Mia spent the whole day trying to reason with her brother to go meet Alec who was still in the hospital. But he refused at every turn and now he even avoided her. Also, it didn't go unnoticed that his hand was battered and bruised around his knuckles. He refused treatment and didn't allow it to heal through his wolf powers either.

No one in the house knew the update on Alec's condition. They only knew that he hadn't woken up yet since it was on every news channel. She wondered how Vadik was holding up but it was obvious he'd be having a hard time. His big brother was injured and on a hospital bed with no sign of recovery. The agony in his eyes when they were in the hospital still made her heart ache.

It was late at night and Mia was sitting alone in the living-room with a book opened on her lap, but she couldn't focus on the words written on the pages. Her eyes lingered on the flames in the hearth in front of her wondering when the blazes of punishment would resolve for her own family.

"Aren't you going to bed?" Dario asked.

Mia looked up at him, he wasn't in his suit like he usually was all the time. He wore a sweater with jeans. "I can't sleep," she told him.

Dario sighed before he joined her on the couch. "Me either," he answered.

Mia knew it was because Dario was also worried about Kade who hadn't spoken to either of them. "What are we going to do about Kade, Dario?" she asked him.

Dario's scowl darkened as his eyes lingered on the fireplace. "He's too stubborn for his own good," he alleged.

"If he keeps on this path, he'll lose Alec," Mia said.

"I still can't believe those two are mates," Dario raked his hair. "To think that Kade waited half his life to kill one man and now he can't live without him."

Mia's heart ached as she remembered her own heart that called out to Vadik. She couldn't breathe ever since he told them to leave. She didn't want to separate from him but comfort him in this time of grief.

"We need to find a way to show Kade that he needs Alec," Mia said.

"Even if we convince Kade, there's no way Vadik will let him see Alec," Dario pointed out.

"I will convince Vadik," Mia said as she shut the book on her lap.

Dario stared at her with the light of the fire sharpening his rigid jaw and beard. "Do you love him?" he asked then.

Mia smiled. "Yeah, I do," she said. Vadik was perfect in every way. At the party, they spent a few moments alone in the garden. They shared a dance and this breathtaking kiss that still visited her dreams. There was no way she was letting him go.

"I just want you to be happy," Dario shared as he got to his feet. "If Vadik does that than I don't have any problems with him."

"Do you think I should tell Kade?" she asked.

"He wants to see you happy too," Dario said. "Don't be afraid to tell him how you feel. Be truthful, he'll have to understand... eventually." He left after that leaving her by herself.

Mia got to her feet, the brace on her leg a bit looser than she liked, but she was trying not to rely on it so much like Justin told her. She returned to her room, this time using the stairs, which took her longer than normal, but she managed while holding the railing. Entering her room, she shut the door and sat on her bed. She unhooked the brace off her leg and set it on the table. It was close to midnight, she stared at her phone wondering if she should call Vadik. She didn't know if he'd answer or not.

Summoning a bit of courage, she texted him to come to her.

The night was quiet as the slight crisp breeze flowed through the curtains around the open balcony doors. Mia waited patiently, but there was no text from Vadik. She stared vacantly at the light of the moon gleaming on the white floors before her bed.

Mia sighed before lying down, she didn't know what to do now. There had to be a way for her to contact Vadik. She could ask Nikolai to take her to him in the morning. But what if Vadik refused to see her? All sorts of thoughts clouded her judgement.

She closed her eyes and curled on top of the duvet, when suddenly, the spiced masculine scent shrouded inside her room. Her eyes snapped open and she got up finding a tall, robust shadow on the floor that only belonged to Vadik. She stumbled off the bed and went to the balcony in a hurry.

Vadik stood clad in his leather jacket with his arms crossed, his clothes black and his expression grim. The moon illuminating his broad frame, the leather gleamed and she found his scowl heartbreaking.

"I didn't think you'd come," she confessed.

"I told you, if you need me, I'll come to you," he said sternly as his eyes lingered on her.

She sensed the tension that simmered around him just like back at the hospital. She had hoped his anger had cooled, but she was wrong. The pain lingered in his eyes and in his heart, she knew that he was upset because he couldn't save his brother.

Mia took a step closer, inching towards him. "How's Alec?" she asked.

Vadik didn't move an inch from his spot. "Still asleep," he answered. "The doctors say that he might not wake up."

"Are you okay?" her voice ached with the concern she had for him. Vadik looked away, out towards the field, his jaw tightened and she saw him hide his emotions. "This wasn't your fault, Vadik."

"Yes, it is," he answered. "I should've been there. I was supposed to keep him safe and he-" his voice fell from the pain he held in his heart.

