Irina's POV
"Make me, little brother." Dmitri's voice was ice cold.
I pressed myself against Dimitri's chest as my whole body trembled. I could feel his heart pounding beneath my cheek. I could feel the tension in every muscle. I could feel the rage radiating off him like heat.
This was my fault.
All of this was my fault.
"Both of you, enough!" Mikhail's voice cut through the room like a blade. "Alexei, put your weapons away. Now!"
Alexei didn't move. His eyes stayed locked on Dmitri's.
I had never seen Dimitri like this in four years of serving him, I had never seen him lose control. He was always calm, always composed and always in command of himself and everyone around him.
But now his ocean blue eyes burned with a fury that terrified me.
"Please," I whispered against his chest. "Please stop."
Dimitri's arms tightened around me. "It is alright," he murmured. "I will not let him take you."
"Dimitri, let her go," Mikhail said firmly. "This is not helping."
"She is upset. She needs…"
"She needs both of you to stop acting like animals," Mikhail interrupted. "Look at her. She is terrified. You are making this worse."
Dimitri looked down at me. His expression softened slightly when he saw my face.
"I am sorry," he said quietly. "I did not mean to scare you."
"You did not scare me," I lied. "I just... I cannot watch you two hurt each other, please."
He released me reluctantly and I immediately missed his warmth.
Alexei took a step forward, his hands trembling. "Irina, come with me, I will take you somewhere he cannot control you."
"Control her?" Dimitri's voice rose again. "I am protecting her!"
"From what? From me? I am the father of her child!"
"You are a stranger to her," Dimitri shot back. "She does not know you. She does not trust you. Why would she go anywhere with you?"
"Because the baby…"
"Stop using the baby as an excuse!" Dimitri roared. "You do not care about the baby. You care about winning. You care about taking something from me because you cannot stand that I have something you do not!"
"That is not true," Alexei said. But his voice wavered slightly.
"Is it not?" Dimitri laughed bitterly. "You have always been like this. Always wanting what I have. Always trying to take it. Well, you cannot have her. I will die before I let you take her from me."
"Then die." Alexei's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was deadly.
Mikhail moved between them again. "That is enough! Both of you will stand down or I will have you both locked in separate wings until you remember how to behave like adults."
"She stays with me," Dimitri said stubbornly.
"She goes to a neutral wing," Mikhail corrected. "With the guards I choose. And neither of you will see her without my permission. Is that clear?"
"No," both brothers said at the same time.
"It was not a question," Mikhail said coldly. "It was an order. And you will follow it or you will face the consequences you will not like."
Silence fell.
I looked between the two brothers.
They had been so close. They fought together, bled together and protected each other against the world.
Now they stood on opposite sides of the room like enemies.
Because of me.
"I'd rather die than be separated from her." Dmitri said.
Without looking back, he held me out of their presence.
And within hours, everything changed.
Dimitri moved quickly and efficiently. Guards were reassigned. My belongings were moved to a different room in his wing farther from his bedroom.
He surrounded the hallway with guards loyal only to him. Men who would die before letting anyone through.
I sat on the edge of my new bed, watching him give orders. Watching him transform from the gentle man I loved into someone I barely recognized.
"Dimitri," I said softly. "This is not necessary. I do not need…"
"You need protection," he interrupted. "From him. From anyone who would try to take you away."
"But…"
"No arguments, Irina." His voice was firm. "You stay here. You do not leave without my permission. You do not speak to anyone without me present. Do you understand?"
I stared at him. "You are making me a prisoner."
"I am keeping you safe."
He walked to the door, paused and looked back at me.
"I will have food brought to you. Medicine for the sickness. Anything you need. But you stay in this room. Is that clear?"
"Please," I whispered. "Do not do this."
"I am doing this because I love you," he said. "Even if you cannot see that right now."
Then he left and I heard the soft click of the lock.
I ran to it, and tried the handle. It did not move.
"Dimitri!" I called out. "Dimitri, please!"
There was no answer.
I pressed my forehead against the door. Tears streamed down my face.
He had locked me in.
Hours passed. A maid brought food. She didn't look at me. She just set the tray down and left quickly.
The door locked again behind her.
I could not eat. My stomach churned with nausea and fear.
What have I done?
What have I unleashed?
Night fell and the house grew quiet. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I pressed my hand against my stomach.
That was when I heard shouts from somewhere below. Angry voices echoed through the mansion.
I got up and moved to the window. From my room, I could see down into the main entrance hall.
Alexei stood at the entrance flanked by his own guards. He wore a clean black suit. His hair was neat. He looked composed, powerful and dangerous.
One of his guards was carrying something like a gift basket.
The reckless Alexei Volkov brought gifts for a woman?
"I demand to see the mother of my unborn child!" His voice echoed through the mansion.
My heart jumped into my throat. I pressed my hands against the glass, watching.
Dimitri appeared at the top of the grand staircase. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, flanked by his own guards. I could only see his back.
"She does not want to see you," Dimitri called down.
"Let her tell me that herself," Alexei demanded.
"You are not welcome here." Dmitri said calmly. "Leave, now."
"I am not going anywhere without her."
Everywhere became silent.
The guards on both sides shifted. Their hands moved towards weapons.
This was going to turn into a bloodbath.
"Please," I whispered, pressing my forehead against the glass. "Please do not do this."
But they could not hear me. No one could hear me.
Dimitri took one step down the staircase. His voice dropped to a deadly calm.
"Leave my house, brother. While you still can."
Alexei's hand moved to his gun. "Not without her."
Dimitri didn't flinch. He did not move.
He simply turned to his men and gave the order that shattered what was left of their brotherhood.
"Kill him."