Page 192 of Betrayal and Vows

"Two under two," Dmitri observes, shaking his head in amazement. "You don't do anything halfway, do you?"

"The Malikov family is officially expanding," Elena says, kissing Alexei's forehead. "This little one is going to be a big brother."

I sit back down, pulling Lena onto my lap despite her protests about being too heavy. She settles against me. I rest my hand on her still-flat stomach. Somewhere in there, another life is beginning. Another perfect combination of her and me.

"Irish twins," I say, thinking about the timing. "Alexei will be barely fifteen months old when this one arrives."

"God help us all," Elena mutters, but she's smiling. "I hope you're prepared for chaos."

"I don't think it's a terrible idea," I say, my hand spreading protectively over Lena's middle. "Repopulating the world with our babies, I mean. They'll be close in age, grow up together. Best friends, like Dmitri and I were."

"Except hopefully with less violence and property destruction," Lena adds dryly.

"Hey," Dmitri protests. "That fire was an accident. Mostly."

I'm already thinking ahead—another crib in the nursery, double the midnight feedings, two children to protect and love and worry about. The logistics are daunting, but the joy overwhelms everything else.

"Boy or girl this time?" I ask, though I know it's too early to tell.

"Too soon to know," Lena confirms. "But Dmitri will probably have strong opinions regardless."

"Obviously, it's another boy," Dmitri declares with absolute certainty. "You're building a dynasty, Anton. An empire needs heirs."

"Maybe it's a girl this time," Elena counters. "A little princess to balance out all this testosterone."

I don't care either way. Boy or girl, this child will be loved, protected, cherished. They'll grow up knowing they're wanted, knowing they're safe. Everything I never had.

"So that means our new little one will be here…” I trail off as I try to do the math.

"Late spring," Lena says. "Around May."

"Perfect timing," I murmur, already imagining warm weather and a newborn, Alexei toddling around the garden while his little sibling sleeps in the sunshine.

The future I'm building suddenly feels more important than ever. Not just one child to protect now, but two. A whole generation depending on the choices I make today.

I pull Lena closer, breathing in the scent of her hair. This is what I'm fighting for. This perfect, chaotic, beautiful life we've created together.

"I love you," I whisper against her temple.

"I love you too," she replies, then adds with a laugh, "But we're definitely having a serious conversation about birth control after this one."

"We'll see," I say, and I'm only half joking.

After all, we are building a dynasty.

I watch the sun set over our estate as Lena dozes against my chest, one hand resting on her growing belly, the other holding our sleeping son.

Dmitri has gone back to the city to handle whatever crisis needs my attention this week. Elena is in the kitchen, probably preparing enough food to feed an army because she's convinced we're all too thin. The sound of her humming drifts through the open windows, mixing with the evening breeze and the distant lowing of cattle from the neighboring farm.

This is peace. This is what I killed for, died for, clawed my way out of hell to find.

My phone buzzes with a text from Dmitri.Kozlov situation resolved permanently. Sleep well, brother.

I delete the message without responding and silence the phone. Tomorrow I'll return to being the Pakhan, making decisions that determine who lives and dies in Moscow's underworld. But tonight, I'm just a man holding his family as twilight settles over our little kingdom.

Alexei stirs in his sleep, his tiny fist uncurling to grasp my finger with surprising strength. Already so determined, so fierce. When he's older, I'll tell him stories about his grandmother Irina. I’ll tell him all about her courage and her songs. I'll teach him that strength isn't just about violence—it's about protecting what matters most.

And when our new baby arrives, I'll hold them both and tell them about the family they come from. The good parts. The love stories and the sacrifices made for family. The way their mother fought like a lioness to protect what was hers. The way their father learned that being truly strong meant knowing whennotto fight.