Chapter 55 Heart of Gold

Heart of Gold

Avalyn

I tried to pull my hand from his grasp but he didn't budge. My eyes widen as I saw Leikos and Darius walk out in front of me.

"Dimitri. What are you doing? Please! Dimitri! Leave me." I tried to wrench my hand away from his tight grasp.

I looked at the two men who had vicious smirks on their faces.

Darius walked towards me and grabbed my face. "Pretty little thing, isn't she?" He chuckled darkly.

"Why do you think Nikolai is stuck to her like a fucking leech?" Dimitri laughed maliciously.

I didn't recognize him.

Tears grew in my eyes as I looked at him. "Dimitri." A whisper left my mouth. "I considered you my brother. Nik-"

"Shut up." He growled. "I've had enough of your talking for the night. My fucking ears are bleeding."

"I saved you!" I sobbed. How can he do this? We were fine a couple of hours ago!

Is this true? Is he betraying us? His entire pack? Especially after I saved him today?

He let out a harsh laugh. "That was all a ploy. They wanted to see if you were a Faye. I showed them. And I have Nikolai's trust. Enough to let him let me take you out alone like this."

My chin trembled as I looked in the face of a man I did not realize. His dark eyes didn't have the love and humor they usually held. He looked more...darker somehow. Dangerous.

My heart stammered. "B-but...you...brother.."

I tried to mind-link Nikolai but I couldn't feel him.

"Don't try to mind-link him. I mixed wolfsbane in your drink. You won't be able to use your powers either." He said.

Worry gripped my heart. What will I do now?

I have no option other than to be strong. If I'm going to die right now, I'd rather die strong, with my head held high than with tears in my eyes and begging the traitor.

I reigned in my tears and spat, "You disgust me."

"I've been called worse." He said, unaffected.

"Enough." Darius hissed at both of us.

"I've not had such a beauty beneath me for a long time." He caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers.

Never in my life will I let anyone else touch me.

I kicked him in his ballsack, making him fall on his knees in front of me. Exactly where he belongs. And only my hands were bound, not legs.

"What do you want?" I demanded from Leikos as he watched Darius writhe on the floor. Dimitri was a lost cause. I was done talking to him.

"Your heart." He said.

"Why?" Does he want my heart?

"I will be truly immortal. Nothing will kill me." He grinned.

Nothing?

I gulped.

I tried to take a step back but Dimitri had a tight hold on me.

I was trapped and had nowhere to go.

"You fucking cunt." Darius stood back up. "I will fuck you so hard that your mother will feel it in her pussy." He snarled.

Anger filled me. His disgusting mouth doesn't even deserve to talk about my mother.

"Don't you fucking talk about her." I tried to kick him in the balls again but he was quick and caught my knee.

"Not so fast," Dimitri said and pulled me, making me stand beside him. "I want my payment first." He growled.

"Which you will get. Give her to me!" Darius tried to get a hold of me but Dimitri punched him so he fell back.

"She is mine until you give me my payment!" Dimitri snarled.

"Bring her out." Darius hissed as his red eyes fell on me.

Bring whom out?

Two men brought out Sofiya. One of her eyes was swollen shut and her lip was torn.

I gasped and tears grew in my eyes.

Was this the reason Dimitri was doing this?

"You told me you haven't touched her," Dimitri growled loudly.

"She talks too much," Leikos spoke. "We taught her some manners."

"Please don't touch her," I begged.

Not her. She's pregnant.

"Yes. You're much prettier anyway." Darius licked his lips.

I shuddered.

"Release her." Dimitri snarled and tightened his hold on me painfully.

The men released her and Sofiya sobbed as she came running and hugged her brother.

"Now," Dimitri spoke lowly.

Huh?

Suddenly, Dimitri pushed us behind him and the doors opened, a file of guards entering in the quarters.

Suddenly I was being hugged into someone's chest.

Nikolai's chest.

I hugged him tightly and broke down.

This is too much.

Too much for one day.

I can't do this anymore. I want to go home. I want to walk around in my home without guards and feel scared of getting ambushed. I want things to go back to the way they were.

"Shh...you're safe. I've got you." He kissed my forehead and caressed my head.

My breath hitched as I tried to control my breathing.

I looked over his shoulder and saw a lot of men. But mainly, I saw Darius and Leikos being captured.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I cried.

"Your reaction had to be natural." He whispered. "I'm sorry. And Sofiya's life was in danger. We couldn't spoil the plan."

