Chapter 376: His Jade Boy… Delirious Under the Stars

[FROLO]

Sergei and Katya didn’t stay at the first restaurant after the first dance.

Instead, Katya led both of them to a different bar and lounge, which the alpha was more than excited to go to. Because he was determined to know what Katya loved and hated, and frankly, he was getting a pretty good picture.

At that bar and lounge, the alpha and his mate sat away from the occupied areas, picking a quiet spot as the band played far ahead of them.

"This is a nice place," Sergei said when he noticed the smile on Katya’s face.

"The band usually plays good music. Whenever I have time, I usually come here for a quiet night, without my friends because, well, you know what happens when the three of us are together on any night that isn’t Friday night," Katya said fondly.

Expectedly, Sergei knew.

He had experienced it more than once, with the last few times nearly sending him into the grave, given how dressed to kill him Katya looked each time.

They watched the band play, listened for a bit before the music reminded them both of the pending conversation.

They had to have it either way because life was happening to both of them, and they had to be ready no matter what they felt like in those moments.

"I didn’t feel your pain today, Vladimir," Katya said, voice low, the memory of his worry resurfacing as the video he’d watched a few too many times came back to him too.

"I blocked the bond’s pain receptors," Sergei admitted to Katya, who was seated beside him. Their eyes met briefly, and Katya waited for something better because he knew Sergei had blocked them. He didn’t know why, and he needed to.

"My world is not easy, Solnyshka. I kill more than I save lives. I ruin more than I fix, because in my world, it’s either killed or be killed," Sergei added, like he was deconstructing his world bit by bit for Katya.

Frankly, it was something Katya hadn’t expected. He’d expected that Sergei would tell him that he was saving him and all that shit. But the man was starting from the worst parts of himself.

Then again, Katya surely knew that the Devil of Frolo wasn’t just a name Sergei had gotten because he was all smiles and shit with people, no?

"Today’s attack was just the first of many that will come because, for some reason, the city believes that me having a true mate is good enough for them to try and come after me," Sergei said earnestly, and Katya’s breath hitched.

Of course.

Of course, the city had to think like that.

How could they not?

Yaroslav Moskowsky was out of everyone’s limit. The city knew what happened back then, and they knew better than to try and use Yaroslav against Sergei. Because that was a battle they had lost even before they considered it.

They would never win, because Sergei never played about family.

And now...

Now there was Katya.

A mate bond that allows Sergei to be weakened.

They both could try to deny it, but the truth was something they knew. Every child in Frolo knew about the true mate bond. It was no secret, and honestly, it being exploited because the big bad Devil of Frolo had a weakness now was something that made sense.

Even if Katya didn’t like it.

"They were the bratva, weren’t they?" Katya asked quietly.

"Yes... They will still send more," Sergei said, not lying to Katya.

"What do I do? How do I help?" Katya asked.

"Oh, Solnyshka... nothing. You do nothing other than live your life," Sergei said, eyes soft as he brushed Katya’s cheek gently.

"But how ca—"

"I know I should tell you that I might allow you to share the pain that I’ll be feeling from whatever is coming, but I can’t tell you that. I can’t, Solnyshka. I can’t see you in pain. I can’t be the reason you’re hurt because of my world.

"I don’t think you’re weak, I just... I can handle the hits coming my way. I always have. And if they think they’re going to try and use me to hurt you, they’re wrong. They’ll never use me to get to you.

"I won’t ever let them," Sergei said, adding the last bit with so much conviction and rage as he thought back to Aleksandr and whatever the alpha’s intentions were with him.

Sergei couldn’t give a shit about that right now, because he only wanted Katya to be happy.

To live his life.

"It was Alek, wasn’t it?" Katya asked, being more specific than the bratva mention he’d made earlier.

"Solnyshka..."

"He congratulated me on getting knotted when you dropped me off at work today. And he didn’t like my answer and blocked me," Katya said flatly; the distaste he’d developed for Alek was actually something that he absolutely did not appreciate at all.

The alpha needed to learn to stay away from Katya...

Or Katya would someday really tell his friend about the stupid alpha so they could go kick the man’s ass.

"He WHAT?!"

"I handled it... Clearly not well enough if he was so bitter that he went after you," Katya grumbled disappointedly.

"Is it okay if I know what you told him?" Sergei asked carefully.

He knew he was crossing a line, but honestly, he was just curious. Whatever Katya must have told him had to have triggered him enough for the man to be so petty later.

"Okay... And just so you know... I’m not sorry about it," Katya huffed as he handed the chat window on his phone to Sergei.

For a moment, the alpha went still.

So still that Katya had to snap his fingers in the alpha’s face to snap him back to life.

"Y... You..." Sergei tripped over his words.

"Yeah, he started it," Katya defended, and Sergei turned to look at Katya, his eyes different this time.

The alpha’s eyes... were golden yellow.

That only happened when—

"Oh..." Katya said in realization.

"You w... want to walk around the day... plugged with... with my knot in you?" Sergei asked, his voice dangerously low, and Katya felt his stomach tighten in desire.

"Alpha fills me good... of course I want to," Katya mumbled.

A low rumble escaped Sergei’s throat.

"Solnyshka..."

"He shouldn’t have tried to use my favorite part of the day as an insult," Katya defended, his cheeks red under the glowing light of the dim lamps.

Sergei choked in hunger.

He looked at Katya like he was ready to pounce.

"My beautiful Solnyshka..." Sergei drawled.

"Did... Did you like my response?" Katya asked, and Sergei almost died at the question.

"You—" he didn’t even get to finish the statement because Katya sat on his lap, facing the band, like nothing was happening where he and Sergei sat away from the people.

"Don’t... Solnyshka," Sergei groaned lowly.

But Katya...

He never listened.

The omega positioned himself right on Sergei’s dick that had gotten hard already.

"You want me," Katya teased, rubbing his ass against Sergei’s hard tent.

"That’s not even a question... I always want you... Bu... But if you’re not careful... I’ll knot you here," Sergei warned, the threat obvious in his voice.

"You wouldn’t dare," Katya mocked, thinking back to the dressing-room incident at the fashion show last Saturday.

He was playing with fire, and he knew the consequences too well.

Was actually looking forward to them.

"Sol—" Sergei gripped Katya’s waist, trying to regain control.

Katya pushed himself forward and backward, pressing harder against Sergei’s hard-on, the rhythm matching the music’s flow.

And Sergei...

Didn’t even get the chance to pray for his soul.