Chapter 354: Let The Fire Burn, My Heart Craves It

[FROLO]

Katya didn’t falter.

It was a surprise even for him because he hadn’t seen Alek physically since the expo that had ended with Katya hurt and Alek ghosting. Not to mention the fact that this man here hadn’t even tried to reach out about all that had been happening.

Yet he was here.

At the Romanov door.

"Roses for you, my beautiful little rose," Alek said, trying to hand over the roses to a bored Katya at the door. He looked at the man like this was not the time, and he wasn’t in the mood for this shit.

"Who’s at the door, Mishka?" Masha asked from the house.

"Polio propagandists!" Katya said to his mother before adding, "I’ll walk them out, Mama. Be right back!"

Alek stared at Katya, amused to say the least. He had not been expecting that, much less Katya pushing him out the door and locking it behind them both.

He had come to try and talk to Katya, but the omega wasn’t in the mood for whatever the fuck he had to say at the moment.

Honestly, it was no coincidence that Alek was here after the destruction the Hercules camp had been doing to his organization. Even now he knew that they were busy fucking him up in every way they could.

That was also how Alek was sure Svet and Andre weren’t at the manor to stab him again.

"Polio propagandists? Damn, little rose. Is that what I’ve become to you?" Alek asked, feigning a little hurt, and Katya didn’t even pay heed to him or his words.

"Get out, Petrov. You’re not welcome here," Katya said, using Alek’s last name for the first time since he’d interacted with the man.

He had never thought to use it, and the way that name dropped off Katya’s lips was the only pointer to the fact that Katya Romanov was pissed and not in the mood for whatever the fuck this alpha was doing right now.

"Petrov? Really, little rose?" Alek asked, clearly not getting the memo.

But Alek hadn’t come this far for a rejection.

He had been studying the Romanov friends and the Moskowsky psychos for months now, and the only thing that he was sure was a distraction enough for the unbridled bonded team was right here in front of him. Calling him by his last name like they hadn’t seen each other’s bodies more than once.

"Get out," Katya insisted.

"Don’t tell me you’re going to call Sergei on me, little rose," Alek taunted, and Katya sighed.

This man was unbelievable.

What the heck was he even expecting?

Yet even with the audacity the alpha was giving him, Katya was intelligent enough to know Alek hadn’t survived the public ridicule and nearly getting blown up just to come and play good cop with Katya.

"Fine. You want to stay in the compound? It’s a big one; we can even accommodate Bratva little rats here. If you’re sleepy, maybe ask the gardener to show you a room in the guest room," Katya huffed before he began walking back to the main house.

He refused to let his morning be ruined by a coward carrying roses and trying to play him. He suspected that Alek thought he was the weakest link in his friend group and could easily be manipulated.

Honestly, Katya would have been offended by that insinuation before. He would have had to think about what he brought to his friendship circle, but Svet and Andre had loved the insecurities out of him.

At the moment, he didn’t care what anyone thought of his friendships, because he knew they would be there for him.

He knew they would not let him be hurt.

It had taken a while for Katya to accept the fact that his friends had assigned themselves as his protectors in the friendship. And right now, he understood why Svet had given him the damn grey amulet he wore on his left wrist weeks ago.

Maybe they had known that Alek was planning something.

Well, whatever it was, Katya wasn’t going to worry about it.

After all, Svet had said, "We’ve been your protectors since we were children, Romanov. It’s what we assigned ourselves. And whether you agree to it or not, we will still protect you.

"So, live your life without any worries and let us do the heavy lifting. Besides, that doesn’t excuse you from Friday night tabs."

And Katya didn’t fight them again.

Because it was pointless.

He had already made his peace with that.

"Don’t turn your back on me, little rose," Alek gritted, closing the distance between them and grabbing Katya by the arm tightly so Katya turned to face him.

"I should have turned my back on you ages ago," Katya gritted.

"Let go of me, Petrov, or holding my arm will be the least of your worries inside this compound," Katya added in warning.

Alek stared at him like he didn’t know what that meant.