Sofiya.

I released him and looked around for her. She was hugging Vladimir and crying.

I rushed to her, pushing past the men standing around. "Sof!"

She turned to me and hugged me.

"I'm so sorry!" I cried. I am such a bad sister! She was kidnapped and I didn't even realize it!

"It's fine. It's fine. I'm okay." She tried to calm me.

I should be the one to calm her!

I tried to heal her wounds but my powers weren't working.

Dammit.

"When did this happen?" I asked her.

"This afternoon. I was out for a walk in the garden and a couple of guards came and told me that Vladimir had called for me. They brought me here and then I suddenly blacked out. When I woke up, I realized I was tied to a chair." She closed her eyes in pain.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," I murmured. She doesn't deserve this. Sofiya is the kindest person I know.

"It's fine. I'm happy they didn't catch you first." She said. "They would have killed you immediately."

"I thought I was going to die," I said softly.

"Not on our watch," Nikolai said from behind me, his arm coming around my waist. I placed my hand over his.

"Thank you." I heard someone say.

I turned to look at the source and realized it was Zora.

What is she doing here?

"We should thank you for coming out and helping us," Nikolai said.

What did she do?

"I saw two guards come out of Louis's house one day. I didn't know what was going on so I didn't say anything. The same say, I saw your Quarter getting attacked. This can't happen unless the guards are ordered to do so or are offered money. Which only Darius and Leikos can do. Then I saw the mark on the men's arm. Which meant that the guards had stolen the branding iron from Louis's house. They used that to mislead you into thinking that the followers of Sacredos were after you. Which they aren't. No one likes Louis in Mozog. He has always been a pervert. I saw you and King Nikolai take those wet books. I know about the immortality that comes from eating Faye's heart. I made the connection," she said.

"Thank you so much, Zora." I hugged her. "You are a smart woman. You saved our lives."

She smiled. "Don't worry. You all will return the favor soon." She patted my shoulder and left.

What did that mean?

"She's is... different," Nikolai said. "Let's go back to our quarter," Nik said and led me out, away from the destructed room and everyone in it.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we were back in our room.

"I'm angry at you for not telling me," I told him and walked inside, trying to reach the zipper at the back to get out of this dress.

"I know. I'm sorry." He told me as he undid my zipper for me, his fingers grazing my skin, making me shiver.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought I was going to die!" I moved aside so he wasn't touching me anymore.

I pushed down the dress and stepped out of it.

"I know, Love." He said, trying to soothe me.

"Don't patronize me, Nikolai." My eyes flashed as I looked at him. "You can't keep me out of the loop like this! You can't hide things like these from me!" I was mad now that the shock had worn out.

Mad in every sense of the word. This was not the first time. He didn't tell me when Mikhail was kidnapped. Or the time when the manager of one of his clubs was killed and he found Jessica and even when Mikhail came back.

He says that we are equals but when it comes to doing things, he does everything on his own, keeping me in the dark.

"I'm sorry." He said, trying to come near me again but I moved away.

"I love you Nikolai but I don't like you very much right now. Don't touch me." I pressed my lips together and took off my bra and panties.

I heard a groan come from his mouth at my naked sight. Good. Let him suffer. This whole night has been a nightmare for me!

"Bring me a pair of pajamas and a loose top," I told one of the slaves.

"I'm sorry, Ava. What do you want me to do?" Nik asked as he stood a few feet away from me.

I folded my arms under my breasts, pushing them up further. A voice came from the back of his throat and I held in a smirk.

"You're killing me, Love." He groaned, rolling his head back.

The slave came back into the bedroom, holding my clothes. "I'm not sleeping with you tonight." I declared, narrowing my eyes at him, daring me to challenge him.

He was in front of me in a second. "Fuck no."

"Take those clothes back." He told the slave and grasped my hand tightly. "You are not going anywhere." His eyes flickered between black and grey as he fought for control with his wolf.

"Give me those clothes right now," I told her before she stepped inside the dressing room.

"No," Nikolai growled at her, his eyes not leaving mine as he threatened the slave. "I will kill you if you give her a single piece of cloth tonight."

"You won't." I challenged.

Nik wouldn't do that, would he? He knows I can't go out without wearing clothes. But that doesn't mean he will kill her for it.

"Try me." He challenged back. From the fiery look in his eyes, I knew. I knew he would do it. He will follow through with his words.

It scared me. But the thought of him going to such extremes to keep me near him turned me on. No one has ever wanted me as Nikolai wants me.

