She looked me in the eye again, her voice was quiet and unyielding. "Then what am I, Viktor? Your wife? Your prisoner? Your queen? Or just a weapon you use when you need it?"
Every word cut, not because they were lies, but because they were questions I didn’t have the answers to.
I pressed my forehead against hers, my grip tightening on her waist. "You're mine. That is all you need to know. Mine to protect, mine to punish, mine to keep alive, even if I have to burn your father and his enemies to ash."
Her breath hitched. For a heartbeat, silence stretched between us; it was heavy with everything we didn't say.
Then, her small hand lifted, trembling, and pressed against my chest. Right over my heart.
"Then, prove it. Don't just say I'm yours. Show me I'm not just another pawn."
Something snapped inside me then, something I didn't want to name. I crushed my mouth against hers, savagelyclaiming, the way a starving man seizes bread. She gasped against me, but her arms came up, gripping my shoulders, holding on like she refused to drown.
When I tore away from her, both of us were breathing hard. My forehead rested against hers as I growled,
"Don't ever question what you are to me again. I could have killed you the night I took you, but I didn't. You’re standing here because I chose to make you mine. And God help anyone who tries to take you from me."
Her eyes shimmered, not with fear, but something else, something that made my chest feel too tight.
She whispered, "Then kill the mole before he kills you."
I froze because she didn't realize the weight of her words. She had stepped into the fire and spoken like she belonged there.
I pulled back, releasing her throat, but keeping her hand trapped against my chest.
"You think I don't intend to?" I said, my smile sharp and humorless. "When I find him, Emilia, he'll beg for death long before I give it."
The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Mikhail appeared; his expression was sour.
"Viktor, enough of your lovers' quarrels. We've got business. The Vipers aren't waiting for you to finish kissing your bride."
Emilia flushed, but I didn't let her step away. I turned, keeping her close to my side as I answered him.
"They won't have to wait long. Once I find out who feeds them secrets, I'll send their boss the traitor's head in a box."
Mikhail smirked. "That's the Viktor I know."
I didn't miss the way Emilia stiffened, her hand slipping from my chest. I didn't stop her, not yet.
But later... later I would remind her that mine was not just a word. It was the law.
*********
The night stretched long as we gathered again in the war room. The air stank of smoke and sweat, tension so sharp that it cut deeper than knives. Papers littered the table, names, shipments, debts... but none of it mattered. Not really, not when my gut screamed louder than all the reports.
The mole was close, closer than any of us wanted to admit.
Roman leaned over a map; his voice low. "If the Vipers know our routes, they'll aim for the Brooklyn docks. We can't move without exposing ourselves."
Mikhail spat into a glass and slammed it down. "Then we fight, simple."
Konstantin finally spoke, his deep voice rolling like thunder. "Simple gets us killed."
The brothers argued back and forth, their voices rising. I listened, but my eyes weren't on them. They were focused on her.
Emilia sat in the same corner as before, quiet but no longer shrinking. She was listening, really listening. Her gaze flicked between us like she was learning a language made of blood and violence.
For a second, something dangerous coiled in me. It wasn't anger or rage, but something worse.
