Chapter 39 Alina
ALINA
The crack of my palm against Mikhail's face echoes through the monastery courtyard like a gunshot. For one suspended moment, everything freezes. The torchlight flickers across ancient stone walls. Shadows dance. And I realize with crystal clarity that I've just made a catastrophic mistake.
The silence is absolute. Suffocating.
Mikhail's men raise their weapons in perfect synchronization, the metallic clicks of safeties being released punctuating the quiet. At least a dozen barrels point directly at me, at Dimitri, at the space between us where our bodies are still pressed together.
Dimitri's hand tightens on my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh. But he doesn't pull me back, doesn't try to shield me or apologize for my actions. He simply stands there, solid and immovable at my side, his green eyes locked on Mikhail with an intensity that makes the air crackle.
I can feel the rage radiating from Dimitri in waves. It's in the tension of his muscles, the set of his jaw, the way his free hand hovers near the weapon at his hip. But his face remains expressionless, giving nothing away.
Mikhail touches his reddening cheek, his silver hair catching the torchlight. His blue eyes are cold as winter ice as they study me. I wait for the order, for the bullets that will end this. My heart hammers against my ribs so hard I'm certain everyone can hear it.
Then Mikhail laughs.
It's not the cruel, mocking sound I expected. It's genuine. Delighted. The kind of laugh that comes from deep in the chest, full of real amusement. The sound is so unexpected, so wrong in this moment of violence and tension, that I actually flinch.
"She has fire, this one." Mikhail's Russian accent wraps around the words like silk. He's still touching his cheek, but now he's smiling. "I can see why you married her, Dima."
The use of the nickname makes Dimitri's jaw clench. I feel it in the way his body goes even more rigid beside me.
Mikhail circles us slowly, like a predator assessing prey. His expensive shoes crunch on the ancient cobblestones. "I've changed my mind about the terms."
My stomach drops. Whatever he's about to say, I know it will be worse than his original demand.
"I don't want her for a night." Mikhail stops in front of us, his blue eyes moving between Dimitri and me with calculating interest. "I want her permanently."
The words hang in the air like poison.
"You can keep your territory, Dima. Your businesses.
Your reputation. Everything." Mikhail's smile widens.
"But Alina becomes my wife. We'll annul her marriage to you.
She'll stand at my side as I rebuild my empire.
A fitting prize, don't you think? The woman who brought down Viktor Popov.
The woman who survived the church massacre. She'll be perfect."
Bile rises in my throat. I think about this man's hands on me, his mouth on mine, being forced to share his bed. The thought makes my skin crawl.
Dimitri's rage is palpable now. I can feel it in every line of his body, in the way his breathing has changed, in the tremor running through his arm where it touches mine. But when he speaks, his voice is controlled, deadly calm.
"No."
The single word carries absolute finality.
Mikhail's smile fades. "You're in no position to refuse, old friend. Look around you." He gestures at his men, at the weapons still trained on us. "You're outnumbered. Your men are surrounded. You have no leverage here."
"I have her." Dimitri pulls me closer, his arm wrapping around my waist. The possessiveness in the gesture is unmistakable. "And that's all the leverage I need."
My heart stutters. He's choosing me. Over his empire, over his businesses, over everything he's built. He's willing to die rather than let Mikhail take me.
I think about the pregnancy test hidden in the bathroom trash. About the secret growing inside me that Dimitri doesn't know about yet. About Katya, safe at the estate but still vulnerable if this goes wrong. About the future we're supposed to have together.
I can't let him sacrifice everything for me. I won't.
A plan begins forming in my mind. It's desperate and dangerous, but it might be our only chance. I need to buy time, need to create an opening for Dimitri's men to act. And I need Mikhail to believe I'm surrendering.
I step forward, pulling away from Dimitri's protective hold. His hand tightens, trying to keep me close, but I gently extract myself. When I look back at him, I try to communicate everything with my eyes.