Nik took a deep breath, inhaling my arousal. "You like it, don't you? You like the thought of me being so possessive over you that I would do anything to keep you from leaving me." His eyes fell on my lips as he bit his sexily before releasing it.

He took a step towards me and I took a step back. And then another.

This continued till my back touched the wall and I had nowhere else to go. He put his hands on the wall, on either side of me, and caged me in.

My breath hitched. I wanted to fuck him right now.

His eyes flickered between my eyes and lips. I tilted my lips up to kiss him but he didn't bend down enough to let me kiss him.

"So now I can touch you?" He asked, his voice raspy.

Why is he even asking?

Wait.

I told him no.

I remembered what he did and anger filled me again.

I ducked out of his arms and crossed the room. "Not," I said.

His hands turned into fists.

"It angers you, doesn't it? Denial of something you want. What if I tell you to not look at me?" I asked him.

His lips thinned into a line.

"That's what you do. You keep me in the dark. About everything. I never know what is going on. And that's because you never tell me anything! I can't be a Luna if I don't know what's going on in my pack." I told him, annoyed by this behavior of his.

"I don't tell you certain things to keep you safe!" He gritted.

"That's not keeping me safe. That keeps me in a false sense of security." I gritted back. "None of us will gain anything out of that. It's as good as lying to me!"

"I'm not a fucking liar." He growled.

"You are not." I agreed.

"But you are scared. Scared of me seeing things you don't want me to see. So much that you go out of your way to keep me in the dark." I added softly.

He went quiet at that.

"You have no idea how cruel this world can be Ava. What people can do for money and power. And their amusement. And I will shield you from it all. As long as I can." He spoke quietly.

"I have first-hand knowledge of how cruel the world is, Nik. I've seen it. I've lived it. This is why I know it is good in the world too. I've seen it. And I'm living it right now." I told him. "Don't keep me in the dark, Nik. You can't shield me forever."

"I can try." He looked at me.

"I don't want you to," I whispered.

There was a knock on the door. Nikolai cast me a glance before he opened the door a bit and stood in front of it so no one could see inside.

"I need to talk to her." I heard Dimitri say.

"Not right now." Nikolai tried to close the door but Dimitri put a hand in between. "Please?"

"Give us a minute," Nikolai said and shut the door. "Go wear some clothes."

I motioned the slave to get me the clothes I told her to get and she ran into the dressing room and came back, handing me the pajama and a loose top.

I wore them and then nodded at Nikolai to open the door.

"Can I come in?" Dimitri asked and entered before I could reply.

He looked determined as he walked to me and stood in front of me.

He kneeled on one leg in front of me and bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I understand." I said softly. "Please stand up, Dimitri."

He lifted his head pinned me with his green orbs. "I also want you to thank you for saving my life. It was not supposed to go that far in that hallway."

"It's fine. Please stand up." I said, not wanting him to kneel in front of me.

"I want to offer you something." He spoke, his voice soft.

"What?" I asked. What did he want to give me? I didn't want any gifts. I didn't want anything. He did it all for Sofiya and I completely get it.

"A blood oath." He spoke.

My breath hitched.

"You saved my life. I want to prove to you that I will be loyal and grateful to you for as long as I will live." He continued.

My eyes snapped to Nikolai's and he nodded.

He thinks I should do it.

"Are you sure?" I asked, feeling anxious.

"I've never been more sure about anything else in my entire life."

Shakily, I offered him my right hand.

He undid the buttons off his shirt and took it off. He extended his claws and clawed his chest, right over his heart. The skin tore easily and the wound started bleeding immediately.

He took my hand in his and made a small cut in the middle of my palm before he placed it over the bleeding wound on his chest.

"I, Dimitri Volkov, Beta of The Rogue Pack solemnly vow to loyally serve Avalyn Volkov, Luna of the Rogue Pack, Queen of Mozog for as long as I shall live." He vowed as we both looked into each other's eyes.

I felt a surge of power flow from him and up to my arm which finally settled in my heart.

"You have done a good job today, child." I caressed his cheek. "You have been brave and made the right choice."

"I could not have chosen a better Beta for me than you, Dimitri. You still have a long way to go. I hope you make the right choices for yourself and the ones you love." I tilted his head up and kissed his forehead.

"Release all the guilt you have held in your heart, child. It's not your fault. It was how it was supposed to happen." I placed my hand on top of his head.

"Protect the King.

Protect the Queen.

The time is coming." I spoke.