Chapter 71 War Strategy

War Strategy

Avalyn

Dimitri, Andrei, and Mikhail made it back home just late in the afternoon. According to Nik, they never come back home after a party. They stayed at the packhouse and came the next morning after the 'after-party cleaning situation is taken care of. Not that I didn't believe him, but I knew the men in my family. And I know them better to think that they stayed back to help clean everything up. They most likely stayed back to spend the night with some girl.

The good thing was that they brought Tessa back with them.

I empathized with Tessa and I wanted her to be happy again. I showed her to the slave quarters and gave them her room. She was the same size as Irina so I got her a couple of clothes till she could go shopping.

"Thank you, Mistress." She lowered her eyes.

"You're welcome." I smiled. "Now I know that you have not been a slave for very long so no need to be scared of punishments. You won't be punished for something you didn't know. You will cook, clean, and help around the house just like the house slaves. I will need you to look after the needs of the kids- Adrian and Vanessa. Other than that, since you are my chamber-maid, you will take care of my needs. Tell me, do you like to do makeup and shop for clothes and the other girly activities?"

A smile bloomed on her face. "Yes, Mistress."

"Perfect. You will do all of those for me. That will be your all-time job— taking care of all my personal needs."

"Will I be required to-to take care of the needs of then m-men in the house?"

I looked at her. She had terror written all over her face. "No. No one will touch you without your permission. If it sets your mind at ease, you may lock your room at night too."

She immediately went down to her knees and bowed till her head touched the ground. "Thank you so much, Mistress. You are the most gracious."

"Thank you, Tessa, you may rise," I said softly. "You are not required to kneel. At least not until you are ordered to."

"As you wish, Mistress." She jumped to her feet.

"I wake up at eight every day, workout for an hour, and then have a bath before I make breakfast for everyone. I will need you to set out my workout clothes and everyday clothes out accordingly. For breakfast, we mostly have coffee and pancakes with Nutella. Nik likes me to make them for him but I need you to do the preparations for me. These tasks-cooking meals and cleaning and taking care of the kids will be your everyday chores. The rest of the day is different every day, you will have to ask me what your tasks for the day will be, okay?"

"Okay, Mistress." She nodded, a twinkle present in her eye. I think she liked her day so far. "What do you need me to do today, Mistress?"

"We are having dinner tonight with close family. Max and Natalia, whom you will see will come. I need you to set out a dress for me for that. I will also need you to be on your best behavior in front of everyone." I squeezed her shoulder. "I do not want you to make any mistakes or else I will not be able to help you."

"I will be at my best behavior, Mistress." She looked scared now.

"Good. You can come directly to me if you have any problem." I told her and then opened the wardrobe and looked for one of the things I hated the most.

I picked it up and held it in front of me. Her eyes watered when she saw the collar.

"Don't fear it, Tessa," I said softly. "It means that you are mine. That I own you. And no one messes with what's mine. And this is to show just that to everyone who looks at you the wrong way." I had ordered for a plain leather collar to be made with 'AV' and the symbol of the Volkov family carved on it. "It's for your protection."

She wiped her tear and took a deep breath.

"Turn around and kneel, Tessa," I ordered softly. I put the collar around her neck and tightened it enough for it to not fall down but still be comfortable.

"Stand up, look at me." She did as I said.

I looked in her hazel eyes and then at the collar with my engraving on it. "Beautiful." I smiled. "Go find April and see if she needs help."

"As you wish, Mistress." She bowed before she left.

I closed her door and left the slave quarters after that.

Yesterday, I had promised Nik that I would look over the packing business and he should only focus on the war. And next, I did just that.

I went to his office and gathered the files that needed to be looked upon and then went to the office I had claimed as my own. Nik tried to persuade us to work with him in his office but we both knew that no real work would be done if we are left alone in a room together.

At six forty-five, Tessa came in to remind me that I needed to get ready. Thanking her, I rushed back to my bedroom. I entered the walk-in closet and saw that Tessa had cleaned and organized the entire thing.

She had cleared a rack, which she explained where she will hang my outfits for the occasion and I can choose the one I like depending on my mood. That way, I still got to choose what I wear.

I selected a dress that looked comfy and warm and Tessa quickly took out shoes, accessories, and earrings to go with it.

Having no shame, I stripped in front of her and got into the dress with her help. She helped me put on the earring and boots and a simple bracelet.

"Do you not wish to apply makeup, Mistress?" She asked.

"I prefer not to wear less makeup and since it's just family, I can skip it. I'll just apply mascara and a lip gloss." I told her.

Nodding she took out those things and then sat me down in my vanity chair and carefully applied them.

I opened my eyes and smiled at my reflection. "Thank you, Tess. It's just how I wanted."

"Anytime, Mistress." She smiled happily.

I walked out of the closet.

"I forgot the perfume!" I heard her cry.

"It's fine, I normally don't apply any. Nik prefers my natural scent." I smiled and continued walking out.

"I was looking for you." Nik stepped out of the bathroom.

"I was in my office and then I was getting dressed." I walked to him and raised my toes to kiss him. I missed him. We hardly saw each other, we had been too busy.

His hands grabbed my ass and he squeezed hard as he kissed me harder. "Tonight's an important night. I'm going to tell everyone how the show is going to go down."

A gasp left my mouth when he spanked my ass hard. "And that won't be counted as the impending punishment."

