Chapter 135

Vladimir:

I kept my eyes on Elena, watching as she looked down at the notebook that I had in my hand for a second.

Her eyes met mine and then she looked down at the notebook as I got up from the chair. She flinched, and I raised my hands, silently letting her know that I did not aim to harm her. She was my mate, human or not, and whether or not she felt the bond yet didn’t make a difference. However, I could tell that the bastard hurt her enough to break something in her.

I doubted that she even knew what a werewolf was, nevertheless, I was going to be sure to earn her trust before letting her know what and who I really was. 

“I am not going to hurt you, Elena.” I said, my voice softening as I looked her in the eye. She looked up at me, studying my expression for a second before I nodded in encouragement. The last thing that I would ever want was for my mate to fear me, the idea of that was one that I couldn’t swallow. But I knew that I couldn’t blame her. 

She shook her head at me, and I took a deep breath before nodding in understanding. “I can assume that you don’t want me to know what you are thinking?”

She shook her head slowly, and I nodded in understanding. I put the notebook and pen back inside my jacket’s pocket, and she looked at me with weary eyes, studying my expression. 

“You wanted to show me something before Batrov interrupted us the other day, do you still want to show it to me?” I asked, my voice softening as I sat down on the chair. She curled up on the edge of the bed, and I could hear her heart racing as she took deep and slow breaths, trying to calm herself. Her eyes met mine and for a second, I saw fear in them. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Elena.”

Her name rolled out of my tongue smoothly, and I couldn’t help but smirk when I saw her studying my expression. She looked down at the floor, avoiding my eyes, and though I didn’t want her to keep running away with her gaze, I knew that it wasn’t something that I could blame her for. 

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and knowing that it was a while into midnight, I knew to allow the woman to rest. She was most likely getting ready for bed when I entered the room anyway, and I knew that me coming only stopped her from getting the sleep that she needed. 

I got up from the chair and she frowned in confusion as I picked my jacket up. “It is almost midnight, and I think that you might want to go to bed.”

Her eyes were fixed on mine for a second too long and I had to admit, I couldn’t help but find myself growing mesmerized by them. I forced myself to look away from her before turning to the door, and she looked down at her lap. 

“Have sweet dreams, Elena.” I said, and looking at her over my shoulder as I opened the door. Her eyes met mine and I could swear that I saw her lips twitch up in a small smile before I walked out of the room, leaving her alone to rest. I closed the door, careful not to make a sound before shaking my head as a small smile played on my lips.

“You used me to get information about her, didn’t you?” Claire asked, catching my attention. I raised an eyebrow at the woman and watched as she stood, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at me. 

“Am I going to answer to you now?” I asked, scoffing at her. Her eyes dropped to the ground and I knew that I reminded her of her limits. “You got a few thousand dollars for what you did yesterday, but it stays there.”

“Vladimir, you are going to harm her and yourself.” She said, and I shook my head at the woman. The last thing that I needed was to find myself being questioned by a maid, but then again, I knew that I was the one that put myself in such a situation. 

“Then I am to suffer the consequences.” I said, taking a step toward her. My body towered over hers, and she gulped, knowing that I was annoyed before she looked down at her feet. “Now, I am going to suggest that you not only mind your own business, but that I don’t find you roaming under my feet. Otherwise, you are not going to like the consequence, do you understand me?”

******************************** 

I sat at the dining table, watching as Batrov entered the dining room looking like he was hit by a bus. 

His eyes met mine and I had to admit, I couldn’t help the smirk that was plastered on my lips as I knew that the drug was a little stronger than he was able to handle. And though I knew that it only made him fall asleep, I did want to make him pay for what he made Elena live through the other day.

The fear that I saw in her eyes was one that I didn’t like, and I hated the fact that I knew that he was the reason behind it. And not only that, but that he had the audacity to try and explain why he was speaking to her the way that he was.

The scent of Konstantin took me off guard, and I couldn’t help but frown in confusion when I saw him entering the dining room. The man was supposed to be heading off to LA, him coming here was not something that I expected. And knowing that, I knew that things could be harder on me when it came to seeing Elena.

“You’re here early,” I said, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Is this how you greet your uncle, Vladimir?” He asked, and I shook my head at him. He smiled and walked toward me, and I watched as he leaned in to kiss the crown of my head, taking me by surprise as he did so. “Have you been treating my heir well, Batrov? As you may know, he is my pride and glory,”

Batrov looked at me, raising an eyebrow, and I could tell that he wasn’t liking what he was hearing. I knew and could tell that he was hoping to take Konstantin’s place as this pack’s leader, being his right hand, and me coming over only ruined that for him.

“We have been treating him as best as we could.” He said, and I smirked.

“Why do you look like you’ve been hit by a thousand men?” Konstantin asked, frowning at the man. “Or were you drinking more again?”

“He was knocked out halfway through the night yesterday.” I said, and Konstantin’s eyes hardened as he glared at the man. “He was taken to his room, but I am guessing that the hangover is yet to break from his head.”

“I am fine, boss…”

“Go and sober yourself up properly, drink water or coffee, we have work to do and the last thing that I am going to need is to deal with your fucking headaches.” He said, stopping Batrov who frowned. The man glared at me for a second, and I couldn’t help but raise an amused eyebrow as he got up and walked out of the dining room, leaving the two of us alone. “You’re also coming with us tonight.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, shaking my head in question.

“You are my heir, aren’t you?” He asked, and I had to fight back rolling my eyes at the statement that he seemed to be repeating a thousand times in a span of five minutes. I nodded in response and he smirked. “Well, it is time for me to start introducing you to those that you are going to be working with. Needless to say, they are also going to learn who my next in line is, and I think that you know more than anyone that it is often important for them to do so. Do you not agree, son…?”