Figured that I would let you miss them just a little bit, haha. So, what do you think of this one? Also, next chapter would be Vladimir, then we would be going back to Elena.
Vladimir: Little did you know, sister, that years later, your own son would prove to be just like his uncle. And the funniest part was the fact that the offer came from you this time. Ah, how time can show things differently, right?” I watched as Konstantin spoke, voicing out his thoughts while I sat in Han Yong’s bar. His eyes met mine and I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Well, at least you know that he’s ordered against touching the woman that you fancy,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. I knew that he wouldn’t just stop there. No matter how much I wanted to believe that he would; this was far too easy to be true. “He has no other choice for now. The man has to believe that he needs me and not the other way around. And while I don’t like the idea of him thinking that he can get what he wants, simply because he wants it; I know that this is something that I am going to have to deal with,” I said, shaking my head. Han Yong was a friend, a good acquaintance of Killian and I, and one
Elena: “I am wondering what you’ve done to my nephew. The man seems to value you a little too much.” Konstantin’s voice broke my attention as I was working on the piece that I was knitting. It was the one thing that brought me peace within this place when Konstantin wasn’t here. He would often have the maids bring me fabric, and I would make stitches on handkerchiefs, scarfs, or sometimes my own dresses. I put the yarn down as I looked at the man, shaking my head in question, waiting for him to complete his sentence as I stood to face him. I looked down at my feet, not daring to look him in the eye, not wanting him to grow aggressive with me. It was a fear that I had, one that I knew he was going to take advantage of, one that killed me inside in ways that he did not understand at this point, but I knew better than to argue or question the fate that I had to deal with. “What kind of sorcery did you use on him? It is not like you’ve been untouched, nor is it like you are for him al
Vladimir: “I am curious, Konstantin, what are you trying to reach?” I asked, shaking my head at the man who was sitting in the living room, clearly waiting for me to come and snap at him. I wasn’t planning to, not this time at least. The man was going to know what it was to be challenging me the way that he was, and I was going to be sure that he ends up regretting doing so. If anything, I knew that he would start thinking twice about approaching my mate, I just had to find the right approach to doing so. Elena, who was now in the garden, roaming around with three maids keeping her company, was relaxed, happy, and more calm than she knew that I was home. But I knew that it wasn’t something that lasted for long, not when an enemy like Konstantin was here just waiting for me to leave the house for him to come and hurt her. “I believe that you’re still aware that she is my slave. The woman might be yours, but it is only because I am allowing her to be. It doesn’t mean that I am going
Elena: I ran my fingers through my mate’s hair, gently massaging his head. His eyes met mine as he looked up at me, and I couldn’t help but smile as I leaned in to connect my lips with his. He kissed me back, and I ran my fingers through his hair, deepening the kiss. The two of us pulled away to look one another in the eye, and Vladimir’s purred, making my heart swell. “You’re a gorgeous woman, have I told you that before, malyshka?” I bit my bottom lip, and he ran his finger over my waist. He massaged my back, and I couldn’t help but laugh as he tickled me. “You are my beauty, my mate, and the one woman that I would ever think of looking at. Don’t let anyone, not Konstantin, not Batrov, and not anyone in this world convince you otherwise. I am going to break their heads if they try to tell you that something is different.” “You don’t need to tell me twice, Vladimir. I know that you only have eyes for me, and I know that you won’t be looking at anyone else if they offer themselves
Vladimir: For an entire week, Elena didn’t say a word. She didn’t even look at me, nor did she respond when spoken to. I didn’t force her to. I knew better than to do so after everything that she’s been through. But I had to admit that it did hurt me to see her in this state. And the worst part about it was the fact that I knew that I was the reason behind her pain. “I take it that you and your concubine are not doing very well, are you?” Konstantin asked, shaking his head in question. The man was heading off to Paris in two days, and I could tell that even he had noticed that I wasn’t walking around with my mate. “I didn’t expect you to grow tired of her this easily. But it seems to me that I was wrong.” “I have things to take care of. It has nothing to do with me getting tired of her, Konstantin.” I said, choosing to dismiss his question. He shook his head at me, and I rolled my eyes, not bothering to say a word. I knew that he wanted to play with words, wanting to find the resp
Elena: Never in my life did I think that I would be weak in front of the person that I was falling for. “I can’t,” I said, shaking my head at my mate. His eyes studied my expression, and though I saw his pain in his gaze, he didn’t open his mouth to speak. He didn’t say a word. “You being with other women is going to be no different to me than him, Vladimir. I can’t handle it knowing that another woman can be in my place.” “Elena, no woman is going to be in your place.” Vladimir said, and I shook my head, letting out a low scoff before I could stop myself. His eyes were fixed on mine and I could tell that he was doing his best to try and understand what I wanted to say. But I had to admit, even I didn’t know how I was going to voice out what I had in mind. “You are going to start by one, then another, then another. Then one day, you are going to be tired of the broken girl who has no voice in this place. You are going to find yourself someone who is going to be going out with you.
Vladimir: I ran my fingers over my mate’s waistline as she slept. She was laying her head on my bicep, and I couldn’t help but find myself smiling at how peaceful she looked. Never in my life did I picture myself telling a woman that I was in love with her. I believed in the mating bond, but the feeling of love, the weakness for someone, and the idea of losing them killing me inside was not one that I had in mind. At least, not until I met her. The small human who has changed my life forever. Her words still played in my head. And though I had no idea who or where her family were, I was going to fight everything and anything that would come in my way to find them. I wasn’t going to let her live that pain without a price. Even if it meant that they were going to pay for letting her live in pain while they moved on with their lives. “I promise you, my beauty, every tear that you let out wouldn’t be going in vain.” I whispered to her sleeping form. I kissed her shoulder gently bef
Elena: I smiled when I woke up to find Vladimir laying by my side. His arm was wrapped around my waist, and his chest rose and fell as his even breaths told me that he was still asleep. I leaned in and kissed his cheek only to notice a paper on the bedside table. I raised an eyebrow and carefully picked it up. The smile on my face at his concern could have been seen a mile away. I was careful as I set it down before I got up from bed. I knew to take a shower and get ready for the day. The three words that he told me yesterday still played in my mind. And though I couldn’t bring myself to say them back; it didn’t mean that they weren’t mutual. I was just scared that I would jinx things if I did. I lost everything that I loved. I didn’t want to lose him too. I took a quick shower and freshened up, allowing the warm water to relax my tensed muscles. I was going to get my period soon, and with my pills almost out, I knew that I was going to need to ask Vladimir to get me more o
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