(Cyprian's POV)
The call came twelve minutes after the ambush ended.
Twelve minutes too late.
The estate gates opened before the convoy even slowed. Guards scrambled across the courtyard the moment my vehicle tore through the entrance.
I stepped out before the engine fully died.
"Medical wing," I ordered.
Two men moved instantly, lifting Raven carefully from the back seat. Her body looked small in their arms.
Too small.
Her head lolled slightly as they carried her toward the clinic doors.
Blood had dried beneath her nose.
Her wrists were bruised where the ropes had bitten into her skin.
Something cold and dangerous settled into my chest.
I followed them inside.
The estate clinic was already clearing out when we arrived. Nurses scattered the moment they saw me.
"Everyone out," I said.
My voice was calm.
It always was.
But the tension beneath it was unmistakable.
Within seconds the hall emptied.
Only one person remained.
Dr. Halvorsen.
He had served my family for nearly twenty years.
And in those twenty years he had learned something very important.
When I called him personally, it meant someone's life depended on it.
He glanced at Raven's unconscious form as she was placed carefully onto the examination bed.
"What happened?"
"Run every test," I said.
My gaze never left her face.
"Internal injuries. Concussion. Blood loss. Everything."
His expression tightened slightly.
"Understood."
Machines hummed to life.
Nurses returned quietly under his command, attaching monitors and scanning equipment around her.
I stepped back into the shadow near the wall.
Watching.
Waiting.
Her chest rose and fell slowly.
Steady.
Alive.
Good.
Because the men responsible for tonight's events would not die quickly.
Not anymore.
Time passed slowly in the clinic.
Too slowly.
Dr. Halvorsen studied the results appearing on the screen.
Then something changed.
His posture stiffened.
His eyes widened slightly.
Interesting.
He looked toward me.
Then back to the monitor.
Then toward me again.
Fear crept into his expression.
I stepped forward.
"What is it?"
He swallowed.
"There's.....something else."
My patience thinned.
"Doctor."
He hesitated before speaking.
"Mr. Volkov...she's pregnant."
Silence filled the clinic.
Absolute.
The machines continued humming softly.
The monitors blinked quietly beside her bed.
But for a moment my mind processed nothing.
Pregnant.
The word echoed slowly.
Dr. Halvorsen cleared his throat nervously.
"I ran the scan twice to be sure."
My gaze shifted to Raven's unconscious form.
Then back to him.
"How far along?"
"Approximately six weeks."
Six weeks.
My jaw tightened slightly.
There had been only one night during that time.
Only one moment where control had slipped.
Where she had stopped fighting long enough to....
I cut the thought off.
"Run a conception scan."
The doctor blinked.
"You want paternity confirmed?"
"Yes."
His fingers moved quickly over the console.
Minutes passed.
The results appeared.
He studied them carefully.
Then looked up.
"The child is yours."
Something inside my chest shifted.
Not relief.
Not joy.
Something darker.
Something far more powerful.
Possession.
⸻
I left the clinic without another word.
The hallway outside felt colder than usual.
My second in command waited near the door.
Dmitri.
Loyal.
Efficient.
Deadly.
His eyes scanned my face immediately.
"Status?"
"She'll live."
He nodded once.
Then paused.
"What do you need?"
I stepped closer, lowering my voice slightly.
I whispered instructions into his ear.
His expression didn't change.
But his eyes darkened with understanding.
Then I stepped back.
"Get them here," I said coldly.
"As soon as you can."
Dmitri nodded once.
"Consider it done."
He disappeared down the hall.
⸻
They moved Raven into one of the private recovery suites.
The last room at the end of the corridor.
My room.
When I entered, she still hadn't woken.
The soft lights illuminated the bruises across her skin.
I stood near the doorway for a long moment.
Studying her.
Her breathing.
Her pale face against the pillows.
The stubborn tension that seemed to live permanently in her body.
Even unconscious.
Even vulnerable.
She still looked like she was preparing to fight.
Interesting woman.
Dangerous woman.
And now....
My child grew inside her.
I walked slowly toward the bed.
Each step deliberate.
Controlled.
My expression remained calm.
Cold.
But my mind moved quickly.
Calculating.
Adjusting.
The situation had changed.
Radically.
This was no longer a negotiation.
This was permanence.
I stopped beside the bed.
My gaze traced her face slowly.
Then the door opened behind me.
"Sir."
Dmitri.
I didn't turn.
"It's arranged."
Good.
"Bring them in."
⸻
More guards appeared within minutes.
Security doubled throughout the estate.
No one entered without my permission.
No one left without my knowledge.
Protection had always existed here.
But tonight it changed shape.
Tonight it became absolute.
Because now....
There was something worth protecting.
⸻
Hours passed.
