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Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Lycan’s Fated Mate: Kabanata 261 - Kabanata 270

313 Kabanata

Chapter 71 — Old Habits

Night already covered Moscow when the cars left the Demidov mansion. No one spoke much. After everything that had happened in that hall, even the silence seemed tired.Alexei drove without hurry, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gearshift. Carla remained in the passenger seat, her face turned toward the window, watching the city lights pass like small golden blurs. Recovery still left her quieter than usual — her body still remembered the poison, the weakness, the near-death — and he took advantage of that to avoid any conversation he didn’t know how to answer. Or, perhaps, any conversation he didn’t want to answer.She cast a discreet glance at him, her brown eyes tracing the profile of her boyfriend.“Does it hurt?”Alexei didn’t even need to think.“No.”The answer came automatic. Natural. As natural as breathing — that old reflex of pushing any worry away before it could take root. Carla simply nodded and looked back out the window. She didn’t insist. She knew him w

Chapter 72 — The Smile He Uses to Lie

When Carla woke up, the first thing she heard was the silence. Not the heavy silence of the Demidov mansion, loaded with questions and fear. It was a different silence — domestic, interrupted only by the wind swaying the trees outside the window and by the distant song of a bird hidden among the pines on the property.She remained still for a few seconds, simply breathing. Her own body still remembered that she had been very close to death. The weakness lessened each day, but it remained there, discreet, like a scar that still needed time to fade.The doctors said the recovery was excellent, that she had been lucky, that Pavel’s antidote had worked perfectly. But her body knew the truth: she had been minutes away from no longer existing.She slowly turned her face. Alexei was still asleep.It had been a long time since she had the chance to observe him like this, without him noticing. Asleep, he looked younger. The lines of worry disappeared, his brow stopped remaining slightly furrow

Chapter 73 — Small Voids

The garden of the Rurik mansion was finally starting to look like a garden again. After weeks of tension, doctors coming and going, urgent phone calls, investigations, and meetings that always ended with more questions than answers, the silence of that morning had a different taste.It was not peace — it was only a rare moment when no one was running to prevent a tragedy.Susan watched Demyan play near the artificial lake, completely focused on convincing a stick to turn into a boat. The boy pushed the piece of wood through the shallow water with the tips of his fingers, making engine noises with his mouth, oblivious to the adult world and its complexities.Carla laughed softly, sitting on a wooden bench under the shade of a tree. She was still recovering, the dark circles under her eyes lingering, but she could already walk without Alexei practically carrying her, which, for him, was a personal victory.Her brother-in-law, by the way, had finally returned to his own routine. Or at le

Chapter 74 — It Was Only a Second

Dinner ended more peacefully than anyone expected. After the last few days, the simple fact that everyone was sitting at the same table already felt like a small victory.Demyan was telling a completely nonsensical story about a dragon that, according to him, only ate broccoli because Aunt Carla said it made him grow strong. The boy gestured with his small hands, his blue eyes shining with enthusiasm.Dmitry pretended to seriously discuss the animal’s diet, his grave expression contrasting with the amused light in his eyes, while Susan laughed softly at her husband’s — or the dragon’s — indignant expression; one could never tell which.Carla observed everything in silence. From time to time, she glanced at Alexei. He was exactly as always — he teased Dmitry, stole a piece of his brother’s dessert when he thought no one was looking, complained that Marina still prepared coffee strong enough to resurrect the dead.“If I die one day, I already know I won’t need a doctor.” He declared, ra

Chapter 75 — The Man Who Was Always Fine

The first thing Alexei did when he woke up was pretend that everything was fine.The problem was that, for the first time in twenty-eight years, he realized he was doing it. And that was irritating. Very irritating.Before, it was simple. Someone asked if he was okay, he smiled. Someone noticed that something was wrong, he made a joke. Someone insisted, he made another joke. It worked. It always worked. It was a tested and approved system, a well-oiled machine for deflecting concerns.But now there was a part of him that observed every movement. Every smile, every automatic answer, every “I’m fine” thrown into the air like a shield. As if someone had turned on a light inside a room where he had spent his entire life keeping the windows closed.And he hated that light — he hated it with an intensity that surprised him.“You’re staring at that toast like it committed a crime.”Alexei blinked and realized he had been sitting at the kitchen table for almost a minute, eyes fixed on the bre