"And when will I receive it?" I asked slyly and put my hands around his neck.

"Maybe tomorrow. Maybe today. It depends on my mood." His hold on me tightened further deliciously. I could see it in his eyes that he was fighting for control.

"Careful, Mr. Volkov. Those words of yours might cause a reaction out of me you'll have to take care of." I ground into his growing erection. "And we will be late. Very late."

A growl left his throat. "You've gotten very mischievous, my little mate. Everyone can wait. But your ass and my hand can't." He spanked me again on the same spot, making a small cry erupt out of my mouth. That spot is surely red by now. I loved it.

A little whimper caught our attention and I turned around to see Tessa looking at us with wide tearful eyes from inside the closet.

I took a step back from Nik's arms, at which he growled lowly in irritation but didn't say anything.

"What are you still doing here Tessa?" I asked the scared girl softly.

"I -I was keeping everything back in the closet, Mistress." She looked terrified of Nik and kept her only eyes on me.

"I will wait for you downstairs." Nik kissed my temple before he left. I love him. He understood me.

"I know you don't understand what you saw or heard." I start gently, "but we both love each other. Very much. You don't need to be scared for me to worry about me, alright?"

"Jessica said mates are real soulmates. Why would he want to hurt you by punishing you?" Her form trembled.

"Because I want him to," I answered simply. "We like to keep things interesting." I winked. "He doesn't do anything I don't like. And hurting me, truly hurting me hurts him too. Nik and I are equals. Mates. Alpha and Luna. But he is my Master too. Because I want him to be." I touched her cheek. "Because I love him. And he loves me. And because he knows what's the best for me. And what's not. The dynamics of all mates are different. In couples, both are perfectly equal, in some, the male calls the shots, in some the female does, sometimes they like to be Master and slave or Mistress and slave. But what remains common, is that they are mates and they love each other very much. Do you understand?"

"I think so, Mistress." She nodded.

"Good girl," I said and a smile grew on her face. "Don't be scared of Nik. He won't touch you. He is a fair Alpha that everyone loves, as you saw yesterday. And next time something like this happens, you may simply step out of the room quietly or in cases like these, remain in the closet till we leave."

"Yes, Mistress. Thank you, Mistress."

"Good girl." I smiled and left her to go downstairs.

Max and Natalia had already arrived and I greeted them with a warm hug and an apology for being late.

The happiest of us all was Vanessa. She had claimed her seat in Max's lap and kept giving snide looks to Natalia whenever she would touch Max.

It was funny to watch. Nat at one point kept touching Max only to piss Nessa off.

Little Nessa had a crush.

"Don't touch him!" Nessa flicked Nat's handoff.

"Why not?" Nat snickered. "He's my mate."

"No!" She screeched loudly.

We all chuckled at that. This caused Nessa to start crying.

"Enough!" Max exclaimed and stood up with Nessa in his arms. "Are these bad people harassing you?" He started cooing as he left the living room.

"A four-year-old stole your man, Nat!" Mikhail joked.

"The great Natalia Volkov has been beaten by a four-year-old little girl," Dimitri said in a commentator voice that had us cracking up.

"You all laugh now but imagine how much she will cry when you will have to separate them again," Adrian said casually as he flipped a page of his book.

That's when the dread set in.

The last time when Max left, Vanessa had cried a lot and it made me and the men crazy trying to get her to be quiet again.

Adrian was the only one who snickered now.

"The dinner is ready." Irina came in to announce and we all got up.

We all took our seats and Max arrived and Vanessa had to sadly sit in her chair then.

There was a light conversation over dinner but slowly, the tension that rolled off of everyone was increasing.

Nik placed his hand on my thigh and made soothing circles with his thumb. I trust him with everything and I know he would have made the best and the safest plan but I can't help but worry.

What if something goes wrong? Nik will surely blame himself.

"Adrian, look over Nessa," Nik said after we finished dinner.

"Yes, Alpha." He nodded, knowing how serious this matter was.

Adrian left with his sister. But not before she got a promise out of Max that he would come right back to her later.

"It's time," Nik announced and stood up.

We all filed after him in the big conference room.

"This is the Rogue Pack." He unrolled the map of our pack.

And then started explaining how shit would go down.

One by one, all of our mouths dropped open.

"That is crazy," Andrei muttered, his fingers threading through his hair.

"I know." Nik folded his arms and nodded.

"It's—it's pure evil." Nat pointed at the map.

"I know." Nik nodded again with a smirk.

"We might not be able to pull it off. It's too risky." Dimitri looked skeptical.

"We can do it if we follow the plan exactly," Mikhail said but he didn't look convinced.

"It's diabolical," Max said a mad grin on his face. "More than anything I've ever done."

"I know." The same grin formed on Nik's face.

"You, my little brother, are a genius. I'm in." Max announced.

"I'm in." Nat caught Max's hand in her's.

"Me too." Mikhail nodded.

"Me too." Andrei agreed.

"Me three." Dimitri folded his arms.

Everyone's eyes turned to me.

Suddenly a rage-filled me in. A fire. A fire for revenge. My family is with me. All of this is for me. So that the man of my nightmares is dead and I can sleep in peace.

All my life, I've been scared of him. Not anymore. Not when I have my loved ones by my side.

Now, it's time to terrorize my nightmare.

"Let's slaughter those fuckers."