Night settled fully across the estate.
I remained in the room.
Watching.
Waiting.
Eventually...
She stirred.
A faint movement beneath the sheets.
Her eyelids fluttered slowly.
Confusion filled her gaze as consciousness returned.
Her eyes scanned the ceiling.
The unfamiliar room.
Then....
They found me.
Standing beside the bed.
Raven froze.
Her breathing slowed slightly.
Not panic.
Not exactly.
But something close.
"Cyprian," she whispered.
Her voice sounded weak.
I didn't move.
"You're safe," I said calmly.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
Memories returned slowly to her eyes.
The airport.
The kidnapping.
The gunfight.
Then something else.
Her hand moved instinctively.
Resting against her stomach.
The gesture was small.
Barely noticeable.
But I saw it.
And something flickered across my expression.
Just once.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You know," she whispered.
I held her gaze.
"Yes."
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Loaded.
Her breathing quickened.
"You can't keep me here," she said quietly.
My head tilted slightly.
"Watch me."
Anger flashed in her eyes.
"You don't own me."
A faint smile touched my lips.
"That argument is becoming less convincing."
Her jaw tightened.
"I'll leave again."
"No."
The word was simple.
Absolute.
"You don't get to decide that."
"I already did."
Her voice grew stronger now.
Defiant.
Always defiant.
I admired that about her.
Even when it was inconvenient.
"You're pregnant," I said calmly.
Her face paled.
"And that child belongs to me."
"That child belongs to me," she shot back instantly.
Interesting.
Fire returned quickly.
I stepped closer to the bed.
"You misunderstand something, Raven."
My voice lowered slightly.
"Nothing that carries my blood walks freely into the world without my protection."
She laughed bitterly.
"Protection? Is that what you call this prison?"
My smile vanished.
"This conversation is over."
Her eyes narrowed.
"What does that mean?"
The door behind me opened.
A man stepped inside.
An elderly priest.
Followed by Dmitri.
Raven stared at them in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead I looked at Dmitri.
He nodded slightly.
And then the door opened again.
Two guards dragged someone inside.
Claire.
Her hands were bound.
Her hair messy.
A bruise darkened along her cheek.
Raven's breath caught instantly.
"Claire?!"
Claire's eyes found her.
"Raven!"
A guard shoved her forward roughly.
She stumbled to her knees.
Raven tried to sit up.
"What did you do to her?!"
I pulled a pistol slowly from my jacket.
The room went silent.
The barrel rested calmly against Claire's temple.
Raven's entire body went rigid.
"Cyprian," she whispered.
My voice remained steady.
"Marry me."
Her eyes widened in horror.
"No."
The gun pressed harder against Claire's head.
"Try again."
"Don't do it!" Claire shouted quickly.
A guard smacked her sharply across the face.
The sound cracked through the room.
Raven flinched violently.
Tears filled her eyes.
"Stop!"
I watched her carefully.
"Marry me," I repeated.
"Or I start with her hands."
The room felt frozen.
Claire shook her head desperately.
"Raven don't...."
The gun clicked.
Safety off.
Raven's breathing shattered.
"Stop," she whispered.
Silence.
Then finally...
"Okay."
The word barely escaped her lips.
"Okay… I'll do it."
Claire sobbed quietly.
The priest stepped forward nervously.
And just like that...
The ceremony began.
⸻
Minutes later...
The words were spoken.
The vows forced.
The rings placed.
"By the power vested in me...."
The priest swallowed.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
The room remained silent.
Cold.
Raven didn't look at me.
She stared straight ahead.
Fury radiated from her body like heat.
Dmitri stepped forward.
Claire was dragged from the room.
Alive.
As promised.
⸻
Later that night....
They moved Raven upstairs.
Into my bedroom.
When she entered, she stopped immediately.
The room had changed.
Clothes hung in the wardrobe.
Shoes lined the floor.
Cosmetics rested neatly across the vanity.
Evidence of a woman living here.
Her things.
Placed carefully.
Prepared.
Her jaw tightened.
"You planned this."
I stepped inside behind her.
"Of course."
She turned slowly.
Hatred burned in her eyes.
"You're insane."
Perhaps.
I walked slowly toward the bed.
Then stopped beside her.
My gaze held hers steadily.
For a long moment neither of us spoke.
Then finally—
A small smirk curved my lips.
"Good evening," I said softly.
I leaned slightly closer.
"Wife."
Her anger surged instantly.
But beneath it.....
Something else flickered.
Something neither of us had fully named yet.
Possession.
Connection.
Dangerous attraction.
She hated it.
I didn't.
I straightened and walked toward the door.
Pausing briefly before leaving.
One last glance over my shoulder.
And a quiet remark.
"Sleep well, Raven.