Mia reached for him, laying her hands on his crossed arms. "I'm sorry," she said as he put his arms down and accepted her hug. She held him tightly, his heart beating rapidly under her ear that was against his chest. "Your brother loves you, Vadik. You need to stay strong for him."

"I don't know if it's enough," Vadik held her tightly pressing his face into her neck. "Alec has always carried the burden of our family alone. At every turn, he sacrificed himself. I want to protect him and fight with him, but he never lets me."

Mia pulled back and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I know how you feel," she said because she couldn't protect her own family and now she couldn't help Kade.

"I don't know how to save him," he sighed heavily.

Mia hesitated. "I think I do," she said.

Vadik stared down at her when he realized her method. Anger rapidly returned to his eyes ripping away the vulnerability that he held. "No," he grumbled.

"If you want to save your brother than you need to let Kade see him," Mia reasoned gently as she laid her hand on his cheek. She had faith that the bond could help Alec wake up.

"How do you know the mating bond can heal my brother?" he asked her grimly.

"It healed me, didn't it," she retorted referring to her limp that healed whenever she was near her mate. Vadik's eyes darkened over her as he realized that she spoke a bit of truth since he saw it firsthand. "You want to save your brother and I need to help mine." He gritted his teeth, his jaw locking tightly as he contemplated. She stared at him wishfully. "Vadik, please." His dangerously dark eyes locked onto her when he heard her plea.

"Fine," he gave in. "Bring your brother tomorrow."

Mia smiled at him then. "Thank you," she said. She didn't know how she was going to get her stubborn brother into a car and to the hospital though.

"You can always knock him out and put him in the trunk," Vadik suggested cynically making her laugh thinking it was a joke, but he held a serious expression. "I'd help, especially with the knocking out part."

Mia shook her head. "You know, violence won't solve anything," she said.

"It sure as hell gets me my way," Vadik remarked.

Mia rolled her eyes and left him at the balcony returning to the warmth of her bedroom. She didn't need to turn around to know that he followed her inside and shut the doors, it took away the beaming light of the moon.

She sat on her bed facing him as he closed the space between them. Vadik stood with his towering height, he leaned using the wooden rail above that was attached to the canopy bed. She didn't know if it was because it was dark, but she inched a bit into the pillow hoping that it'd keep her safe from this man. But she knew that it wasn't possible. His mismatched eyes that gleamed darkly was enough to make butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"Should I leave?" his tone was deep.

Mia swallowed nervously. She should tell him to leave so they wouldn't get caught, but her mouth didn't open. She stared at him as her mind wandered over what his intentions were if he did stay.

"Only if you want to," she answered timidly.

Vadik dropped his arms and put his knee onto the bed, shifting it with his heavy weight. She slowly pulled her legs back bending them at the knee trying not to surrender to him, despite her body already wishing to be underneath him. She caught the notes of his dark fragrance that made her melt with heat. His green and blue eyes stayed focused on her with this tantalizing spark, that was growing as he neared her.

"Are you scared?" his voice was closer than she thought.

"No," she answered.

Vadik seized her ankle. "Good," he said before he dragged her down on the bed. He loomed above her, his legs straddling her own and a wicked gleam in his eyes. He leaned back stripping off the jacket he had on and tossed it somewhere on the bed or floor. She couldn't tell because her eyes didn't leave him.

Vadik supported himself with his arm as he used his knee to get between her joined legs, parting them. She sucked in her breath hoping to find air in this hot room. His rough, strong hand skimmed up her calf, over her knee that had the scar, and as he trailed above, he pushed her dress further up her leg.

Vadik leaned down laying his lips on the base of her neck. "You said 'please' because you know what it does to me, didn't you?" he remarked hotly as his mouth trailed towards her jaw. She didn't really hear what he said when his mouth was on her, but when she recognized the word 'please', so she had a feeling it was about that.

"No," she mumbled.

Vadik's sharp teeth nipped her earlobe surprising her. "Want to lie to me again?" he challenged.

Mia's ear burned but not out of pain, it was out of the heated sensation of his teeth on her. "Well, yes, I did," she answered him. Her breath hitched when she felt the dress fall between her legs and she was exposed underneath him.

Mia stared nervously and he knew how she felt right now. She couldn't even close her legs because his strong thighs held her apart. She has never felt this vulnerable, like every part of her was exposed to him. However, she wasn't scared or cautious. Instead, she was yielding to him in a way she had never done to anything before, it was unnerving. Her body ached for his touch and it was the heat swimming in her that pooled between her legs. His scent on her skin seeped into her body hypnotizing her into his dark enchantment. He stared at her and he knew what she felt without her ever uttering a word. She didn't know how he could tell but he was guiding her where he needed so easily. Every inch of her skin was on fire from his control alone. The authority he held over her was enough to imprison her to him and he hadn't even marked her yet.

