NIKOLAI“Jonny," I drawled, crossing one leg over the other as I lounged against the railing, a cigarette dangling from my fingers. I didn't look at him, not yet. Men like him were so fucking predictable. They couldn't stop themselves from spilling everything the second the tension hit and I knew it was coming sooner.He shuffled closer, fists clenched at his sides, his face flushed red like he was choking on his fear. He thrust a crumpled piece of paper at me, the coordinates scribbled in haste. “Here. These are the coordinates for your cargo. I didn’t sell them—not yet. The buyer was supposed to meet me here on this ship, but he couldn’t make it. When I dock in New York, that’s where the exchange was supposed to happen.”I took the paper from his trembling hands, my lips curling into a slow, menacing grin. “Khoroshiy mal'chik, Jonny,” I murmured, my voice mocking as I tapped his cheek with the back of my hand. He flinched, jerking away like I’d burned him. "Don't fucking touch me,"
Trigger Warning: This chapter contains scenes of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.CLAUDEEVEEYTHING FELT OFF. My head was spinning, my body on fire, and my muscles too weak to respond the way I needed them to. Voices swirled around me, muffled and distant, as if they were happening in some other reality. But they weren’t. They were here. Too close. I forced my eyes open and stared up at the harsh glow of a yellow light. A groan escaped me as I turned my head and realized I wasn’t alone. Three men were in the room with me, their shadows stretching across the walls like predators.“What...the…” I tried to sit up, but my body refused to cooperate. A wave of dizziness slammed me back down, my breaths coming in shallow pants. Heat. No, it wasn’t just that—I was in heat, but it wasn’t normal. It wasn’t right. Something was wrong.Before I could process what was happening, a camera was shoved in my face.“Smile for the people watching you, Tate,” a voice sneered. “You’ve got ov
NIKOLAICLAUDE’S BODY WAS like ice beneath my hands, his skin pale, his limbs limp. His bare feet shuffled against the carpeted hallway, and I cursed under my breath as I shrugged off my shirt and pulled it over his trembling frame—enough to cover his bits."Come on," I muttered, gripping his waist as I practically carried him down the corridor.We reached the door, and I swiped the key card. The lock beeped, the door clicked open, and I pushed us inside. Claude stumbled, collapsing onto the bed with a groan, his face twisting in discomfort as his hands clawed at his thighs. He shifted restlessly, his head slipping under the shirt, his fingers curling around his cock as he let out another broken moan.I crossed the room, grabbed his face, and forced his eyes open. They were glazed and dilated, his lips parted as his tongue darted out to wet them."You were drugged," I said, my tone flat, though anger burned hot in my chest.He groaned, his hand shooting out to grip the back of my neck
CLAUDE THREE DAYS. Three fucking days. My heat had taken hold of me, and Nikolai had been my anchor through every second of it. The heat, the sweat, the insatiable need—he had taken it all, consumed it, and matched me at every turn. A choked moan escaped my lips, and Nikolai swallowed it, his tongue sweeping into my mouth as his fingers worked my entrance with practiced precision. My hand shot out, gripping his ass, pulling him closer as if I could drag every inch of him into me. “Fuck,” I gasped, my head tilting back as his mouth found my jaw, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin before he sucked, hard enough to leave a mark. He pulled back slightly, his lips swollen, his dark eyes hooded with lust as he looked down at me. The way he sprawled beside me, his body glistening with sweat, his cock rigid and pressed against my thigh, was enough to make my breath hitch. “You good?” he asked, his voice rough and gravelly, but his fingers never stopped their teasing. “Yes,” I w
NIKOLAICLAUDE WAS SPRAWLED across the bed, limbs slack, lips slightly parted. He’d passed out after three days of pure hedonism, and I couldn’t blame him. Even my stamina had its limits. “Claude,” I murmured, brushing my knuckles over his jaw before giving his shoulder a nudge. He groaned, stirring sluggishly before his eyes cracked open—those haunting eyes, slit and feral before they softened into something resembling humanity. Even now, I hadn’t decided if I hated or loved how those eyes unsettled me. But I had bigger concerns. “Who did this to you?” My voice was low, deceptively calm. He blinked up at me, his lips curving into a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Nikolai,” he rasped, pulling me closer, his arms wrapping around my neck. Instinct took over, my hands finding the heat of his skin, the press of his back beneath my palms as I dragged him against me. I kissed the sharp edge of his jaw, my teeth grazing his skin hard enough to leave a mark—a warning for
CLAUDEThe bathroom was still warm, steam curling up toward the ceiling as I wiped the fog from the mirror. My reflection stared back at me, neck and jaw covered in hickeys and bruises that ran down to my collarbone. I leaned in closer, my fingers brushing over one of the darker marks, and something tightened in my chest. They’d fade in a day or two—I knew that—but the idea of them disappearing made my throat dry. The towel around my waist was still damp as I turned away from the mirror and stepped out of the bathroom. The bedroom felt colder without Nikolai in it, the bed still rumpled, his scent faintly clinging to the sheets. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been in the shower, but the stillness was nerve wracking. I’d just pulled on a fresh shirt when the door beeped, and Nikolai walked in. The smell hit me first. Food. My stomach growled, but beneath that was something sharper, something that made me freeze mid-step. Blood.And something else. Him. Antonio. The bag in Nik