Chapter 76 — The Way Back

The plane’s wheels touched the Moscow runway with a slight jolt. Sasha opened one eye, still half-groggy.“Finally. Nine hours of torture.”The man beside him didn’t even bother to hide his irritation, a gentleman in a suit who had had the misfortune of sitting next to Sasha for the entire transatlantic flight.“You complained for the entire nine hours of the flight. Continuously.”“The coffee was horrible. An insult to humanity.”“You complained about the coffee before you even tried it.”“Experience.”The passenger took a deep breath, his fingers tightening on the armrest.“What do you mean, experience?”“Life experience. Humanity invented a lot of good things—antibiotics, chocolate, combustion engines. Airport coffee isn’t one of them. It’s universal.”The man gave up on the conversation, turning to the window with an unintelligible grumble. Sasha smiled discreetly, turning his gaze to the landscape. Outside, snow covered part of the runway. Home. Or almost.He picked up his phone

Chapter 77 — The Brooch of the Void

The door to Dmitry’s office was open. Sasha didn’t even need to knock; he found his cousin exactly where he expected: behind the enormous dark wood desk, surrounded by papers, reports, and an open laptop.It seemed as if the world could end outside and Dmitry would still find time to answer emails.“You really don’t know how to rest. It’s a disease.”Without lifting his eyes from the documents, Dmitry replied:“And you really don’t know how to knock on the door. It’s a tradition.”“We’re a very consistent family. Our flaws are hereditary.”Only then did Dmitry raise his head. A small smile appeared on his lips, the kind that only surfaced when family was nearby.“Welcome back. The house wasn’t the same without you.”“Thank you. I missed Marina’s complaints.”“So?” Dmitry closed the laptop, pushing it aside, and rested his elbows on the desk. “Was the trip worth it? Nine hours of flight, a mysterious antique dealer, bad coffee?”Sasha let out a slow breath, allowing the fatigue to show

Chapter 78 — You’re Doing It Again

After the meeting with Dmitry, Sasha found Alexei in the mansion’s garage. Naturally. Whenever something bothered him, Alexei ended up near the cars. Some people organized their thoughts by walking, others prayed. Alexei dismantled engines.The enormous Rurik garage was still silent. The smell of oil, metal, and gasoline mixed with the cold air coming in through the open doors, and the pale morning light filtered through the high windows.Alexei was leaning over the hood of an old car—a sixties model that Anatolie kept as a relic—completely focused. Or pretending to be.“You know that engine has absolutely nothing wrong with it.” Sasha said, stopping a few steps away, hands in the pockets of his coat. “That bolt’s been tightened about fifteen times since I got here.”Alexei didn’t even lift his head.“And you know diplomats should announce when they arrive. Basic manners.”“I did announce.”“You didn’t.”“I just did. I’m right here, talking to you.”Alexei let out a short laugh, still

Chapter 79 — Echoes of Someone Who Knew

The mansion was already asleep. The hallway lights had been turned off, leaving only the lamps, casting a yellowish glow through the silent halls. Outside, snow fell slowly, covering the garden like a white sheet.Alexei walked without destination. Or at least that was what he told himself. He passed by the library, where the books rested on their shelves like silent witnesses to centuries of history. He passed by the music room, the piano closed, the sheet music untouched. He passed by Dmitry’s empty office, the desk still covered in papers.He ended up stopping in front of the large window in the west corridor, the same one where he used to watch the snow as a child, when the world seemed simpler and the only battles were fought with toy swords.He rested his forehead against the cold glass. The temperature burned his skin, but it was a welcome discomfort—something real, that wasn’t made of shadows and unanswered questions.“Alright... enough.”Silence answered first. Then the ancie

Chapter 80 — The Place Where I Can Fall

Alexei took a few seconds before opening the bedroom door. He made as little noise as possible. Carla should already be asleep, and she was. Lying on her side, partially covered by the duvet, an open book on her chest rising and falling with the rhythm of her breathing. She had fallen asleep reading again.He smiled. Carefully, he approached the bed and removed the book from her hands, marking the page before placing it on the nightstand.She woke at the same instant, her brown eyes opening slowly. She blinked. Then she smiled in that small way that always made something tighten inside him.“You came back.”“I did.” He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes tracing her face. “I didn’t take long.”“You talked to him.”It wasn’t a question. Alexei let out a small laugh, shaking his head.“You’re getting annoying.”“I always was. You’re the one who took too long to notice.”He stayed silent for a few seconds, looking at his own hands. Carla asked nothing; she simply waited. She had learned

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