Chapter 59 059

Chapter 59 059
Mikhail

I should have known something was coming when Dimitri called me and Natasha to his office on a Tuesday evening.

My brother rarely summoned us both together unless it was important pack business and from the formal way his message had been delivered, this was serious.

I walked into his office to find Natasha already there, sitting in one of the chairs facing Dimitri's desk. She looked up when I entered, giving me a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Something was wrong. I could feel it.

"Mikhail, good. Sit," Dimitri gestured to the chair beside Natasha. His alpha presence filled the room, and I could tell he was in full pack leader mode rather than relaxed older brother mode.

My stomach tightened. I glanced at Natasha again, but she was staring at her hands now, her knuckles white.

Dimitri leaned back against his desk, arms crossed, studying us both. "I'll get straight to the point. Mikhail, you’re my brother. You are strong, capable and one of the leaders of the pack and yet you haven't taken a mate."

Oh fuck.

"This has gone on long enough," He continued. "It's time for you to settle down and start a family of your own. The pack needs stability. It needs to see that the future leadership is secure. They need to know my brother is grounded and committed."

"Dimitri—" I started, but he held up a hand.

"I'm not asking, Mikhail. I'm telling you. You will begin meeting with suitable she-wolves. I've already reached out to several prominent families."

The room felt like it was closing in. I couldn't breathe properly. I couldn't think past the roaring in my ears. This couldn't be happening. Not now.

"As my brother," Dimitri said, his voice firm.

"It's crucial that you present a stable and mature image. You've been distracted lately. Unfocused. A mate will help ground you and give you purpose beyond whatever it is that's been occupying your attention."

Distracted. If he only knew why.

"I've already spoken with Alpha Konstantin. His daughter Irina would make an excellent match. Strong bloodline, intelligent and well-trained in pack management. She's visiting next week."

Irina. I had met her once at an inter-pack gathering. She was beautiful and accomplished but utterly wrong because she wasn't Natasha.

My hands gripped the arms of my chair so tightly I heard the wood creak.

"Dimitri, I don't think this is—"

"Necessary? It is," My brother's eyes were hard. "Viktor and I have discussed this extensively. The pack elders have been asking questions. You're my brother, and you need to show strength and stability. That means a mate. A family."

I felt like I was drowning. Every word was another weight dragging me under.

"And Natasha," Dimitri said, turning his attention to her.

My heart stopped. Natasha looked up, her face neutral, but I could see the fear in her eyes.

"You're old enough now. While there's less urgency, it's time we started thinking about your future as well. You're part of this family, and I want to see you settled with someone who will treat you well."

"Dimitri, I'm fine as I am," She said quietly. "There's no need to—"

"There is," His voice was gentler with her, but no less firm. "I've already had several inquiries. Gregory from the eastern territory has expressed interest, and Alexei from the Sokolov pack, you remember him, don't you? Good man, strong wolf."

The words hit me right in the chest. Gregory. Alexei. Names that didn't matter because they weren't me.

The thought of Natasha with someone else, mated to another man, bearing his children nearly drove me insane.

I couldn't. I couldn't fucking do this.

"I'm sure there are others who would be honored to court you," Dimitri continued. "We'll start arranging meetings after Mikhail's situation is settled."

After. Like she was an afterthought. Like the idea of her with someone else wasn't tearing me apart from the inside.

I caught Natasha's eye across the space between our chairs.

The fear in her gaze was a mirror of my own. She looked terrified and trapped, like a wild animal caught in a snare. Her lips were pressed together tightly, and I could see her throat working as she swallowed hard.

We couldn't say anything. We couldn't object without raising suspicion. What possible reason could I give for not wanting to mate? For not wanting her to mate?

None that wouldn't expose everything.

"The first meeting is arranged for Friday," Dimitri said, his attention back on me. "Irina and her father will join us for dinner. You'll sit with her and get to know her. Be charming."

"Dimitri, I don't think—"

"This isn't a discussion, Mikhail," His voice carried that alpha command that made my wolf want to submit even as everything in me rebelled. "You've had your time to figure out what you want. Now it's time to think about duty. About the pack. About your responsibilities as my brother and a leader of the pack."

Duty. The word tasted like ash in my mouth.

"I expect you to take this seriously," Dimitri continued. "Irina is an excellent match.She would make a fine mate and a good mother to your children."

Children with someone who wasn't Natasha. The thought made me physically ill.

"And if I refuse?" The words came out before I could stop them.

Dimitri's eyes hardened. "Then I'll question whether you're truly fit to be in this pack. A leader who can't even manage his own life, who puts his own desires above pack stability. That's not the kind of wolf I need at my side."

It was a threat. Not a direct one, but it was there. Fall in line or lose everything. My position, my brother's trust and my place in this pack.

"I've worked too hard to build this pack's reputation," Dimitri said, his voice quieter but no less intense. "To make us strong and respected. I won't have it undermined because my brother refuses to grow up and accept his responsibilities."

Each word was a nail in a coffin. I felt trapped and cornered, with no way out.

"Natasha," Dimitri said, his voice softening slightly.

