[SERGEI]

He had seen it all.

The aftermath of that realization.

Sergei had watched it from the live feeds; he had insisted that Anya get him.

It hadn’t been a request.

But it hadn’t been an order either.

It was something between desperation and the desire to make things better.

Only that this was one that even Sergei, for all his money and power, would never be able to buy his way out of, or force his way through.

This was the most painful thing the alpha had watched. Now, hours later, he was staring in the lit office staring at the gates of 13 Emerald Street.

Hoping, waiting, praying.

For something. Anything.

Anya had tried to talk him out of interfering, but then there wasn’t even a use trying to dissuade him. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Because Sergei...

He knew.

Even if he went there and took Katya away, he would only be enforcing what Yaroslav had said out there. That there were no divorces. That there was no freedom out of the Moskowsky household.

That right there was a truth that hurt in a different way.

Because this time, Sergei knew his son was wrong.

Perhaps that was why when Anya went to sleep, Sergei stayed awake.

The gates of 13 Emerald opened three hours later, with an intoxicated Katya stumbling through as his friends tried to steady him. He looked so wasted that it took everything for Sergei not to go out there and hold him.

Sergei knew Katya was in pain.

He had seen it in those eyes.

In the way the rest of Katya’s night had gone after Yaro and Milan had left.

Sergei understood, and he hated his son for it. But again, there wasn’t much he could do. Not without implicating himself. Because now he was stuck between his son, his only child, and the omega that he was slowly falling for.

The omega he didn’t ever know how to understand, yet one he refused to let go, because letting go meant giving up. And giving up on Katya Romanov was just not something that Sergei was ready to do.

He cared way too much for the omega to just let him be.

And gods, it hurts.

"I love baaabies, Svet... love so many, very many... many babies," Katya said drunkenly as Svet walked him into the house.

Sergei, knowing he couldn’t get out and go see him, switched to the CCTV feed on his desk and turned on the feed from all the rooms. Especially those that had live feeds of Katya and Svetlana.

"I’ll kill you in the morning for this, Romanov," Svet complained as she led her friend to his room, her hold on him ever since wavering despite the way that she sounded.

"Milan is going to give him pretty babies," Katya chuckled drunkenly.

"Romanov..."

"I’m so useless, Svet... so very useless... all this money, all this wealth that is forced down my throat... and I have nothing to offer in return... maybe... maybe if I had a baby... I’d say, yeah, this.

"... this is at least the cost of whatever the hell this is. But your friend here... probably won’t ever have babies anymore," Katya laughed.

Svetlana stilled.

Sergei watched on the edge of his seat as the woman tried to keep her temper in check. How she tried to steady both. Because honestly, Katya’s words did not just hurt Katya.

Even the people around him.

"When that unhinged barbarian realizes he married me for nothing? He’s probably gonna kill me for it, giving him a baby...an omega who can’t bear children..." Katya rambled.

Svet didn’t say anything.

Nothing she said would ever make it better.

"The contract didn’t say anything about babies, Romanov," Svet said slowly, like she was trying to make Katya feel better.

But Katya just snorted.

"I see the way he looks at me... like I’m an object he needs to lock up all the time... like... like a toy he can play with when he’s bored... he probably forced that contract on me because he thought...

"... he thought Yaroslav wouldn’t give him heirs fast enough... so he wants to get them... that’s why he doesn’t care that I’m his son’s husband. He married me anyway...

"... blackmailed me with family, the one thing I can’t have for myself... You know the guy. All proud and shit... he’ll probably kill me for saying no to him," Katya chuckled.

This time, Svet didn’t even breathe.

She just stilled, like this was the worst possible thing his friend could have been forced into, yet she didn’t ever have a way out for him.

In the huge study, Sergei felt a harsh stab in his chest.

"Well, cheers to being the baby-making machine for the Moskowsky household... nah, that doesn’t sound right... I could bear kids... hic... maybe I’m a free use object for the father and son...

"... they probably made the arrangement together...the competitive Moskowskys," Katya said, flailing his hands in mockery, as he stumbled ahead.

"I’m probably just a bet for them... who will knot me enough times to give them kids... maybe he even gave me to his father... that’s why he didn’t come looking for me for the past month... what a fate," Katya sighed tiredly.

"Romanov..."

"Don’t worry about me, Svet... I’ll be fine, I promise... besides, do you really believe that the barbarian really had me as chairman and gave all his assets on paper just because I’m an intelligent researcher, did you?

"... well, at least he promised not to take my mother’s heart back... so I don’t mind. Even if I have to be used by all the servants, they parade here.

"Who even needs a hundred and fourteen servants if they’re not planning to use them?" Katya added, clinging to the wall, pushing himself against it while pressing forward to his room.

Svetlana was close to holding him if ever he faltered.

Sergei’s head hurt.

"You know... yesterday... Yaro came for me. He... he cleaned me up, put me to bed... even slept with me. Maybe it was to see if I could get pregnant for him before his father used me... he left me in another bed, alone...

"... he never left me in bed before... ever. He was always there when I woke up, always. But I suppose he reached his limit... You wanna know the funny thing about what I learned today?" Katya asked as he turned to his friend.

They were at his door already.

"He told me to drop the formalities," Katya said.

"Who?"

"Vladimir," Katya chuckled.

Sergei couldn’t even find it in himself to be glad about his name on Katya’s lips.

"What?"

"Said he’d not take my mother’s heart back if I dropped all formalities with him. Who even does that? This is just a game for them... but you guys shouldn’t get hurt because of me.

"Go home, Svet, you have work on Monday. And I have to prepare to be killed tomorrow when the devil of Frolo realizes I challenged his dearest precious son," Katya laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

"Romanov..."

"It’s alright though. Besides, even if he forces himself on me, even if he has his servants do whatever they want with me... maybe I’ll get a baby. Maybe I’ll finally be useful to the Moskowskys," Katya said, before he walked in...

And locked Svet out.

"Go home, Svet... goodnight and see you Monday," Katya said, as he turned the lock.

Sergei couldn’t breathe.