Page 39 of Captured By the Russian Wolf

She nodded, her face pale but determined. There was no room for defiance here. Not when we were surrounded by men sent to end us. And despite the fire still burning inside me—my rage at her, at everything—there was only one thing that mattered now: keeping her alive.

We pushed forward, moving through the hallway as more armed men flooded the estate. I picked them off one by one, each shot precise, fired without hesitation. Even though I could hear Lily's horror beside me, I didn't stop. I couldn't. These bastards had come onto my territory thinking they could take me down, thinking they could end me and take what was mine.

They were fucking wrong.

I heard Lily's breath hitch behind me as I fired another round, taking down a man who had been creeping around the corner. "You okay?" I muttered, not turning back to look at her.

"Yeah," she breathed, her voice tight, shaking slightly. "I'm fine."

Good. I needed her steady. I couldn't comfort her and fight off these bastards at the same time.

As we moved, I shot another two down, clearing the path. And then I felt it—Lily's grip on my arm tightening.

"Nikita, wait," she whispered urgently.

I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart thudding in my chest as I scanned the hallway ahead. Sure enough, another wave of men was closing in, guns raised, their steps quick and precise.

"Get behind me," I ordered, stepping in front of her without hesitation.

Before I could fire, Lily did something unexpected—she lifted her gun, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The blast was deafening, the recoil sending her stumbling back slightly, but the man she was aiming at crumpled to the ground, his body hitting the floor with a sickening thud.

I stared at her, my breath catching in my throat. She didn't look scared. She didn't flinch. She just squared her shoulders and turned to face me, her jaw set with a determination that left me speechless.

"You can't do this alone," she said, her voice steady despite everything. "And I'm not leaving you. We do this together."

A mix of emotions surged through me—rage, admiration, confusion. But above all, something dark and primal snapped into place.

"Fine," I growled. "But stay the fuck close."

We moved as one, cutting through the wave of men trying to box us in. The gun in my hand was an extension of my body now, each shot precise, each movement calculated. I'd trained for moments like this all my life—born and raised in a world where survival meant keeping your enemies six feet under.

The moment I showed weakness, they'd capitalize on it, and we'd both be dead.

More men charged into the room, and for a moment, I thought we might be overwhelmed. But then, in a flurry of movement, Lily fired again, her aim deadly accurate as she took down the man closest to us. I shot another as my men covered us and shouted commands, just as angry and eager as I was to fill the place with bodies.

I wasn't going to fucking fall.

We moved through the mansion, taking out every last one of the bastards who thought they could storm my estate. Each man who fell only fueled the burning rage inside me. This wasn't just an attack. This was a message. A declaration of war.

But by the time I was done, I'd make sure the message they sent was returned tenfold.

Finally, the gunfire began to die down. The echoes of the battle faded into silence, broken only by the heavy breaths between us. The estate was littered with bodies, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, my chest heaving as I surveyed the scene. It was over. We'd fought them off.

But there was no relief. No sense of victory.

CHAPTER 14

Nikita

Iturned to Lily, and the weight of everything that had happened between us—everything that still needed to be dealt with—crashed down around me like a fucking avalanche. She stood there, breathing hard, her eyes wide and wild, her hair disheveled, and yet… still alive. Still here.

She stared back at me, her chest rising and falling, and for a moment, we just looked at each other, neither of us knowing what the fuck to say.

"I… I can't believe…" she whispered, her voice raw with emotion. "I've never killed a man…"

"I know," I muttered, turning away from her, unable to will myself to comfort her. "I should've seen this coming," I said instead, pacing the room, trying to rein in the fire still burning inside me. "Someone tipped them off. Someone knew we were here."

Lily stepped toward me, her eyes filled with worry. "Nikita, I didn't have anything to do with this."

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