Emotional chapter... I apologize for the long wait, for those who are reading Alpha Alessandro, you would know, hehe, but I am going through my MBA finals. Two more exams to go and your author completes the year, just bare with me on this one. But on a bright side, I managed to survive four subjects, passing all of them, so that should be good news to give. Haha. So, how did you feel about this chapter? Mama Ivanov (Maria,), and Killian?
Eleanor: I watched as the door to the room opened just as I handed Katerina to the nurse that was to take her to her crib. My eyes met Killian’s, and I frowned in confusion as I saw his tired and weak eyes. It was an expression that I never expected my mate to have, but now that I saw it, I was more than a little scared that I had done something wrong. The nurse took a step away from him, taking our daughter to the infirmary room. Our little one was to stay there for three days, just as I was to rest here for the next three days. And I watched as my mate walked toward me with an uneasy expression before he sat beside me. “It was Liana,” he said, not looking at me. He sat on the edge of the bed, and his heart raced, making me frown in confusion as I tried processing and understanding his words. The fact that he looked defeated didn’t slip my gaze either. “It was Liana who brought Elton here, who was behind the betrayal that we have been through, who was letting the fucking bastard
Killian: Vladimir and I entered the basement, and I knew the second that I laid my eyes on Elton, Liana, and Nikolai that I grew blind. I wasn’t surprised by the Italian, my main surprise, pain, and anger were toward those that I considered family. It has been a day since everything happened, and though I didn’t spend the first night with Eleanor, I was far too angry for that and I did not want her to remember our wedding night this way. Plus, I knew that she needed to rest, and the last thing that I could do was get some shut eye in the situation that we were in. “Why?” Was the only word that I let out as I laid my eyes on Liana’s. Elton, who was strapped to a chair with a bandage on his back, chuckled despite the pain that I knew he was in. He was a wolf, and I knew that Natasha’s shot would heal in a bit, it wasn’t enough to break him, his wolf, or his ego, but I was going to make sure to break him in a way that his wolf dies long before he does. “You really do expect an answer
Eleanor: “Hey,” I said, entering Natasha’s room to find her laying on her side. She didn’t look up at me, I knew that she wouldn’t anyway. “You’re supposed to be resting, Eleanor.” She said, holding the blanket to her cheek. I didn’t say a word as I walked toward her bed and laid by her side. She sniffed, not saying a word before I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her in for a hug. However, what I didn’t expect was her reaction as she pushed me away, her eyes hardening as she glared daggers at me. “I do not need your pity or anyone’s sad gazes.” She took a deep breath and I shook my head at her, not wanting her to take things that way. Her heart raced and I could read her anger in her eyes before she looked away from me. “Please leave, Eleanor.” “Why did you stay by my side when I came back from Elton? When I was scared when Killian found out about who I was, my story, and where I came from, did you stick to my side because you pitied me?” I asked, and she looked down at her lap,
Maria: “Killian, I need to be alone,” I said, stopping my son from approaching me. “Mama, I have to understand what Liana was on about.” He said, shaking his head at me. I had to remind myself that he was still the pack’s Alpha, and though his mother, I knew to respect a few limits that I shouldn’t be crossing. “It is a past that I do not want to talk about, Killian,” I said, and he looked down at his feet for a second before approaching me. The memory itself was hard enough on me, and to think that she has held a grudge over something that I had no control over took me off guard in a way that I did not expect. “I need to know, mama. I am not going to ask anything that you are not going to tell me, but if I am to find out what is it that she meant, then I need to know from you what happened.” He said, taking both my hands in his. He kissed my knuckles while keeping his eyes on mine, and though my heart ached because of this, I nodded and pulled him to follow me to my and his fath
Liana: “I did beg you not to keep her,” I said, looking at Yaroslav. His eyes met mine, and I watched as he raised an eyebrow. Had he listened, it wouldn’t have gotten to this anyway. But the man not only brought her, wed her, and mated with her, then ended up sending me as a bride to ensure that I stayed away. Little did I know was that I was going to end up living the hell and beauty of my life at the same time. “You married a man of your choice…” “And you killed him,” I said, and the man raised an eyebrow. “Did you ever consider thinking that he might have not been the one to harm me? That your wife was a liar.” “She was not, it was you who told her.” He said, and I smiled. My dark smile intended to make him reconsider, think of his choices, and I wanted nothing more than to anger him just like he broke me. The pain that I felt after what he did was not one that I got over, I doubted that I ever would, but after loving the man for over forty years, I do believe that I had ever