Vadik trailed his hand over the curve of her hip onto her waist, she quivered from the gentle yet commanding sensation of his hand. "I haven't even done anything and your body is on fire," his voice caressed her ears, it sank into her. His strong hand drifted over her stomach and he covered it with his entire palm, his fingers brushed her breasts. "Fuck, you were made just for me," he growled. "I want to taste you, but I know if I do, I'll devour you right here and now."

Mia didn't understand what he was saying. She only knew that she wanted to steal a taste of him, like he was a forbidden fruit. She combed her fingers into his dark hair and guided him close to her. He didn't resist her and let her lead, which was strange for a man like him who thrived off control. Yet, with her, he was always compliant when she needed it.

Mia softly laid her lips on his, coaxing him to let her in, and he did. She learned a lot when he kissed in the garden back at the Bacardi banquet. She was more confident as she ran her tongue along his own, tasting his heat and swallowing his strength into her. She wrapped her arms around him and let him set his weight onto her, it was satisfying to have him on her body. She moaned into his mouth when his thigh brushed against the sensitive spot between her legs. He swallowed her moan and took control of the kiss as well.

"You're not making this easy, angel," he growled.

Vadik was hard and vicious as he devoured her mouth into a hungry kiss. His tongue taking hers into his own mouth and she lost herself. There was no reason in her mind nor control to stop. She couldn't let him go as she let him take her into this new world that she never explored before.

Wickedly, his thigh brushed her core again and she gasped against his lips. She pulled her lips away and tried not to lose her mind at that foreign sensation.

"It'll feel better if I put my hand instead," Vadik told her.

Mia stared at him hazily, her body flaming with heat as her core pulsed. "Will it?" she dared to ask.

"Only one way to find out," he challenged as his thigh rubbed sinfully against her. She yearned for more but couldn't find the nerve to say it. "I can't do anything unless you tell me," his voice whispered against her lips. "Use your words-" He bit her bottom lip, the sting sending jolts of pleasure to her core- "Do you want me to touch you, angel?"

"Yes," she answered because he wouldn't move without her permission.

Vadik locked their lips again distracting her from his rough hand that gripped her thigh then finding that spot between her legs. She leaned into him as his fingers brushed the opening before pressing into her and touching the throbbing nub that begged his hands. She cried out in relief and agony all at the same time. His thumb used the wet coating of her core to salve the nub before he caressed it skilfully.

"Vadik," she moaned against his lips.

He kissed her softly before continuing his assault on her core, she felt the arousal pool out of her as he used it to awaken her body further. The storm within her body brewed like a dangerous hurricane about to destroy everything in its wake. Her legs trembled as he pushed her further off the edge, she didn't know how this was going to end but she was climbing higher and higher.

Vadik kissed down her neck, licked and sucking as he went. His hand didn't stop and she wished he would but also begged for it to never end.

"Does it feel good, angel?" His voice a hot taste against her neck.

Mia moaned as her body didn't listen to her when she tried to get it under control. "I feel like you're breaking me," she confessed as his fingers quickened their pace sending shards of arousal through her body. Vadik's laugh was wicked and dark, the wolf within her was pleased to hear it.

"Break, Mia," he whispered softly. "I've got you."

Mia shattered underneath him as the overwhelming release came through her. All the tension loosened and her core convulsed with the pleasure he gave her in seconds. She laid on her bed and couldn't feel her limbs at all. Vadik loomed above her, satisfied and hungry to make her go through that again and again. But he put her gown back in place, covering her from his own eyes. Vadik soothingly kissed her cheek before lifting off her.

"Don't leave," she pleaded softly despite the sleep lingering in her eyes.

Vadik froze in his tracks. "I won't," he said as he picked something off the floor, it was his jacket. He shrugged off his shoes, which was as much as she could see through her drowsy eyes.

He lifted the blanket, covering her within the soft duvet and then laid beside her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back right against his chest, her head on his extended arm. Mia turned around so she could face him instead of having her back to him. She pressed even closer, embracing him in her own arms now.

"Comfortable," he jested.

"Mm-hmm," she answered before she dozed off.

She had a feeling that he hadn't fallen asleep because his hand continued to trace up and down her back, it lulled her to sleep in seconds. Or maybe, it was the rich, fiery scent of her mate that made her feel protected. She knew that nothing bad would happen while he was here with her.

"I love you." She didn't know who said it. Maybe it was her, or was it him? She couldn't even ask because when she woke up in the morning, he was gone and left only the memories of last night behind.

