Chapter 35

Caturix moved swiftly through the building, his pack members stepping aside as he passed. Their eyes followed him with a mix of fear and apprehension, as if they were worried he might turn his wrath on them. This wasn’t a new reaction. It was the same every time they saw him, as if he was some kind of outcast.

He never felt like he belonged in his pack, never felt welcomed. He made a point to avoid pack gatherings as much as possible. His time was spent either in his apartment or in the cells, torturing prisoners. On the rare occasions when Lyosha summoned him, he would show up—Lyosha knew he hated being the center of attention and usually made it quick. Usually.

He despised the way the pack members would scramble to give him space as he walked down the hallways, as if touching him would bring about some kind of curse. Only a handful of pack members weren’t afraid of him—Lyosha, Nikandr, and now…his Mika. The rest…they avoided him.

He made his way to Lyosha’s office, the place where he usually found him, apart from the throne room and his bedroom.

Lyosha sat behind his desk, flanked by his betas—one behind him for protection and one in front for obvious reasons. Nikandr was lounging in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, his nose wrinkling as Caturix entered the room.

“Lyosha,” Caturix greeted, exposing his neck in submission to his alpha.

Lyosha looked annoyed, as they all did when it came to Caturix, but motioned for him to take the empty chair next to Nikandr. “How are you today, my son?” he asked, his voice as warm as he could muster. Caturix always bristled when Lyosha referred to him as his son. Despite adopting him after the sudden death of his parents and sister, Lyosha had never shown him any real paternal affection.

Ignoring the hostile glares from Nikandr, Caturix took a seat.

“And what brings you here today, my son?” Lyosha asked cheerfully, setting aside his paperwork. It seemed like he wanted to give Caturix his full attention, but Caturix couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something in those papers Lyosha didn’t want him to see.

“I need to go into town,” he said, offering no further explanation.

Lyosha leaned back in his chair, a curious eyebrow raised to match his peppered hair. “Oh? And what do you need, my boy?” he asked.

Caturix met his gaze with a steely intensity. “My tools are old. I need new ones,” he replied, his voice steady.

“Why do you need new tools? Don’t the old ones work better for torture when they’re dull and rusty?” Lyosha asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

A muscle in Caturix’s jaw twitched, but he kept his expression neutral. “Your prisoners will die sooner. I thought you preferred me to prolong their suffering, sir.”

Lyosha shrugged, a look of agreement on his face. “No, you’re right. I see your point. You can go, but I expect you back in a few hours.”

“I was hoping to spend the night in town,” Caturix said, doing his best to sound polite despite Nikandr’s glaring presence.

“You never let me go to town, sir,” Nikandr whined, sounding like the spoiled brat he was.

Lyosha turned to him with a fatherly smile. “I can’t risk my successor’s life,” he said, giving Caturix a look that said ~oops~. “You understand, don’t you, sport?” He used the kind of pet names that made Caturix feel like a child again, and much to his annoyance, he felt himself shrinking back into his younger self.

Every interaction with Lyosha took him back to his childhood, to the day Lyosha came to his house to tell him his family had died in a terrible accident. He’d brought Caturix back to the pack building and left him in a cold, dark room. For the next fifteen years, Caturix was beaten and broken, taught to torture others to avoid being tortured himself.

Despite being the tallest and strongest man in the pack, capable of more than any other man, Caturix always felt small and weak around Lyosha.

“Why do you need to spend the night?” Lyosha asked, suspicion in his voice.

“Yes, Caturix, why do you?” Nikandr chimed in, adding to Caturix’s irritation. He leaned in closer, like a nosy child.

Caturix couldn’t believe that out of all the men in Rurik, Shemika had chosen Nikandr. The thought of Nikandr being with his Mika filled him with rage. His fists clenched in his lap and for a moment, his cool demeanor cracked. “If you don’t want me to rip your spine out through your mouth, you’d better move far enough away from me that I can’t reach you, you jackass,” he snapped.

Nikandr recoiled in fear and turned to Lyosha with wide eyes. “Sir—” he began, his voice trembling.

Lyosha raised a hand to silence him. “I can’t blame him, Nikki. You can be very irritating. Now move back.” He gestured for Nikandr to move away and turned his attention back to Caturix. “You’re usually so composed, son,” he said, his voice filled with mock concern.

Caturix decided to lie. “I want to find a human woman in town to spend the night with, if that’s all right with you. So I won’t be back for a while,” he said, his voice steady.

