. The perfect combination for ruin,” Tatiana said, tossing her hair over her shoulder with her right hand.

Susan swallowed hard.

His image appeared in her mind uninvited: those cold, intense eyes, that dominant presence, as if he commanded the entire room without needing to say a single word.

She closed her eyes for a moment. She needed to stop thinking about it. She needed to focus.

“Let’s just talk about the event.”

Maki and Tatiana exchanged a knowing look in the rearview mirror but said nothing. They knew. Even if Susan refused to admit it… they knew Dmitry was already wrapping himself around her in a way that couldn’t be explained.

Tatiana parked in front of Susan’s building.

“We’re here,” she said, turning off the engine.

Susan unfastened her seatbelt and took a deep breath.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime,” Tatiana smiled. “And think carefully about the event. You need to let yourself live a little, Su.”

Susan only nodded, even though her heart was racing and her mind was far away.

She waved at them before entering the building. But the only thing she could think was:

I need that spell. I need to break this bond. Before he destroys me.