Chapter 392: Of Silent Hearts And Growing Futures
[FROLO]
Katya stared.
It was all he could do, because he didn’t trust his voice.
Not after the footage he had watched. They’d been snippets for the past three hours, with Sergei giving him the kind of access that would never look good for Sergei’s Romanov pursuit, yet the alpha had let him in.
Sergei had excused himself, letting Katya watch whatever he wanted from the footage. He gave him files on a lot of things, and even the admission that his current penthouse had been bugged, but the transmissions stopped because they lived there.
And privacy was suddenly a thing for Sergei.
Still, it didn’t make Katya feel any better.
But he had also learned a few things while watching and reading the summaries of what had been there.
Sergei had begun surveillance on him the day that Yaroslav had brought him for an introduction as the boyfriend. It was routine, because Yaro had been having people watching over him at the time too.
It was just additional protection because Yaroslav loved Katya. Expectedly, Katya was protected by the same unhinged system.
The only difference in Katya’s case was that Sergei personally did the shadowing a few times too many. Watched Katya’s day whenever he wasn’t busy, made sure things were right even when he didn’t need to do it.
The fixed olives in the local supermarket.
The people who had disappeared after talking shit about Katya.
The fruit vendor who mocked Katya’s ability to bear children.
They spanned so long, even to the day Katya had found out he was pregnant again four years ago, only to lose it.
Katya learned that it was Sergei who had taken him to the hospital. Who had administered everything.
Back then, the alpha had claimed something different, yet here was evidence of the man who had stayed and protected him even when Katya hadn’t known.
And he learned about the origin of the contract, and why it was genuine, from the very first day Katya signed it.
Sergei really was giving him the entire Moskowsky empire like it was nothing.
"When did this even happen?" Katya wondered, staring at the files titled Stopped Assassination Attempts.
Things he had not even been aware of. And the craziest part? Some of those were done in coordination with the Romanov personnel.
His parents had allied with the Moskowskys to help out. Though they probably didn’t think too much about it because the requests came from Ivan, Yaroslav’s personal assistant.
But then it had been a request by Sergei. