Chapter 24: Wake Me Up When It’s All Over
[SERGEI]
"Alright then. I can... I can understand the timeline. But why am I in these chains, Anya?" Sergei asked in the calmest tone he could muster.
He knew Anya was afraid of him, and frankly, she never needed to be, and he would make sure she was never afraid for the rest of their lives.
But he needed her to talk.
To explain.
Because everything was so disorienting.
The headache was fading, but the bitter burns at his wrist, neck, and ankles were not making him feel any better.
The dosage of silver on the chains was also way too high, like Anya knew that the alpha would wake up wanting to commit murders.
Sergei had suspicions, but he couldn’t quite place his suspicions.
So, he waited. Like that was supposed to make this way better.
"Sergei... I chained you... today," Anya added like the discomfort the alpha was feeling was something that was very much needed. Like it was a need, and this was the easiest way to deal with it.
And Sergei...
He was taken aback.
Today.
That right there was his tig point as he tried to make it all make sense.
"What happened today, Anya? Wh... what did I do today? Where is everyone else? Why the fuck am I in the penthouse, and why do you look like you’re about to tell me I murdered my own son?" Sergei asked in frustration.
He was trying to steer clear of the burn on his neck, but fuck, it hurt worse than he had imagined possible. What kind of dosage was this anyway?
Anya stared at him pitifully, as if trying to figure out the best way to tell him what had happened. But as it was, everything was getting too dangerous.
"Your body was too weak. Too unstable. And... with... the chains were a necessity," Anya said, calmly, too composed, too unbothered even though Sergei could read her like a book.
Something had happened.
Something that Anya believed would trigger Sergei to the point that she had to chain him.
It was written all over her face, but the specifics were a constant blur, and the way Maya was evading the questions like this was not the time, was suspicious as hell, too. What were the odds that things would never make as much sense for him now?
"The three other heartbeats... who are they?" Sergei asked, running a frustrated hand down his face as he got down from the bed, the chains dangling on him like he was about to be triggered in the worst of ways.
Strangely enough, he could move.
The chains were long enough.
Granted, they slowed him down real bad, but it was something.
"You need to be calm," Anya said calmly, and Sergei sighed.
This was infuriating.
"Talk, Anya. What did I do that was so bad you had to chain me up like a feral alpha? Hell, I have seen feral alphas chained, but their chains weren’t this overdosed on silver, especially for an alpha still in human form.
"What the heck happened?" Sergei asked again.
Anya let out a long sigh.
Sergei noticed.
How she didn’t insist on him being calm. How she looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. How she was staring at him with the kind of pity that stemmed from a point of loss.
It was haunting Sergei.
Every moment that Anya didn’t speak gave Sergei the chance to think of endless scenarios. The only thing he could think of was Yaroslav.
Not even Katya.
If his son were hurt, Frolo would burn.
He would flatten this damn city for that kid.
"It’s about Yaroslav," Anya said carefully, her words sounding so foreign to Sergei’s ears.
Yaroslav.
His son with Vitya.
The reminder of the love he had once had back then.
Surely there couldn’t be anything wrong, no?
Anya had not responded to the question about the three heartbeats, and of course, Sergei noticed that too.
It was almost impossible to do, because there were many situations that he had found himself with Anya, situations that ended with him needing to be sedated for days on end, but none of them had ever ended with him in such chains.
"Is my son dead, Anya? Is that why you chained me like a beast in my own home and cleared the penthouse of everyone?" Sergei asked calmly. way too calmly. You would think his heart was already hammering in his chest.
Like his rage was not already forming and threatening to blow.
He didn’t know what he would do if he lost the only reminder of his Vitya. He was not ready to lose him, even if the kid was a grounding mess. He was a mess, but he was Sergei’s mess.
His son had to be okay.
"He cheated with Milan again," Anya said carefully, calmly.
Sergei could swear this woman had very well lost his mind. That was the only valid explanation. Because this was insanity. It didn’t match even the chaos that he had been thrown right into.
Was he chained just because his son had cheated?
What the fuck was Anya even on?
"He always cheats. What’s so different about this time?" Sergei sighed exaggeratedly like he couldn’t believe this was what he was chained for.
So, he began trying to free himself, but each time he tried, the chains grew hotter, like every reaction was a fuel for them.
Like every tug, he just tightened them on his wrist, ankles, and neck.
"These chains are laced with dark magic, Anya," Sergei pointed out when the realization slowly dawned on him.
Dark magic was dangerous.
Only used as a last resort.
Sergei had never had it used on him. Not even when he was at his most feral state. There was always justification. There was always a leeway. There had never been this. This version of his chants.
Dark magic screamed danger, and the small smile that had been on Sergei’s face as he tried to convince Anya to explain or even perhaps to make her release him slowly faded.
"The anniversary is today," Anya said as she walked closer to him.
Maybe she was hoping to make him understand from a distance that didn’t seem suspicious, but then Anya had never been scared of Sergei.
Not once.
"What do I care about my son’s damn anni—" Sergei began, ready to tell Anya to stop making a fuss over a kid who was living his life the way he wanted to.
But then his mind clicked.
And like an electrocuted man, Sergei froze.
"Solnyshka..." Sergei breathed, the denial obvious in his voice. He couldn’t be right. It just couldn’t be. There was no fucking way.
Slowly, the chains imbued with dark magic made sense.
The increased dose of silver to hold him down.
"He’s in the guestroom, Sergei... with two doctors," Anya said, not making another step.
She knew what her words sounded like.
She knew it was not the right moment, but then the sedation had worn off faster than she had thought possible.
The alpha had woken up way too soon.
And it was useless going in circles when there were far more important things to deal with.
"Three heartbeats," Sergei said, and Anya... she just nodded.
And Sergei...
The alpha snapped.
Yet Anya didn’t move.
Didn’t flinch.
Didn’t look like she wanted to run.
She stayed through it all.