When in truth the lawn itself was the reminder that Andre had stabbed Alek twice while the Romanovs watched and pretended like they didn’t smell the blood while Svet hosed him with water during the stabbing.

"Wow, the little feline finally grew claws, huh?" Alek mocked, and Katya stared at him, disgusted.

"Just because I chose to believe your lies and inconsistencies over the years, we were together doesn’t mean I never noticed them, Petrov.

"I’m a Romanov omega, Petrov. You and your bratva, more than anyone, would know what that means," Katya warned, pulling his arm from Alek’s grip.

It was so effortless and his defiance evident that Alek looked surprised for a moment.

Honestly, he had not expected this.

He had expected Katya to react to the pheromones Alek had been releasing from the moment Katya opened that door. But Katya was still standing here in front of him, unaffected by everything he had tried with his pheromones.

Katya wasn’t even wearing a locket of any sort, which made Alek wonder what the fuck that was supposed to mean.

"So, me bringing you roses equals inconsistencies?" Alek laughed in disbelief.

"No. It just shows me how stupid you are to think the Romanovs let you into their compound after everything you did because they liked you," Sergei’s voice suddenly came through.

Katya let out a sigh of relief.

He was here.

His alpha was here.

"Ah, the guard dog arrives. Do they know that you are using their child to try and win over me? You think this will be easy, Moskwosky?" Alek asked, looking at Sergei, who stood there, bored to the core, like he had better things to do than stand here with Alek.

"You alright, Solnyshka?" Sergei asked, his eyes softening as he took in the sight of his omega in those damn pajama shorts and morning hair.

Katya looked far too beautiful to be tainted by Aleksandr’s presence at the moment.

"Alpha..." Katya whined, dropping his protective stance and looking at Sergei like everything was okay now that Sergei was here.

And Alek noticed something else.

The word itself was one that he had heard Katya say one too many times when they were together.

But the tone...

Katya had used that tone on Alek thrice, and it was in the last stages of their relationship when Katya was not in the mood for anything with him.

Yet now...

"I missed you so much, Alpha," Katya whined easily again before he ran into Sergei’s arms, ignoring the men in black Sergei had come with.

Sergei tucked his gun back, opening his arms for his omega to run into, and Katya didn’t hesitate.

Alek stood there, too shocked to breathe even as he was surrounded by Sergei’s men. It was a painful sight for Alek because he could swear he had never seen Katya Romanov that submissive with him.

Here and now, it was like he was seeing a completely different version of Katya.

An omega who didn’t have a thing to worry about because his alpha was here to handle things.

That was what Aleksandr was seeing, and boy, did it hurt in some way.

Sergei, on the other hand, held Katya by the jaw, gently lifting his face. Then he kissed Katya while Alek watched.

And when Katya let himself go into the kiss, eyes closed, Sergei looked past the beautiful omega, toward the Bratva leader who had just been bested.

"You came, alpha," Katya added softly when they pulled back from the kiss.

"Baked you chocolate cakes, lyubim," Sergei said softly as his associate stepped forward with a box of chocolate cakes.

Katya’s eyes lit up at the mention of his favorite cakes.

And when he opened it, Katya noticed the writing first.

"Happy four-month anniversary, Solnyshka. I look forward to growing older than time beside you... if you let me," Katya read, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Yes. Always, alpha," Katya giggled.

Then he kissed Sergei again like Aleksandr wasn’t standing a few feet from them.

And his parents weren’t watching tenderly from the main door.

"I still don’t like that guy," Mr. Romanov huffed, smiling as he walked back in.

Meanwhile, Aleksandr stared at the sight before him like this was someone else. He couldn’t even say he knew this version of Katya anymore because there had never been a day that Katya was this free with him.

If anything, Katya was always walking on shells around him despite his desire to have the omega as free as possible.

He had failed at the basic things, and now he had the displeasure of watching the man he once owned be in the arms of the one man Alek hadn’t been able to best over the years.

Even now, Sergei had him.

What the fuck was he even supposed to do?

"What the fuck?" Alek wondered.