Chapter 30 Aleksandr
ALEKSANDR
The transformation happens without conscious thought. My spine straightens, shoulders squaring as muscle memory takes over. The uncertainty that plagued me for weeks evaporates like morning fog under harsh sunlight. I know exactly who I am now. What I am.
Aleksandr Romanov. Pakhan of the Romanov Bratva.
And the woman standing in front of me, shaking with cold and fear in her nightgown and boots, belongs to me, whether she accepts it or not.
"Danil." My voice comes out cold, commanding. The voice that makes grown men flinch. "Secure the perimeter. Make sure Davis doesn't have backup."
Danil's eyes widen slightly at my tone, then something like relief crosses his face. His Pakhan is back. "Da." He hands me a gun, which I take without even conscious thought, then melts into the darkness, moving with the silent efficiency of a predator.
I turn my attention to Maya—Lena—who's still clutching that pathetic duffel bag like it's a lifeline. Her dark blue eyes are wide, terrified, and something in my chest twists at the sight.
"Inside." I gesture toward the cabin. "Now."
"I'm not going anywhere with you." Her voice shakes, but there's steel underneath. Good. I've always respected courage, even when it's foolish.
"You're standing in the snow in a nightgown." I let my gaze travel down her body, noting how the thin fabric clings to her curves, the shadow of her legs showing through the weather-damp material. "You'll freeze to death in ten minutes. Is that really how you want this to end?"
She glances toward the tree line, calculating. I can see the wheels turning in her head, weighing her chances of escape against the reality of the situation.
"Don't." The single word carries enough weight to stop her mid-thought. "You won't make it fifty yards before hypothermia sets in. And I will catch you."
"To finish what you started?" The bitterness in her voice cuts deeper than it should.
I close the distance between us in two strides, my hand finding her elbow.
Not rough, but absolutely certain. She tries to jerk away, but I'm already guiding her back toward the cabin.
Her body shivers violently against my side, and I can feel the cold radiating off her skin even through my shirt and her jacket.
John Davis stands on the porch, his weathered face carefully neutral. But I see the way his hand rests near his hip, the instinctive reach for a weapon that's probably not there anymore. Old habits.
"Everything all right out here?" His hazel eyes move between Lena and me, reading the situation with the practiced ease of a man who spent decades in law enforcement.
"Just fine." I keep my voice pleasant and easy, the mask I've worn a thousand times when dealing with people who need to believe I'm reasonable. "My girlfriend gets restless at night. Sleepwalking."
Lena stiffens beside me, but she's smart enough not to contradict me. Not yet, anyway.
John's gaze lingers on her face, on the fear she's trying to hide. "That so, Maya?"
I feel her hesitate, the war playing out behind those midnight blue eyes. She could scream for help, could tell this retired cop exactly who I am and what I've done. But she also knows that would sign his death warrant.
"I'm fine, John." Her voice is steadier than I expected. "Just needed some air."
"In a nightgown? In this weather?" He doesn't believe her. Smart man.
"I told you." I inject just enough edge into my tone to remind him he's on my property, in my space. "Sleepwalking. It's a condition she's had since childhood. Stress makes it worse."
John's jaw tightens. He knows I'm lying. Knows something is very wrong here. But he's also alone, unarmed, and facing a man he probably recognizes from old case files.
"I've been watching this cabin." He addresses me directly now, dropping the pretense. "Concerned about Maya's safety with strangers showing up. Especially strangers who look like they're from out of town."
"Your concern is noted." I smile, and I know it doesn't reach my eyes, know it's the smile that makes people remember they're mortal. "But as you can see, Maya is perfectly safe. Aren't you, baby?"
The endearment makes her flinch, but she nods. "Perfectly safe."
"Good." John takes a step back, his body language screaming reluctance. "Well, if you need anything, Maya, you know where to find me."
"She won't need anything." I keep my tone pleasant, but the message is clear. Stay away. "We're actually leaving tomorrow. Family emergency."
It's not really a lie. The Romanovs need their Pakhan. They need me.
Lena's sharp intake of breath is barely audible, but I feel it, feel the way her body goes rigid against my side.
John's eyes narrow. "That so?"
I raise an impatient eyebrow.
"I see." He's smart enough to know when he's outmatched. "Safe travels, then."
He disappears into the darkness, and I wait until I hear his truck engine start before I move. Danil emerges from the shadows, his expression grim.
"He's gone. No backup." He glances at Lena, then back to me. "We need to move fast. If he's a cop or FBI, even retired, he'll make calls."
"I know." I guide Lena toward the cabin door. "Start packing. We leave in two hours."
