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"Elena," Kolya whispered softly, his tiny thumb tracing the condensation ring on his glass of water. "Her name was Elena. Papa says she was an angel, but angels don’t get sick." / Chapter 6 / 8

Chapter 6 - TEETH OF THE WOLF

The private medical wing of the Sokolov estate smelled of antiseptic and ozone.

Sophie sat in a hard plastic chair outside the surgical suite, her emerald dress ruined, stained with Viktor’s blood. Her hands were washed clean, but she could still feel the phantom heat of his wound against her skin.

The doors clicked open. Dr. Mikhail, Viktor’s personal surgeon, stepped out, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"How is he?" Sophie asked, leaping to her feet.

"The bullet missed his heart by less than two inches," the doctor said, taking off his surgical mask. "He lost a massive amount of blood, but Mr. Sokolov has a terrifyingly strong constitution. He is stable. He is waking up."

Sophie let out a breath she felt like she’d been holding for years. "Can I see him?"

"He has been asking for you," the doctor nodded.

Sophie walked into the quiet room. Viktor lay in the hospital bed, hooked up to IV lines and heart monitors. The heavy blankets were pulled up to his chest, exposing his scarred, muscular torso wrapped tightly in white bandages.

When he saw her enter, his storm-gray eyes softened.

"You didn't run," Viktor said, his voice raspy and weak.

"And leave you to bleed out?" Sophie walked over to the side of the bed, crossing her arms. "I still have to collect my five million dollars, remember?"

Viktor let out a quiet, painful laugh. "Always the businesswoman."

He reached out his hand. Sophie hesitated for a second, then slid her fingers into his. His grip was warm, strong, and grounding.

"What Liam said down there..." Sophie murmured, her voice dropping. "About Moscow. The Bratva Council. Is it true?"

Viktor’s face hardened. "Yes. Elena... my late wife... was the daughter of the Grand Patriarch in Moscow. When she died of cancer three years ago, the council expected me to step down and return her family's assets to Russia. I refused. I built Chicago with my own hands."

"They tried to kill your son because of money?" Sophie’s voice trembled with rage. "He's just an eight-year-old boy!"

"To them, he is a bloodline claim to a multi-billion dollar syndicate," Viktor explained darkly. "As long as Kolya lives under my roof, Moscow sees him as a threat. They won't stop with Liam O'Malley, Sophie. They will send real assassins now. Professionals."

The door to the room suddenly burst open.

Dmitri, Viktor’s chief of security, rushed in, his face pale with panic. "Boss! We have a breach!"

Viktor instantly sat up, ignoring the agonizing pull on his stitches. "Where?!"

"The north perimeter! Security cameras are down!" Dmitri yelled, drawing his weapon. "A heavy tactical unit just breached the front gates! They're inside the house!"

Sophie’s blood ran cold. "Kolya!"

"He's in his bedroom with two guards!" Dmitri said.

Viktor tore the IV needles from his arm, blood dripping down his wrist as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Sophie, take my phone from the table. Go to Kolya. Lock the panic room behind the library bookshelf."

"What about you?!" Sophie screamed over the sudden blare of security alarms echoing through the compound.

"I will slow them down," Viktor growled, pulling a hidden gun from the nightstand drawer.

"You can barely stand!" Sophie yelled. She grabbed his arm, her hazel eyes blazing with an unbreakable resolve. "You saved me from Marcus. You saved me from O'Malley. I am not letting you die in this hospital bed!"

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Deep inside my banking app, the little green toggle next to the automatic transfer had vanished. For forty-eight months, that button had silently pumped $2,450 out of my dwindling savings account directly into the primary mortgage servicing pool for 442 Oakridge Lane.

Deep inside my banking app, the little green toggle next to the automati...

Ethan went pale—but his mother looked terrified and whispered, “Stop her before she finds out.” That was when I realized my triplets weren’t the only secret the Montgomery family had been hiding.

Ethan went pale—but his mother looked terrified and whispered, “Stop her...

After six years away, I came home and found my mother on her knees, dressed like a maid in the house I had bought for her.

After six years away, I came home and found my mother on her knees, dres...

Viktor stared at her, mesmerized by the sheer strength radiating from the woman who, just yesterday, was serving coffee on a forgotten street corner.

"Then we fight," Viktor said softly. "Together."

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