CLAUDEOur time was up. It was as simple as that. The words didn’t make it any easier. No. What I wanted, what I had always wanted, was Nikolai. Even though we barely knew each other. Even though we were on opposite sides of the world, with lives that could never truly align.My fingers gripped my bag tighter, my pulse picking up as I felt Nikolai beside me. I didn’t dare look at him—not yet. “The money’s been wired to your account,” he said, his voice low, sending a shiver down my spine. The heat of his breath brushed my neck, even as the sharp sting of the ocean wind battered us both.The account he spoke of wasn’t mine. The money wasn’t even going to me. It was going to the real Tate, but in that moment, it didn’t matter. None of it mattered.The deck was alive with people, eager to get off the ship, to escape to wherever they were going. But me? I wanted more time. A little more of this, whatever it was.Nikolai’s voice cut through the buzz, low and amused. “What’s going through t
NIKOLAIIt didn’t take a genius to figure out I’d been kidnapped. This wasn’t some random terrorist attack. No, this was planned, deliberate. My head throbbed, a sharp ache that pulsed behind my eyes as I forced myself upright. The room was dark, the only light coming from the weak flicker of a bulb above. It wasn’t enough to see much, but it was enough to hear—to feel. Someone was here with me.The groan came low and ragged, dragging my attention to the far side of the room. My chest tightened. Claude had been with me during the shootout, shielding me when he shouldn’t have. But that didn’t mean the figure slumped in the shadows was him.“Claude?” My voice was rough, edged with suspicion.The unmistakable groan of pain answered that question, and I scrambled toward the voice. My hands found him—his body slack against the floor—and I turned him onto his back. “Fuck, Claude.” The words fell from my lips as my gaze dropped to the stain spreading across his shirtI crawled toward him, my
NIKOLAITHE GUN WAS empty. I already fucking knew that. He knew that. But I still held it like it meant something. Like I could shove it down his throat and pull the trigger just to hear the useless, hollow click. Viktor stood there, fucking smirking, like he hadn’t earned the slowest death I could give him. I wanted to carve that smirk off his face. I wanted him on his knees, choking on his own fucking teeth. His nostrils flared. He was scenting me—like an animal, like he had any right. I dragged in a sharp, deep, breath trying to steady the anger clawing at my ribs. And then he grinned. “This must be him,” he said, voice low, amused. His eyes slid past me—to Claude. Hanging there. Bound in chains. “The man I could smell all over you.” A pause. Just a second. Just long enough for me to hear it—Claude’s breath catching. Viktor chuckled. “The one who’s been fucking you.” His head tilted, his smirk stretching. “I must’ve taught you well.” Taught. The word felt like b
NIKOLAIHE WAS EASY to track.The chip was still in his ear.That meant he was still alive. That meant—I gripped my phone so tight my fingers ached, my jaw locking as I forced myself to breathe. It rang once. Twice. Then—“Nikolai.”I closed my eyes, exhaling sharply through my nose. “Enzo.”A pause. Then that goddamn smirk in his voice, like he didn’t realize I was this close to losing it. Or maybe he did and just didn’t give a fuck.“Didn’t expect you to call me this quickly.”I didn’t have time for this. Not when I finally knew where he was. Not when I didn’t know what they’d done to him. My Claude.My chest felt too tight. My pulse was a hammer against bone.“What kills a wolf?” My voice came out low, steady—too steady—but my fingers curled tighter around the phone, white-knuckled and my breath short.Enzo took a sharp breath. Then chuckled. “Why? You planning to get rid of me? Didn’t think you’d be so eager.”I bent down, yanked the zipper open on my bag, my hands moving fast, p
NIKOLAITHE DOOR SLAMMED open. I turned my head sharply, muscles tensing as a man walked in, and Christ—I didn’t need to be told he was Claude’s father. The resemblance was enough. The weight he carried in his steps was enough.Then the door opened again, and she—Ava—was rushed inside. Unconscious, clothes filthy, body limp in someone’s arms. I shot to my feet, my pulse hammering as I waited for the door to open once more. For him to walk through it.But he didn’t.“Where the fuck is he?” My voice was sharp, my steps quick as I closed the distance between me and Claude’s father. He stopped, his face twisted in something close to pain before he turned and took the stairs two at a time.A pit opened up in my stomach. Something was wrong. Something was very fucking wrong.I ran my hand through my hair and only when I dropped it did I realize—I was shaking.I turned and bolted out the door, my breath coming fast, my heart slamming against my ribs as I scanned the vast driveway. He wasn’t