"Two hours?" Lena finally finds her voice, jerking away from my grip. "I'm not going anywhere with you. Either of you."
I turn to face her fully, and I see the moment she registers the change in me. The way I hold myself now. The cold calculation in my eyes. This isn't Sasha, the lost man she saved. This is Aleksandr Romanov, and I don't ask permission.
"You don't have a choice."
"The hell I don't." She backs toward the door, her hand fumbling for the handle. "You can't just kidnap me."
"Kidnap?" I almost laugh.
"I'm not your baby." The words come out fierce, but her voice shakes. "And I'm not leaving my home. Where I'm safe." She frowns. "Or at least where I used to be safe until you showed up bleeding to death."
"You're not safe anywhere." I close the distance between us, backing her against the door.
My hands bracket her head, caging her in, and I see her pulse jump in her throat.
"John Davis recognized me. Pavel recognized me.
When word gets out—and it will—that Aleksandr Romanov is alive, every enemy I've made will come looking. "
"That's your problem, not mine."
"Wrong." I lean closer, close enough to smell the fear on her skin mixed with something else. Something that makes my cock harden despite the situation. "You saved my life. You took me into your home. You fucked me in your bed. That makes you mine, whether you like it or not."
Her breath hitches. "I didn't know who you were."
"Doesn't matter." My thumb traces her jawline, and I feel her shiver. Not from cold this time. "You know what I am now. What I'm capable of. And you're still standing here arguing instead of running. Why is that?"
She doesn't answer, but I see the truth in her eyes. The same truth that's been burning between us since that first night. This thing between us, it's bigger than logic or self-preservation.
"I'll give you two choices." I step back, giving her space to breathe. "You can come with me willingly, or I can carry you to the car. Either way, you're leaving Montana tonight."
"You can't do this." But there's less conviction in her voice now.
"I can do whatever I want." I turn toward the bedroom. "Danil, help her pack. Everything she needs. We're not coming back."
"Wait." Lena's voice stops me. "What about my life here? My cabin? Everything I've built?"
"Gone." I don't soften the blow. "This location is compromised. You can never come back here."
I see the devastation on her face, the way her carefully constructed sanctuary crumbles in real time. Part of me, the part that's still Sasha, wants to comfort her, wants to promise it will be okay.
But Aleksandr knows better. Nothing is okay. Nothing will be okay until I've secured my position, eliminated my enemies, and figured out what the fuck to do about her.
"Get dressed." My voice is harder than I intend. "Warm clothes. We have a long drive ahead."
She stares at me for a long moment, and I see the exact second she realizes she's lost this battle. Her shoulders slump, defeat written in every line of her body.
"Fine." She pushes past me toward the bedroom.
Danil appears at my elbow once she's gone. "You sure about this? Bringing her back with us?"
"No." I run a hand through my hair, the first sign of uncertainty I've shown since my memories returned. "But I can't leave her here."
"She's a liability." He says it gently, but the truth still stings. "The men won't understand why you're protecting the daughter of a man who stole from you."
"Then they'll learn to understand." I turn to face him fully. "Or they'll find new employment."
His eyebrows rise. "You're willing to risk your position for her?"
"I'm willing to risk everything for her." The admission surprises me as much as it surprises him. "She's mine, Danil. And no one takes what's mine."
"It means you're thinking with your dick instead of your head."
"Maybe." I move toward the bedroom, where I can hear Lena moving around, drawers opening and closing. "But it's my dick and my head. My decision."
I find her pulling on jeans, her back to me. The nightgown is pooled at her feet, and for a moment I just watch her. The curve of her spine. The way her blonde hair falls across her shoulders. The star-shaped birthmark on her right hip that I've traced with my tongue.
She's beautiful. More than that, she's strong. Resilient. But she is also kind, caring, and giving. You just don't find women with all those qualities in my world.
"I can feel you staring." She doesn't turn around, just pulls a thermal shirt over her head. "It's creepy."
"Get used to it." I lean against the doorframe. "You're going to be seeing a lot of me."
"Lucky me." The sarcasm is thick, and it makes me smile.
I should feel guilty. The old Aleksandr wouldn't have cared. But this version, the one who's spent weeks learning what it means to be human again, feels the weight of what I'm doing to her.
It doesn't change anything. I'm still taking her. Still claiming her. Still refusing to let her go.
Because bringing her back to the city is probably the stupidest thing I could do. It puts a target on her back. Makes her a weakness my enemies can exploit. Complicates everything about reclaiming my position.
But I can't help it.
She belongs to me, whether she wants to admit it or not.