Natasha: “Malenkiy volk,” Little wolf, Uncle Yaroslav said, entering my room. I was laying under the blanket, and though exhausted, I forced myself to sit up as I looked at him. “Hi, Uncle Yaroslav,” I said, and he raised an eyebrow at me. “Do you mind me sitting here?” He asked, and I shook my head. He sat on the edge of the bed beside me, and I looked down at my lap, avoiding his eyes. “And why is my little angelic face looking down at her feet? Why is she avoiding my eyes when she knows that she has done nothing to be punished for.” It was common for me to avoid Yaroslav’s eyes when I did something wrong. And though his punishments toward me were never harsh, I still didn’t like it when he confronted me with a mistake that I made. “I am sorry,” I said, and he shook his head in question, waiting for my response. I curled up under my blanket, hugging my legs as I kept my eyes on his. “For what she did, and for the betrayal that my family took part of.” “Am I the type to ever
Killian: “What are we waiting for, again?” I asked, shaking my head at my father who was not allowing me to approach any of those that were sitting in the basement, and yet, he was neither responding to the reason nor reacting to my questions. “We are going to wait until I have told you otherwise, son.” He said, and I shook my head. It wasn’t until he looked at the watch then at the door that he shook his head as he took a deep breath. It was already eleven in the morning and we have been here since eight. “You can…” The door opened, stopping him, and he smiled before we all turned around to face Natasha. Eleanor, who stood one step behind her, shook her head at me, and I nodded allowing her to come inside. “Do you need anything, Nat?” I asked, my voice softening as I looked at her. Her eyes met Liana’s then Nikolai’s before she nodded. “I want to take your advice, Uncle Yaroslav.” She said, and I looked at my father who smiled, looking proud. Eleanor, who crossed her arms over
Eleanor: “You called for me, Eleanor?” Natasha asked, entering my room. I held onto Katerina, holding her to my chest before looking at her. She looked down at my daughter then at me before shaking her head in question. “What is the meaning of this?” She asked, and I took a deep breath, hoping that she wasn’t going to understand this in the wrong way. I didn’t want to hurt her. On the contrary. I walked toward her and showed her my daughter and she gulped before I smiled. “Hold her,” I said, keeping my eyes on hers as I spoke. Her heart raced and she shook her head in question as I smiled. “You helped me give birth to her, and I want her to know who her second mother is, Natasha.” “What?” She asked, frowning in confusion and I nodded. “I wouldn’t have been here today if not for you. And I am speaking in a sense not even from being held captive by Elton in the first place, the wedding, and I know for fact that my daughter would have been dead had it been up to Elton. You came alo
Epilogue:“I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride.” Vladimir didn’t wait to be told twice to kiss Elena.He smiled into the kiss and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer.“Elena Ivanov.” He said, taking both her hands in his as he kissed her knuckles. The two of them smiled as they looked at one another, and she blushed.Killian, who was his beta’s best man, looked at her and the two of them smiled before he walked toward towards Eleanor. Elena frowned in confusion, but the Alpha was quick to turn to face her with a black box in his hands. His eyes met hers and he took a step forward.Vladimir tightened his arm around her, pulling her to his chest as she looked at the Alpha. His eyes were fixed on her as he opened the box, revealing a topaz and diamond necklace.“You are now not only our Beta’s mate, but also my brother’s wife. The two of us may not be brothers by blood, but we have chosen to be ones. We have chosen to make it our duty and goal to
Vladimir:I looked at Elena who laid on my bed, not saying a word.It was on Natasha that I couldn’t approach her. The woman would not let me near my mate. And though I understood her reason, I had to admit, I couldn’t help but find myself hating it.“She is going to need to think, don’t press on her, Vladimir.” Natasha said as she and Eleanor walked out of the room, leaving us alone. My chest ached as I walked toward her, and when I sat by her side and she didn’t turn to face me, I had to admit, I couldn’t help but find myself regretting the fact that I brought her family over for her.“I know that you are in pain, malyshka. But had I known that them being here was going to hurt you this much…”“I had to see them, Vladimir.” She said, stopping me. She sat up, and I watched as she wiped her tears from her eyes as she curled on the bed. I don’t even remember when was the last time I saw her this broken. But it pained me to know that I was the reason behind it. “I just didn’t think that
Elena:“We didn’t think that he was being honest when he told us that you were alive. The fact that we believed that you were dead…”“Why didn’t you come looking for me?” I asked, stopping my father. His eyes dropped to the ground and for a moment, I had to admit, I regretted the fact that I asked. Seeing his pain in his eyes told me that there was more to the story than I knew. But even so, I knew that nothing was going to explain what I went through. I lost my life because of them.“We did, Elena. For months, we searched for you. Konstantin convinced us that you were dead. He wouldn’t allow us to see your body. But he showed us your pictures, he showed us your grave, and it was then that we left.” Mom said, choosing to be the one to answer. “I know that you have been through a lot…”“You know nothing of what I’ve been through.” I said, looking at my brother and sister. “I lost my life and everything because of all of you. You chose to sacrifice me to a monster, and not once did you s
