Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE PAKHAN'S STOLEN OMEGA: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

NIKOLAIThey were going to die in Alaska.Nikolai had accepted this about thirty minutes ago, when the guard count went from twenty to fifty, when the exits locked down, when it became clear Project Seventh had turned Wing C into a kill box specifically designed for them."How many rounds you got left?" he asked Dimitri through the comm."Two mags. You?""One. And three grenades." Nikolai peered around the corner. Counted hostiles. Lost count at thirty. "This is going to be close.""Close." Dimitri's laugh was sharp. Bitter. "That's one word for it."They were pinned in the medical wing. Anya had gone for her sister, successful extraction, from the sound of her war declaration that had echoed through every speaker in the facility. But now she was trapped in Building C with Katya, and Nikolai and Dimitri were trapped here, and Alexei..."Alexei," Nikolai keyed his comm. "Status?"Static. Then: "Still breathing. Barely. Extraction team is ten minutes out."Ten minutes. They needed to su

Anya sat beside her sister's bed and tried to explain."Your name is Katya Volkov. You're twenty-six. Our parents were Aleksandr and Elena Volkov. They died when you were sixteen. You're my sister. My little sister."Katya stared at her. Blank. No recognition. No memory. Nothing."I don't remember any of that," she said quietly. "I don't remember parents. Or you. Or..." Her hands twisted in the sheets. "I don't remember anything. Just waking up here. Nothing before that."Dr. Chen had confirmed it. Complete retrograde amnesia. The memory centers were intact, physically, but the memories themselves were gone. Erased. The price the magic had demanded."Maybe they'll come back," Anya said. Hoping. Desperate. "Sometimes memory loss is temporary. Sometimes...""Sometimes it's permanent," Dr. Chen finished gently. "I'm sorry, Anya. But based on what I'm seeing...the way the implants were connected, the trauma from their removal...there's a strong possibility her memories are gone for good."

The photo album was older than Katya.Anya sat beside her sister on the small bed in the cabin and opened it carefully. Pages yellowed. Photos fading. But still clear enough to tell their story."This is you," Anya said, pointing to a tiny bundle in a hospital blanket. "Two days old. Mom said you came out screaming and didn't stop for three hours."Katya stared at the photo. No recognition. Just polite interest. The expression of someone looking at a stranger's family memories."I look angry," she said finally."You were always angry as a baby. Mad at the world for existing before you got there." Anya smiled. Forced. "Dad used to joke you'd grow up to be a revolutionary.""What was he like? Our father?"Our father. The words should have warmed Anya. Should have felt like connection. Instead they felt like knives. Because Katya was asking. Not remembering. Asking about their father like he was a character in a story instead of the man who'd sung her lullabies."He was..." Anya searched

The immunity suppressants were failing faster now.Anya felt it every morning, the bond pulling stronger, the connection to Dimitri deepening beyond what she could control. Not just emotional. Physical. Her body responding to his presence in ways that had nothing to do with conscious choice.65%. Dr. Chen had confirmed it this morning. Down from 70% just three days ago. The complete mate bond was inevitable now. Not if. When."It's accelerating," Dr. Chen said quietly. So Katya wouldn't hear. "At this rate, you'll hit zero... complete bond immunity failure... within two weeks.""What happens then?""Then you're fully mated. No suppressants. No control. Just pure bond. Your cycles will sync with Dimitri's rut. Your heat will trigger his alpha response. You'll be... " She searched for words. "You'll be his in every biological sense."Anya should have been terrified. Should have felt trapped. But all she felt was certainty. Rightness.She'd chosen this. Chosen him. Chosen pack. The bond

The heat lasted three days.Three days of Anya locked in the nest with Dimitri. Three days of biology overriding everything. Three days of becoming fully mated in ways that made the previous bond look like a pale shadow.Katya could hear her sister sometimes. Through the soundproofing. Not words. Just sounds. Need and satisfaction. Alpha and omega. Mate claiming mate.It made her feel, strange. Not jealous. Not uncomfortable. Just, aware. That there was a whole part of life she couldn't remember. Connections she'd lost. Experiences that should have shaped her but didn't."It's normal," Nikolai said. He was recovering on the couch. Arm in a sling. But mobile. Functional. "Heat. It's intense. Overwhelming. But it passes. She'll be okay.""How do you know?""Because Dimitri won't let anything happen to her. He's her alpha. Her mate. His entire purpose right now is making sure she comes through this safe. Satisfied. Bonded." He smiled. "Trust me. She's fine. Probably more than fine."Katy