Second Assault — Bond And Treason —

Chapter 35 - Second Assault, Pt. 1

Saturday, April 20th. Meeting room, 6:55 p.m.

ALEXEI

—Our man keeps in touch, any changes or developments in Dimitri's plan, he will inform me — Adrik

notifies, with the same efficiency as always.

—Perfect — Yaakov nods in agreement —. All the preparations have been made and the men are

more than ready — he confirms the time on his wristwatch —. If we want to be on time, we should

leave now.

—Good — I stand and adjust my jacket —. Fred and Lev will stay with Xander. The rest of you know

what to do.

—But why don't you ever let me go out and have fun now? — Lev squeals in anger, jumping out of the

chair, arms crossed over his chest —. I'm perfectly capable of kicking a few asses, even more so if

they're human.

—Please, Lev — my cousin pinches the bridge of his nose, and Xander giggles —. Don't start.

—Shut up if you know what's good for you — gives Yaakov a killer stare —. I'm going to rust from all

this inactivity, I don't even remember how to aim anymore.

—I don't think that confession will help your cause much, Lev — Xander laughs harder.

—Oh, by the Moon. Alex, let me go. Please — joining hands like praying and with pleading eyes that

do not affect me.

—No way, the decision's already been made. We're almost ready to go, Lev. You can't leave Xander

unprotected.

—Well, no. But...

—But nothing — I cut him off before continuing —. We don't know how things will turn out. We must be

prepared for any situation, and that includes you staying here and protecting my partner. Don't bother

opening your mouth again, it won't do any good.

—It's your turn to look after the chicks, Mummy Lev — Nikon's mocking, standing up.

—I'm sorry, Lev — Xander whispers after noticing his annoying face. Lev sighs and his body loses

some of its tension.

—It's all right, baby boy — smiles —. Orders are orders, after all. We'll find something to amuse

ourselves or go and bother old Ewa again.

—She loves Xander and me — Fred says —. You're the only one who bothers her.

—Me? — Lev whines, outraged, and I'm already getting bored of this pointless discussion —. But if I'm

adorable, everyone loves me.

—Well, that's enough. The clock is ticking, so everyone get to your posts.

—Alexei — my brother calls me when almost everyone's out —. Angelo told me he'd send some men

to help protect us — his eyes don't meet mine and seems a bit insecure —. Do you have a problem

with that? — Xander pinches me in the side, being careful that Fredek doesn't catch him.

I turn to look at him and he doesn't have to open the mouth to reveal a request for me to be rational

and patient. Although, I don't know if it bothers me.

—No, tell him to send them — his gaze rises quickly to mine and a big smile is drawn on his face.

—Okay, I'll tell him — then heads for the door, but before exiting, watches me —. Thank you, Alex —

mumbles, and leaves. Finally Xander and I are alone in the room, both standing in front of the desk.

—Don't forget your promise, Magnus — says in a shaky whisper once the door closes —. Come back

to me, safe and sound.

—I always keep my word — I caress his cheek and he leans to the touch, his eyes moist and bright

with tears that slowly run down his face —. Don't cry, my love — sobs and my heart compresses inside

my chest —. Come here — I surround his waist to attract him to my body, he rests a wet cheek on my

chest and his hands hold tightly the fabric of my shirt.

Tremors dominating his body.

—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry — his head tilts back to see me and I take the opportunity to wipe the

thin tears from his face with my thumbs —. I couldn't help it.

—You don't have to apologize for anything, Xander — I put a kiss on his nose —. It'll be all right. We're

ready for this. So I need you to be strong and trust me. Okay?

—Of course I trust you, Magnus — replies with determination and without hesitation.

—Then let me take care of everything. In a few hours, you'll have me back and you can take advantage

of me any way you want — laughs softly and that's a relief —. I love you, Xander. My body, my heart,

and my soul are yours.

—Magnus, all mine is also yours — bends and rubs his nose with mine —. And I love you, too, to the

end of my days.

I kiss him. We lasted a long time like that, immersed in each other's arms, transmitting through that

sweet and explosive kiss our emotions and feelings. Never wanting to part, even though we both knew

that in the end, we would have to. And it was precisely the knock on the door of the big room that

indicated that our time had run out.

—All ready, Magnus — my cousin's voice lowers, seems ashamed to have interrupted. I nod in his

direction and he goes.

—I'll be waiting for you — promises, then kisses me again, albeit for a shorter duration this time and

then separates.

From the expression on his face, I realize that it took him a great deal of strength to do it, I immediately

feel the cold from the loss of his warmth. I want to tell him something, anything that will help ease the

burden I know his heart has right now. But I'm afraid if I do, I'll fall apart myself. Unable to get away

from him and hold on to his body as if it depended on my soul not leaving me. So I go.

Leaving him behind, with just the promise of our soon reunion, that no matter what it costs me and who

I have to go through, I will keep it. When I arrive at the entrance, several cars are parked with the

engine running, waiting for my order to leave. Yaakov and I will lead the way, being followed by Nikon

and Adrik in the company of Luca and Maxim. In the vehicle behind them, Derek is with Jackson and

Mark, plus a couple of other henchmen.

Four other armored vans loaded with heavily armed men ready to face whatever awaits us once inside

the Zhukovski mansion.