Trust me. Please trust me.
His green eyes search my face, confusion and fear warring in their depths. But he releases me.
I turn to face Mikhail, my chin lifted, my shoulders back. I channel every ounce of strength I've developed over these past weeks. The woman who killed her father. The woman who survived kidnapping and torture. The woman who married a Bratva boss and lived to tell the tale.
"I'll do it." My voice is steady, clear. "I'll agree to become your wife."
Dimitri makes a sound behind me, something between a growl and a protest. I don't turn around, can't turn around, or I'll lose my nerve.
Mikhail's eyebrows rise. "Will you now?"
"But I have conditions." I take another step closer to him, close enough to see the surprise flickering in his cold blue eyes.
"You promise not to harm Dimitri. You let him keep everything he has.
His territory, his businesses, his position.
And you promise that my sister, Katya, remains untouched.
She's innocent in all of this. She gets to live her life in peace. "
Mikhail studies me for a long moment. I can see him calculating, weighing the offer, looking for the trap. Because there has to be a trap. No woman would willingly trade herself like this without some ulterior motive.
But I keep my face neutral, my expression resigned. As if I've accepted the inevitable.
"And in exchange?" Mikhail asks softly.
"In exchange, I'll marry you. I'll stand at your side. I'll be the perfect Bratva wife." The words taste like ash in my mouth, but I force them out. "I'll help you rebuild your empire. I'll use everything I've learned from Dimitri to make you stronger."
Behind me, I hear Dimitri's sharp intake of breath. He thinks I'm serious. He thinks I'm actually surrendering.
Good. If Dimitri believes it, Mikhail will too.
Mikhail circles me again, slower this time. Assessing. "You would betray your husband so easily?"
"I'm not betraying him." I meet his eyes steadily. "I'm saving him. There's a difference."
"Is there?" Mikhail stops in front of me, close enough that I can smell his expensive cologne. "Or are you simply a survivor, Alina? A woman who knows how to read the room and make the smart choice?"
I don't answer. Let him think what he wants.
"Alina." Dimitri's voice cuts through the tension. When I finally turn to look at him, I see devastation written across his features. "Don't do this."
"I have to." I try to put everything I'm feeling into those three words. The love. The fear. The desperate hope that he'll understand what I'm really doing. "For you. For Katya. For our future."
His eyes widen slightly at the last words. Our future. Does he catch the emphasis? Does he understand that I'm not giving up, just buying time?
Mikhail claps his hands together, the sound sharp in the quiet courtyard. "Well, then. It seems we have a deal." He turns to his men. "Lower your weapons. The lady has made her choice."
The guns drop, but the soldiers remain alert. Watching. Waiting.
Mikhail extends his hand to me. "Come, my dear. Let's discuss the terms of our arrangement more privately."
I look at his outstretched hand, at the silver rings on his fingers, at the perfectly manicured nails. Everything about him screams wealth and power and cruelty.
I think about the baby growing inside me. About Dimitri's face when I told him I loved him. About Katya's dreams of studying art and traveling the world. About the life we're supposed to build together.
And I know, with absolute certainty, that I will never marry Mikhail Volkov.
This is a distraction. A delay. A way to create chaos and confusion while Dimitri's men get into position. I just need to sell it long enough for the plan to work.
I place my hand in Mikhail's, feeling his cold fingers close around mine.
"I agree to your terms," I say clearly, loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I'll become your wife. But you have to promise that Dimitri and Katya remain safe. Swear it on whatever honor you have left."
Mikhail's smile is triumphant as he pulls me closer. "I swear it. On my life, on my empire, on everything I hold dear. Your husband and your sister will remain untouched."
He's lying. I can see it in his eyes, in the way his smile doesn't quite reach them. He has no intention of keeping that promise. The moment he has what he wants, Dimitri and Katya will be eliminated.
But that's fine. Because I'm lying too.
I have absolutely no intention of ever marrying this asshole.