"I know this might feel overwhelming, but it's important that you find a good match as well. You're family, and I want to see you happy and protected. I want to see you with someone who will care for you the way you deserve."

"Thank you, Dimitri," She said quietly. Her voice was steady, but I could hear the tremor underneath. "I appreciate your concern for my future."

"Gregory will be visiting in two weeks," Dimitri continued. "He's a bit older than you, but he is very established. A good provider. Strong enough to protect you."

A good provider. Like that fucking mattered. Like anything mattered except the fact that she was supposed to be mine.

"Any questions?" Dimitri looked between us.

I had a million questions. Like how the fuck was I supposed to sit across from another she-wolf and pretend to be interested?

How was I supposed to watch Natasha entertain other males without losing my mind? How was I supposed to mate someone else when every part of me belonged to her?

But I couldn't ask any of those things.

"No." I said, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears.

"Good. Then it's settled," Dimitri looked satisfied, like he had just solved a major pack problem. "I expect you both to approach this with the seriousness it deserves. This is about our family's future and our pack's stability."

He moved back behind his desk, picking up some papers. "Mikhail, I'll need you to review these border patrol schedules before Friday, and make sure you're presentable for dinner—first impressions matter."

It was a dismissal. We were expected to just accept this and move on.

I stood on wooden legs, trying to process what had just happened. Trying to figure out how to navigate this nightmare.

Natasha stood too, still not looking at me. She looked shell-shocked and broken in a way that made my chest physically ache.

"Natasha," Dimitri called as she headed for the door. "I meant what I said. You deserve someone who will treat you well. I'll make sure anyone who courts you is thoroughly vetted."

"Thank you." She whispered, and slipped out.

I started to follow, but Dimitri's voice stopped me.

"Mikhail."

I turned back, every muscle tense.

"I know this seems sudden," He said, his expression softening slightly, he looked like a brother instead of an alpha for just a moment.

"But trust me. This is what you need. What the pack needs. Once you meet Irina, you'll see. She's perfect for you. This is the right path."

The right path? When all I could think about was Natasha? When every cell in my body was screaming that she was mine, that I was hers, that no one else would ever be right.

"And Mikhail?" Dimitri's voice hardened again. "Whatever has been distracting you lately, whatever or whoever it is, it's time to let it go. You have responsibilities. Don't forget that."

The words hit like a punch to the gut. Did he suspect? Did he know? No. He couldn't. If he knew, we would already be dead.

"Understood." I managed to say.

I left his office, closing the door behind me carefully when what I wanted to do was rip it off its hinges.

Natasha was waiting in the hallway, her back against the wall, arms wrapped around herself. When she saw me, her composure cracked.

"Mikhail—"

"Not here." I glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, then grabbed her hand and pulled her into a nearby empty room. The moment the door closed, she was in my arms.

"What are we going to do?" Her voice was muffled against my chest, shaking. "Friday is in three days. Three days and you have to—"

"I'm not going to mate Irina," I said firmly, holding her tight. "I don't care what Dimitri says. I'll find a way to—"

"To what? Object? Refuse? And what reason will you give?" She pulled back to look at me, and I saw tears threatening to spill. "He'll question your position as one of the leaders of the pack. He basically said as much, and if you push too hard, if he starts looking into why you're so resistant, he might find—"

She couldn't finish. She couldn't voice the fear we both felt.

"He won't find anything," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "We've been careful."

"Have we?" She laughed, but it was bitter and broken. "We fuck in closets during meetings, Mikhail. We sneak around the gardens at night. How long before someone sees? How long before someone puts it together?"

"No one will—"

"And what about me?" Her voice cracked. "You heard him. Gregory in two weeks. How am I supposed to sit there and let another man court me and touch me, when all I want is you?"

The thought of another man touching her made red creep into my vision. My wolf snarled, possessive and furious.

"That's not going to happen."

"You can't stop it. We can't stop any of this," She stepped back, wiping at her eyes. "We're trapped. We've been trapped from the start, we just didn't want to see it."

"There has to be a way."

"If there is, I don't see it." She wrapped her arms around herself again. "Maybe... maybe this is for the best. Maybe we should just—"

"Don't," I grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. "Don't even say it. I'm not giving you up. I can't."

"You might not have a choice."

"There's always a choice."

"Is there?" She looked at me, and I saw the resignation starting to creep into her eyes. "Or are we just fooling ourselves? Pretending we can have something that was never meant to be ours?"

"Natasha—"

"I should go," She pulled away from me. "People will notice if we're both missing."

"Wait—"

But she was already at the door, her hand on the handle. She paused, looking back at me with so much pain in her eyes it physically hurt.

"You have three days to figure this out, Mikhail. After that..." She shook her head. "I don't know what happens after that."

She left, and I stood there in the empty room, my world crumbling around me.

Friday. I had until Friday to figure out how to get out of this. How to protect what we had without destroying everything else. Three days to find a solution to an impossible problem.

Three days before I had to sit across from another she-wolf and pretend my heart didn't belong to someone else entirely.

Three days before I lost everything that mattered.