!Content Warning!This chapter contains themes of sexual assault, non-consensual drugging, and past trauma. While the assault itself is not depicted on the page, the emotional and physical aftermath are explored in detail. This scene is intense, raw, and may be distressing for some readers.CLAUDEI JERKED—HARD. Hard enough that the skin of my wrists burned raw against the silver, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting him off me. Getting away. But Viktor was right there.His breath fanned across my face, hot and cloying, the same way it always did, the way it had when I was nineteen and begging for it to stop. My stomach lurched, bile burning its way up my throat, but I swallowed it down. I couldn’t be weak. Not now.Viktor clicked his tongue, a sound of amusement, of mockery. “Look at you,” he murmured, his grip tightening on my chin as he tilted my head up. “All grown up. You’ve been getting fucked, haven’t you?”His words were a blade, cuttin
CLAUDEFUCK. MY HEAD HURTS. I tried to force my eyes open, but no matter how hard I blinked, everything stayed dark, and that’s when it hit me. I was blindfolded.No. No. No.How did this happen? How did I end up here?A snarl clawed up my throat as I jerked forward, but the pull of metal—biting, burning—stopped me cold. My arms were stretched above me, bound tightly with silver. I could smell it, taste its acrid sting in the back of my throat.No.I yanked harder, muscles straining, breath heaving. The scent of damp stone and rust filled my lungs. The sound of water dripping from somewhere above was too familiar. The chains rattling over my head, too familiar. And the sound of boots—heavy, slow on concrete—hitting the ground, too fucking familiar.No. No. No.My body jerked violently, panic clawing through me, my muscles screaming as I yanked against the chains. I couldn’t—I couldn’t be here again. This can’t be happening. Not again.I felt him stop in front of me, his breath warm a
NIKOLAI“WHO THE HELL are you?”I set the bottle down, shoving my hands into my pockets, letting the silence stretch between us. I tilted my head, letting my eyes stay on her, watching every flicker of emotion cross her face.I didn’t answer right away and she Just stood there, jaw clenched so tight I thought it might crack. Her eyes roamed over me—calculating—like she was trying to piece me into some world I didn’t belong in.I smirked.She could smell him on me. That much I knew. I could see it in the way her gaze flickered, the tightness in her jaw. Her mate. Her fucking husband. The thought almost made me laugh.“You’re human,” she finally said, her voice tight, clipped.“And you’re his wife.” I let the words hang in the air, watching her reaction like I was savoring a slow burn.A breath left her, but she didn’t speak. She just stood there, staring at me with those cold eyes, anger rolling off her in waves. Then, she took a step forward, her heels clicking on the floor, challengin
CLAUDE I RAN A palm over my face as I slammed the car door shut and made my way toward my father’s house.‘Get over here. Now.’ That’s all he had said. No explanation. No warning. Just an order thrown through the pack link while I was with him. Nikolai. My fingers drifted to the tiny bump behind my left ear. I’d never given it much thought before. Never cared enough to. But now, as I walked, my touch stayed.The maids bowed as I passed, but their eyes stayed locked on me, their whispers curling through the air and into my ears. My scent was thick, there—like an omega bred past the heat season, claimed beyond reason. I reeked of him. Of what he had done to me. Hell, I was still leaking him.I turned left, inhaled sharply, and shoved the door open—then froze.It wasn’t just my father in the room.Alpha Monroe stood beside him.Fuck.I swallowed, shutting the door behind me, my gaze flicking from my father—his glare so sharp it could slice—to Monroe, who was staring at me like I was so
NIKOLAII JERKED AWAKE, the warmth of sunlight against my skin barely registering. But when I looked down—fuck. The sight before me was what mattered.I shifted, my fingers sliding through his hair, slow and carefully. A low groan rumbled from him, and then his eyes shot open, locking onto me. Wide with shock.I let my fingers trail along his jaw, brushing over his lips, parting them. But before I could move further, his hand shot up, gripping mine, holding me in place. His breathing shaky.“Nikolai,” he rasped, voice thick like he couldn’t believe I was here, like he wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or afraid.“How did you find me? How—”I didn’t let him finish. I kissed him—deep, hard, cutting off the question before it could ruin the moment. His body tensed, but it didn’t take long before he gave in, a moan slipping past his lips, and I swallowed it, my other hand gripping the back of his neck, tilting his head so I could take more.I pulled back just enough to catch my breath,
CLAUDEMY HEART SLAMMED against my ribs, every nerve in my body burning.‘Bring him to my house.’ My voice cut through the mindlink and I pushed to my feet, already moving.A hand clamped down on my arm tightly. “You listen to me, boy,” my father growled.I turned, ripping my arm free, my teeth bared. “No. You listen.” My voice was low, sharp enough to cut. “I don’t take orders. Not from you. Not from anyone, again.”His jaw locked, his eyes flashing.“I’ll take over when it’s time,” I said, my breath coming out sharp, chest heaving. “But that doesn’t mean you get to pull the strings. He is my guest, and I don’t owe you a damn explanation.”His fingers twitched like he wanted to grab me again, to force his will on me the way he always did. But I was done being handled.I took a step back, my voice dropping low. “Try to stop me, and we’ll see just how ready I am to take that damn title.”I didn’t wait for a response. I turned and walked out of the office, my pulse pounding, my blood on