"Can you stop tapping your foot?" Dario remarked. "You're making me tense."

Mia groaned. "You should be tense," she retorted across the table where they ate breakfast. "Kade hasn't come out of his room and we have to find a way to get him to meet Alec."

"It'll be easier to fight a bull," Nikolai remarked over his morning macchiato.

"That's not helpful, Niko-"

"You three-" Kade's voice alarmed them. He stood powerfully near the stairs in a black suit, his eyes tired and his mood darkened with the shadows around his face. "Pack your things."

"Why?" Mia asked.

"We're returning to Italy today," Kade said.

Mia gaped at him. "Why so suddenly?" she got up and went to him but he avoided her by climbing the stairs. She stubbornly followed realizing that her brother was indeed a bull that needed to be fought. "Kade, why are we leaving?"

"Mia," Kade stared at her. "You're using the stairs. How?"

"I got a new doctor," she blurted out.

Kade looked at Dario. "When were you going to tell me this?"

"You never gave me the chance, especially with your mate being in the hospital and all," Dario said as he leaned on the railing below them.

Nikolai choked on his coffee and all of them heard it. Mia was surprised that Dario threw that comment at Kade who was too stunned to speak.

"Kade, we can't leave," Mia continued. "You need to go to Alec and save him."

Kade sighed heavily. "I was the one who put him in that hospital," he gritted out. "I am the last person who can save him."

"You're wrong," Mia said. "You have to try."

"No," Kade said. "I can't meet him."

"Why not?" Dario said. "He's yours, isn't he? That gives you all the right to see him."

Kade raked his tousled hair back. "Why are you two hounding me?" He glared at them. "Go pack your things. I'm done with this conversation."

"No, you're not," Dario said as he climbed the stairs and grabbed Kade. "Niko, get the car!" He dragged Kade down the stairs. "We're definitely going somewhere and it's not Italy." Kade was reluctant but Mia pushed at her brother and hurled him outside the door with Dario.

Nikolai brought the car around and Dario practically threw Kade in the back seat. Mia quickly climbed in the back and Dario too. All of them locked the doors and made sure there was no escape for Kade.

Mia called her mate. "Vadik, we're coming," she told him and he was ready this time.

Nikolai sped through the traffic avoiding the busy streets and used other shorter roads to get to the hospital in record time. He pulled up in front of the doors and let Dario get out first who opened the door for Kade and dragged him out while he was yelling at them for undermining his orders.

Dario wasn't having any of it. "I'm not scared of you. So, shut it and stop pissing me off," he retorted in Italian, as he managed to bring Kade in front of Alec's hospital room.

Through the window, Mia caught Alec still asleep on the bed. His bandages wrapped around his forehead and torso. She didn't know when it was but they soon switched from English and turned to Italian, that scared the people around them as they caused a ruckus.

"Go inside, Kade," Mia said. "He needs you to wake him."

Kade's eyes were tired with grief. "It won't work," he affirmed.

"Yes, it will," she remarked.

"Just try, Kade," Dario said. "There's no harm in that."

Kade shook his head and his eyes expressed the pain he held onto like he spent these past few days battling his heart and soul.

"Don't reason with him," Nikolai appeared ready to tackle Kade. "Dario!" He opened the door and Dario grabbed Kade's arm shoving him inside the room. Quickly, all three of them grabbed the door knob and held it forcefully. On the other side, Kade tried his hardest to shove it open again.

"What are you three doing in my hospital?" Dr. Stone appeared then, she was the one who operated on Alec and kept him alive. She stood tall in her white lab-coat and her dark hair in a braid away from her sterling-blue eyes that watched them.

"Trying to keep that monster inside," Dario growled as he struggled with the door.

"They're mates," Mia explained hurriedly. "I think Kade can heal Alec through the bond."

Dr. Stone raised a brow as she contemplated Mia's intentions. She then came between them with a key and locked the door, easily imprisoning Kade inside.

"Thank you," Mia sighed relief.

Kade came up to the window on the side and glared at them. He pointed at Dario and Nikolai before running his thumb across his neck like he wordlessly threatened them that they're dead as soon as this door opened. The three of them knew it was a risk they had to take, in order to, save their family.

Mia sighed in relief. "That wasn't so hard," she shared.

Nikolai raked his hair. "We're dead once he gets out," he said.

Someone cleared their throat gathering all of their attention. Mia turned only to find all the alphas of the city staring at them with Vadik by their side.

Mia smiled at them awkwardly because she had a feeling they just witnessed the chaos that occurred. "We can explain," she said.

Gabriel laughed. "I think we got the gist of it," he remarked.

"I think the whole damn hospital did," Isaiah Iron said. 

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