Vladimir:I watched as Elena walked out of the house, gathering her courage to see her family.Her eyes were fixed on them, and though I would have normally gone out to stand by her side, I knew better than to do so. For this, she was going to have to do that on her own. I was going to have to stand back for her to be able to do it“Mom?” She whispered, looking at her mother.“Elena?” Her mother responded. Her whole family got up, and I smiled before taking a step back. I turned to find Natasha standing behind me. Her eyes met mine and I smiled, extending my hand toward her, hugging the woman who grew as my sister for a long time.“I haven’t thanked you after saving her.” I said, and she smiled.“You know that you didn’t need to thank me. She is my brother’s mate and I wasn’t going to leave her to die.” She said, making me smile. I kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger there for a moment.Flashback:I watched as Konstantin’s body dropped to the ground before rushing to Killian as
Elena:“You are the famous Elena who had Vladimir staying a bit longer than we expected.” A woman, who I learned is Eleanor, said.“Human,” Natasha, the woman who actually got me out of the room, said. The fact that she did had me scared to death, but when my eyes met Vladimir’s…Flashback:“Open the damn door, Elena, I am Natasha.” She said, making my heart drop at the urgency in her tone. I opened the door, and she nodded, holding her gun in her left hand as she bared her canines. Her eyes were golden, but she didn’t bother as she nodded at me to follow her. “Vladimir…”“Come on, now is not the time to ask questions. There was a lot of gunfire, and the last thing that I am going to need for you is to be caught in an ambush.” She said, making my heart drop. “We’ll get you to Vladimir when he is out of this place.” “He’s…”“So far,” she said, looking down at me. “Let’s hope that things proceed to remain in our favor. But you know, being his mate, and being as special as you are, we
Konstantin:“Everything is going to be over very soon.” I said, looking at Vladimir who nodded.“Indeed. However it may end, I will be sure that things take the path that we chose.” My nephew said, and though I stayed quiet, I was forced to stop myself from scoffing. I needed his loyalty to be mine, and sometimes, I doubted that it was.“You are going to be killing Killian. It is going to be the one way that his reign ends. While Eleanor may have lost the child, it does not mean that he might not have more. I do not want that to be a matter of…”“The two of us already discussed the matter, and with Killian’s death, we are going to gain the power that we lost. We are just going to need to be careful. You know, he has his men swarming around the corner. One wrong word, sound, or even tone, and these wolves are going to be more than willing to tear everyone down.” He said, stopping me. “I am going to take charge of killing him. It is going to be in your office where they cannot hear us. Y
Elena:I was quiet as Vladimir walked out of the room.For a whole week, the two of us wouldn’t speak. However, to my surprise, neither once did he insult me. Even when I knew that I was doing something that he didn’t like, when I tried to attract his attention. All he did was look at me. He didn’t say a word to comment.Tears fell from my eyes, but I was quick to wipe them before anyone saw them. I knew that I was going to need to leave the room, and the idea of meeting Konstantin was not one that I wanted. But I knew better than to keep hiding.I walked out of the bedroom, my heart aching when I saw Vladimir with one of the maids. The two of them spoke, and I could swear that I saw her trying to flirt with him.“You see, I told you, it was only a matter of time before he grew tired of you. And here it is, the man has grown tired of you to the point where he doesn’t even bother looking at you.” Konstantin said, catching my attention. I took a step back and turned to look at him, knowi
Vladimir:I had to fight back my anger as I knew that my mate was doubting me. And the fact that Konstantin was going to be taking advantage of everything that he could do to break my mate. And the idea of that happening was not one that I wanted to allow him to try, not again.“Think, Vladimir, think.” I muttered to myself, knowing that the night was going to be longer than I wanted it to be. “You are not going to betray your pack, your Alpha, nor are you going to let your mate go. But how the fuck do you intend to do so without breaking her heart?”I tapped the sink counter twice before looking down at my reflection. I was furious, but I didn’t know how things were going to be, not now at least. “You are going to need to choose. Are you going to weaken for your love? Or are you going to be pulling yourself together to do what you came here to do?” I whispered before turning the water tap. My hands shook, and I knew what I had to do. Elena, for her safety, I was going to have to do
Elena:Now, if I thought that I would be getting used to the peace this much, I was going to believe that I finally lost it.Konstantin has been gone a week, and never in my life have I felt like everything was finally in place.No one was there to argue or fight, and I was able to get full sleeping nights without the fear of him approaching me in the middle of the night if Vladimir wasn’t around.“You are lost in your thoughts,” Vladimir commented, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I smiled and leaned in to his touch, thankful for it.“I am embracing the peace that we are living through. You know, it is not one that I am used to,” I said, turning to face him. “I thought that you would be at work?”I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to me as he wrapped his around my waist, raising me to sit on the dresser. He smirked and leaned in, brushing his lips against my own as he did before he bit my bottom lip gently.“I was supposed to be, but I have a few things to deal wi