Page 92 of Bratva Butcher

When Dominik had kidnapped me, the role ofPakhanhad gone to Aleksandr by default. With me gone, he’d had no choicebutto step up, to take control. But now that I was back, they’d all assumed things would go back to normal. That we would all return to our roles prior to my kidnapping.

Me asPakhan.

Aleksandr as second-in-command.

That wasn’t going to happen.

I’d come to realise several things upon my return, one of which was that Aleksandr was more than ready to take over. I’d spoken to several of my advisors, the soldiers, the maids—even to some of our clients, old and new—and everyone had nothing but high praises when it came to Aleksandr. They all said he’d handled himself well. Conducted himself professionally. That he’d thrived despite all the pressure he’d been under.

It was time for me to step aside and time for him to shine.

I remained silent, waiting, staring my son down. By offering him my seat, I was offering him the role ofPakhan. He, ofcourse, had the choice to decline it if he wished. I would never force something like that onto my children. If it wasn’t what he wanted, that was okay.

The choice was his.

Determination settled over Aleksandr’s face. He straightened his spine, standing taller, and with his head held high, he walked over and sat down.

Pride burst in my chest.

Theshutterof a photo being taken rang out through the room. We all looked at Lukyan. He had his phone in his hand, teeth bared in an innocent smile.

"What?" he shrugged. "We have to document this. It's a special moment."

My son, the class clown ladies and gentleman.

One down, one to go.

I moved to the corner of the room and grabbed another chair, wheeling it over to place it right next to Aleksandr. I looked pointedly at Drea, waiting again.

She glanced around awkwardly, like she wasn’t sure if I was looking at her or someone else. “Is he looking at me?” she whispered to no one in particular, but Lukyan answered the way Lukyan always does.

With snark.

“Duh.” Then he snapped his mouth shut at Aleksandr’s scathing glare.

Any initial nervousness Drea had when she entered the room vanished in an instant. She walked over with absolute confidence, taking her rightful place alongside her husband, the newPakhan.

What a lot of people didn’t realise was that although Aleksandr was now the official leader of the Bratva, so too was Drea. A king needed a queen, and anyone with half a brain knew the queen was the one who held all the power.

Nodding, satisfied, I walked around the desk and stood in front of Lukyan, arching an eyebrow.

“I’ll just go sit over there,” Lukyan said, getting up and taking a seat on the couch.

“Father—”

I raised a hand, silencing Aleksandr as I sat down. I had something I needed to say before we officially began, and I didn’t want anyone interrupting me. Something both Aleksandr and Drea deserved to hear.

“During my absence, both youandyour wife proved that you have what it takes to not only fill the role ofPakhan, but fill itwell.” I poured every ounce of pride I felt into that one word, hoping he could hear my sincerity. “I see no reason why that has to change just because I’m back. I’ve spoken with the soldiers, with Ivan and Vladimir, and they did nothing but sing your praises. You held strong in the face of overwhelming uncertainty. Didn’t crumble under the pressure, but thrived. And your wife” —my gaze moved to Drea— “managed to pull off one of the biggest infiltrations I’ve ever witnessed. She showed where her true loyalties lay, and that she would go above and beyond for you. Which, my son, is one of the greatest gifts men like us can ever hope to get. It’s my time to step aside and your time to shine.Both of you.”

Aleksandr’s mouth dropped open. He looked at Nikolai and back at me, struggling to come to terms with what I’d just said.

I’d learnt a lot of things from being stuck in that arena, one of which was that I needed to be more honest with my children. I needed to stop holding myself back from them. I loved them allso, somuch, and that love terrified me. I feared losing them like I lost Yekaterina. Feared experiencing that devastating, crippling loss all over again. Because of that, I held them all at arm’s length, thinking that by doing so, it might lessen that pain should I lose them, too.

But that was idiotic.

I was self-aware enough to realise that now.

“What… Uh,” Aleksandr licked his lips. “What will you do now, then?”

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