It will take us an hour to get to the vicinity of the property, we will leave the cars parked and properly

camouflaged in the forest, at a prudent distance. This will make us walk around another hour to reach

the entrance of the tunnel. Adrik's henchman will give us the signal indicating the exit of Dimitri's men

so we can advance and start the attack. I can already feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins.

—How did Xander take it? — my cousin asks, not taking his eyes off the road, skillfully spinning in a

curve.

—The best he could, considering the circumstances — I sigh as I recall his red eyes and the look of

sadness on his face.

—Yeah, Lev too — starts wiggling the fingers restlessly on the steering wheel —. He told me if I got

hurt, he'd put me on abstinence for three months, man — his face turns in my direction with an

expression of indignation —. Three fucking months! Can you believe it?

—I don't even want to imagine — I tease, rolling my eyes and focusing on the trees through my

window.

—I'm serious, asshole! — hits my arm but I still don't watch him —. My balls will end up blue. They

could even fall out of disuse!

—You have a working hand, don't you? — I gesture with my fist up and down at crotch level —. You

can always jerk off.

—Funny — there's not a trace of fun in his flat voice or serious countenance —. I can see your mood is

lousy — then, adds in such a low voice that I almost didn't hear it —. As always.

—I just want to get this shit over with, Yaak, and put Dimitri's eyes out with my own hands.

—Calm down, buddy — pats my shoulder —. We're getting closer — I sigh and continue to watch the

panorama. The rest of the journey goes by in a heavy silence and although I am in the company of my

cousin, it feels uncomfortable and loaded with pressure.

By the time we reach the edge of the forest, we turn off the lights of the cars and park them near a

creek surrounded by huge trees and big bushes, perfect for hiding the vehicles. We all step out, making

as little sound as possible, even though we are far enough from the mansion to not be detected. Still,

we don't want to take any chances. We prepare the weapons and explosives. I make sure to keep

several magazines for my gun in my belt and shortly after, we begin our march on foot.

Except for The Gang, the vast majority of my men are wolf shifters, although I never intended it to be

that way. I imagine that as the Alpha that I am, they came to me with the idea of being part of a pack. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

But my team also includes shifters like rhinos, gorillas, bears, and snakes... And now a tiger.

If somehow our gun attacks don't work, my men will be completely capable of handling the situation by

calling in their animal side, which gives us an incredible advantage over the humans working for Dimitri.

The night is particularly dark and the moon does not seem to offer enough light to illuminate our path,

fortunately, we can use our advanced and keen senses to move forward without major inconvenience.

Finally, after a long and difficult walk, we reached the entrance of the tunnel.

My men and I are more than ready to go in and wipe out anything that moves, but we still have to wait

for the tip-off from the henchman Adrik managed to infiltrate. So we all squat and wait, mindful of our

surroundings.

—What time is it, Yaakov? — I ask after a long time of silence and accumulated tension. He checks his

watch with a frown.

—Nine to ten.

—Any news of your man, Adrik?

—He just sent me a message that they're almost ready to leave — he hisses stiffly.

—I have a guard hidden at the front of the mansion, Alex — Nikon adds quietly, glancing cautiously at

our surroundings —. He will tell me when Dimitri's men are far enough for it to be safe to enter.

—Good — I couldn't expect anything less from my men —. And fucking Dimitri?

—He's giving the men directions for the merchandise to be transported properly — Adrik clicks the

tongue, an expression of disgust crosses his face —. Thinks he's so smart, the son of a bitch.

—Yes, well. That will end today — Yaakov looks at me sideways with a malicious smile that I can't help

but copy.

Several minutes of silence pass and between the loneliness of the forest and the twilight of the night, I

am aware of the weight and size of my weapon inside the holder of my vest and the magazines on my

belt. My breathing is calm despite the shock of energy I feel pulsing in my blood. My wolf is restless,

but I try to manage and control him.

The last thing I want is for my men to misunderstand and think that I am having insecurities. I'll only

make their movements clumsy and their determination wobble. I focus as best I can on my

surroundings, the smell of damp earth, the slight wind shaking the branches of the trees, the occasional

leaf falling to the ground, the hooting of an owl in the distance.

«Come back to me, Magnus. Safe and sound». I close my eyes and a flash image of his beautiful face

crosses my mind. His words, pronounced in his sweet and serene voice, accompany me and gives

warmth and shelter to my soul. I blocked the bond between us to avoid being distracted, not without

first warning him, fearing that he would take it as a sign that something bad had happened.

Suddenly, a strong urge ate my insides to hold him back in my arms, to kiss his lips, to bury my fingers

in his soft hair, to inhale his smell.

That reminds me. Last night, I could detect a slight change in his scent, so subtle that if I hadn't been

so close to him, I wouldn't have been able to detect it. It was still his, but there was something else,

something faint and somehow assimilated to mine and...

—Alex, the men are departing — I open my eyes abruptly and Adrik's words lock my jaw with such

pressure that my teeth gnash in protest.

—Nikon?

—Not yet, they've barely turned the corner.

—Everyone ready? — I ask, raising my voice a little to make sure I'm heard. Each of them nods and I

stand up from my position. My gaze is never diverted from the tunnel, our route to victory, the gateway

to the battle that will soon be unleashed.

—Now, Alex.