CHAPTER 72: SCALDING TEA

"I do," I replied, not keen on where this was going. "But its effects should have begun to wear off by now. It’s been days. We are not bonded." Despite the calm cadence of my voice, panic slowly crept up my throat.

"It’s not that simple," he replied, wary. "Your excessive rut was sign enough that, though you were not keen on bonding with a mate—either chosen or fated—your body, your wolf rejected the idea. It remained hungry while you denied it. Which brings us to the marriage bonding. It was like dangling fresh meat before a ravenous beast only to deny it once again. Now, you’ve left it agitated and desperate for what it was denied. It will use your biology against you to get exactly what it wants."

The implication of it all was dawning slowly, yet it hit me like a freight train. "You’re telling me it will get worse."

Zver’s ravenous amusement echoed in my skull right that moment. "What do you think, High Alpha?"

Silence. Not the dramatic kind—the hesitant kind.

"Much worse, son. And the hybrid will be the ultimate object of it all. Everything will be amplified to ensure you bond with her and claim her fully."

I dragged my hand through my hair, my chest constricting, unable to contain the wild rhythm of my heart. Just how much worse could it get? I dreaded the answer.

I could hurt her. Even if I did let my urges run wild, she was nowhere near prepared for an Alpha’s rut.

"The wolf and the bond will do anything to be completed—against your will, especially against your will," worry threaded through his words. "You can no longer contain this. You have to expel it somehow. Tire yourself out, or find a partner in the meantime..."

My stomach twisted violently.

"Fuck no,"

"I’ll do something about it," I replied quickly, cutting him off. I had to. I swallowed thickly. "And Lilith? How will this affect her? By how much?"

"Comparing the effects of a bond, incomplete or not, on a full-blooded Lycan Alpha and a hybrid is like night and day. But when it hits, she will feel it. She most definitely will," he said eerily. "But it will be nothing compared to your own constant, incessant torment. The weight is yours to carry, son."

"Understood," I managed, my words forced through gritted teeth. "Thank you, Elder Erwin."

I cut the call and slammed the receiver with far more force than necessary.

"So you are the new Beta," Aunt Olya stated, doing little to hide her lack of enthusiasm.

Dmitri raised his head from his food, facing her squarely. "Yes, ma’am."

For a man who seemed to always exist a few worlds away, he never shied from a direct gaze. He welcomed it, calculating and analyzing as though he could unravel one’s deepest secret with his eyes alone.

Aunt Olya turned to me, a conspiratorial look flickering across her face as if we were about to share an inside joke. "Is he not too—ordinary? He looks like an Omega." She whispered—or pretended to. "I’m sure I saw another candidate. He was taller..."

"He defeated two other candidates in the trials," I said, my voice flat. "Including the one you’re referring to. If you question my judgment, Aunt, feel free to challenge him yourself."

Silence.

Aunt Olya’s smile tightened. "I was merely making an observation, Vladimir."

"Then observe in silence."

Lilith chuckled over her cup of Auric Bloom tea. It started low, a rich rumble from her chest, rising into something warm and unguarded.

My cock twitched, every nerve lighting up. I wanted to put a bullet in my own head. It was far too early in the morning for blood and brain matter.

"What’s so funny?" Aunt Olya snapped.

Lilith’s amusement died in her throat. She swallowed hard.

My hand clenched around my spoon.

Lilith coughed, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Nothing, sorry." Trying to diffuse the tension, she lifted her teacup—but instead of a sip, she took something close to a gulp.

I winced, watching the exact moment the scalding liquid burned her tongue.

She choked, dropping the cup gently onto the table as she coughed, struggling to breathe. I was about to reach out when someone else did first.

A calloused hand steadied her back, guiding her upright.

"Careful," the owner of the hand murmured. His voice calm, low. "Take it in sips."

She obeyed, nodding, not recoiling at his touch.

An ugly, twisted voice in my head whispered vile things, and I could only watch as my Beta—my subordinate—touched her.

"Thank... you," she managed between coughing fits, smiling weakly, her face flushed from the heat and embarrassment.

Aunt Olya surprised us all by chuckling softly, not unkindly. "You two make a far better match. Both seemingly insignificant and unremarkable."

Lilith stiffened, like she’d been struck. Dmitri, despite her words, didn’t remove his hand from her back.

My body reacted before my mind could process the insult. The temperature plummeted so suddenly the entire room held its breath. A dreadful chill filled the air. Ice crackled across every surface. The utensil in my hand froze, then splintered into shards beneath my tightening grip.

Food solidified on plates. Frost climbed the walls, spreading like veins beneath pale skin.

Silence.

The ice crept further—across the table, over the windows, blooming like grotesque flowers. I felt their eyes on me. Aunt Olya’s shock. Dmitri’s quiet assessment. The servants frozen in the doorway.

And her.

Lilith.

Through the bond—our cursed, incomplete, torturous bond—I felt her confusion. Her fear.

What’s happening? Why is he—

I stood. The chair scraped against the frozen tile with a sound like a scream.

"Breakfast is over."

My voice was flat, empty, but the ice kept spreading.

I turned toward the door, each step deliberate, controlled, even as something primal inside me roared to go back—to rip Dmitri’s hand from her, to pull her against me and—

No.

I made it three steps before her voice stopped me.

"Vladimir?"

So quiet. Uncertain. Like she didn’t know if she was allowed to speak.

My hand clenched at my side. Ice crawled from my fingertips, crystallizing over my palm.

"Training in an hour," I announced, voice clipped, and began to walke away but then I stopped. Without turning around, I announced. "Lilith will be my companion to the Moonstone Masquerade."

No one spoke or made a sound, but of course my aunt had to be an exception. She gasped. "But Veronique will be there..."

"What does my former Beta have to do with this?" I did not let her reply before I took my leave.