Lyosha studied his face for a moment before shrugging. “I see you heard from the little blonde that I don’t want the two of you seeing each other anymore,” he said, a toothy grin spreading across his face. “Nikandr thought you’d keep seeing her, but I’m glad he was wrong. I knew my little pup wouldn’t defy me,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension.

Caturix felt his muscles tense, as if preparing for a blow. He was used to this from his childhood. He tried to ignore Lyosha’s words, but the man kept talking, driving his point home.

“I think it’s a great idea for you to take a human woman, as long as you don’t treat her like you do the she-wolves. If you leave a beaten human woman, there will surely be an investigation,” he said, giving Caturix a pointed look.

Caturix nodded. “Yes, sir. I understand. Could you give me some human money for my trip?” he asked cautiously. He had his own human money, but he’d rather spend Lyosha’s.

Lyosha paused for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. “Sure,” he said, gesturing for one of his betas to go to the safe behind his painting and withdraw several stacks of cash. “This is enough human money, isn’t it?”

Caturix, knowing it was an obscene amount, nodded slowly. “Yes, sir.”

Nikandr would’ve known it was an exorbitant amount, but he didn’t seem to care. For some reason, he felt threatened by Caturix, but Caturix couldn’t figure out why. Nikandr was Lyosha’s chosen successor as alpha and had been spoiled rotten. There was no reason for him to be jealous of Caturix.

“You can leave whenever you want. I expect you back in a day, unless you think you’ll need more time?” Lyosha asked, raising an eyebrow.

Caturix shook his head. “I plan to leave tonight and return tomorrow night,” he said.

“Great, Nikki is on border patrol tonight. He can escort you to the edge of the territory,” Lyosha said, clapping his hands together.

Caturix tensed. He knew Nikandr wouldn’t want to do that, but if he objected, Nikandr would spitefully agree to it. He nodded, pretending to be okay with it until Nikandr started to complain.

Just as he expected, Nikandr began to huff and puff with indignation. “I’m really busy, sir. Caturix can leave our territory safely on his own,” he complained.

Caturix had always found him…whiny. He couldn’t understand why his Mika would choose him as a lover. Suddenly, Caturix was struck by a wave of curiosity. Had Nikandr satisfied her? Did she look back on their encounter with longing? Did she wish to return to his bed? A bed that was far less aggressive than Caturix’s.

Lyosha nodded. “Ah, I see. Very well then, Caturix, you can leave tonight and return tomorrow night,” he said.

Caturix nodded and stood up to leave, followed by Nikandr.

Nikandr quickly caught up with Caturix’s long strides. “You’ve seen her recently, haven’t you?” he asked, his voice harsh but low enough that only Caturix could hear.

Caturix didn’t respond, choosing instead to keep moving, expertly ignoring Nikandr. It was the same way he’d ignored his Mika, all those weeks ago.

“I can see it,” Nikandr said, his voice tight. “You’re not as cold as you usually are.” His words were laced with bitterness. “Lyosha might be fooled by your loyalty, but I’m not.”

Caturix quickened his pace, aiming to reach his apartment and shake Nikandr off his tail. But Nikandr, persistent as a leech, wasn’t ready to let go.

“Just admit it, Caturix,” Nikandr taunted. When Caturix refused to engage in his games, Nikandr stepped in front of him, blocking his path to his bedroom. “Why her, of all people?” he demanded.

Caturix came to a halt, trapped by Nikandr, but he remained silent. He knew Nikandr wouldn’t drop it, especially if he responded.

“I think I want her,” Nikandr confessed, finally.

Caturix’s chest tightened at the admission, but he held his tongue. The word ~think~ echoed in his mind. Nikandr ~thought~ he wanted Shemika?

“I’m going to ask the alpha for her,” Nikandr revealed. “Once I do, it’ll be against the rules for you to keep chasing her,” he added, his voice dripping with smugness.

Caturix’s fists clenched at his sides, his usual calm demeanor faltering.

Nikandr smirked at him. “Go ahead, do what you want. But remember, while you’re away, I’ll be asking the alpha to give me the she-wolf. Consider it a gift for the future alpha,” he said, his tone sickeningly cheerful.

“He wouldn’t just hand her over to you because you’re the next alpha,” Caturix retorted before he could stop himself.

Nikandr shrugged. “Maybe not. But perhaps he’ll give her to me because I’m his favorite ~son~.”