Chapter 20
TWENTY
NIK
TWO DAYS BEFORE
We sit at the makeshift table in Alexey’s abandoned post, ignoring how the table sways any time Dimitri reaches for his drink.
I can only hope the apocalypse-proof food Alexey is feeding us will stave off the drunk seeming to claim Dimitri, but there’s no telling with a human his size.
I’ve seen him at his worst, at his most desperate.
Now, all I see are the grins I’ve missed for longer than I can remember.
If he has to sleep it off and stay here, to be honest, I’d be happy to let him.
This isn’t his fight. He shouldn’t be anywhere near the graveyard I call home.
Not after everything my family has put him through.
“And then, Nikolai said I had to find him without opening my eyes,” Dimitri says, wheezing through his fingertips. He leans over the table with an arm, nearly knocking over everything within reach.
Gods, not this story.
Alexey stares at him, hanging off every word.
Dimitri continues, much to my dismay. “I count. Count for minutes against largest pine. When I try to find him, I smell something.”
I arch my head back against the chair, knowing exactly how this story ends.
“I didn’t find Nikolai. But my shoe found what he left in woods behind his house.”
Alexey’s eyes widen first, then, his mouth thins to a small, straight line. He keeps the first laugh from leaving his chest, but the second is too strong and forceful to ignore. Alexey laughs, cackles even, and Dimitri joins in.
I can only sit there, picking at what seems to be edible, my mouth pursing to one side.
“So to answer question,” Dimitri continues, and downs the rest of his glass, holding it in the air in a solitary cheers. “Werewolf does shit in woods.”
Raucous laughter erupts, echoing from one corner of dusty machinery to the next. Tears leave both of their eyes, and if I couldn’t hear the blood pumping through their veins, I’d be concerned they were on the verge of a heart attack.
“You poop in woods.” Alexey doubles over the table, pointing a finger in my direction and laughs harder.
Thanks, moy brat. We all needed this.
Dimitri wipes the tears from his eyes, small chuckles bubbling up his throat like hilarious vomit. “Ma didn’t let me wear shoes inside after that.” He leans back, a reminiscent smirk tugging at his normally stern face. Then, his cheeks lose slack. “I miss her, Nikolai.”
I grab him by the shoulder and watch someone so large become impossibly small.
Dimitri’s mother didn’t succumb to illness.
Wasn’t added to the pack’s hunt the way Ida was.
She returned to work for my family the next day, forced to accept what my father had done and paste a smile on her face any time she entered his study.
But she never looked at me the same way again.
The only worker at the compound who ever made me feel …
human. She kept a distance, at times begging Dimitri to stay away from my family. From me.
He didn’t listen.
Eventually, she was reunited with Ida. There was a ceremony.
I made sure she would be honored and Dimitri wouldn’t grieve his loss alone.
All of the employees on my father’s payroll were in attendance, some sharing stories in her memory.
Most of the pack I called my own, however, couldn’t be bothered.
I was the only Vostik standing in front of her casket, and I should’ve known then exactly how ruthless my bloodline is.
But I continued to play the game. Accepting my role as the next alpha in front of the wolf packs sworn to follow the Vostiks. All except one.
Alexey lifts himself from the slouched position and downs what’s left in his glass. “So let’s say we pull this off. Save your woman. Survive the night. What then? They’ll be looking for us.”
Dimitri sways in his chair but keeps his hardened eyes trained on mine.
“My father’s army will scour these woods.
Anywhere within an eight-kilometer radius.
Then, Samara. I’m not sure where they’d go first but I’d guess it’ll be somewhere here.
” I draw a small circle in the northern portion of the map, overlapping the only highway outside the pack’s purview.
“He’ll expect us to go here. Cars will be waiting with the make and model of their missing vehicle. ”
They both stare at me intently. A sharp, determined focus despite the liquor sloshing in their stomachs.
“Alexey, are you still in contact with your friend Lev?” I ask.
He nods with understanding.
“We aren’t driving out of here,” I say, an edge of confidence in my voice. “We’re flying out.”
NOW
We manage to make it out of Samara unnoticed, at least I haven’t seen any cars tailing us to my family’s airfield.
It’s a gamble, but I’m hopeful it’s something my father won’t see coming.
By now, all pilots under his employ will have been instructed not to take me anywhere under any circumstance.
Luckily for us, we don’t need his plane. We just need his runway.
The airfield is vacant at first glance, both Vostik jets tucked away in their respective hangars and sealed tight.
I’m not surprised. After the attack on the property, they would need time to regroup, count their numbers, and hunt down those responsible.
Viktor will lead the charge as the next alpha in line, chasing his own tail throughout Samara and coming up empty-handed.
No one would expect us to come here now. Not even him.
A security guard rests in a small, windowed box next to the gate, his feet propped on the counter.
We’ve never had a reason to hire more in such a remote area.
Plus, my father’s arrogance always made him believe no one would be stupid enough to challenge him.
I’m happy to disappoint him in more ways than one.
I slow the SUV to a stop and glance at the dash clock. “What time did he say he’d be here?”
Alexey grunts and pulls his phone out, searching through the message thread. “Said fifteen hundred.”
Either Lev is fifteen minutes late or something worse happened before we made it here.
Was I foolish to think my father wouldn’t have us boxed in at every angle?
That he wouldn’t anticipate us fleeing the same way we came in?
I’m not sure. All I know is that our pilot isn’t here, and we are out of options.
Driving back through the city is suicide.
They have all of our scents, and it’s only a matter of time before they trace it here.
Seeming to sense my frustration, Natalia grabs my hand and places a kiss on my knuckles.
“Don’t you worry pretty little head, wolf prince. Lev is best pilot I know. He’ll be here,” Alexey says and pats the driver’s seat.
I hope he’s right.
We continue down the small winding road, the four of us scanning the private airfield for any movement.
When I reach the gate, I shift the SUV into park and step out into the midday sun.
A soft breeze greets me, forcing my hair behind my shoulders.
The guard doesn’t look up at first. No, his gaze is locked on the crafting magazine in his hands.
When he does, his eyes widen and he stands in an instant, fingers tracing the gun at his hip.
Lifting my hands in surrender, I take a step toward him. “No reason to be rude, Boris. How are the grandkids?”
Boris doesn’t move at first, only watches how my nails grow to claws.
The stiff wrinkles above his thick brow tense, then relax as he draws in a shaky breath.
He eases away from a threatening posture, certainly knowing the gun is useless against me.
Boris sighs. “They’re fine, Nikolai. Bigger every day. ”
I nod with a grin, lowering my hands to my sides. “I’m glad to hear it.”
He shakes his head, small whisps of gray hair dancing in the wind. “Your father put out orders, Nikolai. I can’t let you go in.”
My grin deepens. “I’m not asking, Boris.”
“They’ll kill me if I don’t report you. And then they’ll come after my family next.”
I put my hand on his shoulder and his entire body trembles. “Me and my friends are leaving, and all I’m asking for is a head start. Give me fifteen minutes, then call the den.”
Boris lowers his head and stares at his feet. “Da, Nikolai. I owe you that much.”
“Take care of the little ones, yeah?”
He acknowledges me with a flick of his wrist and hits a button on his console, lifting the gate. I get in the SUV and drive past him, giving one last wave before he closes the gate behind us.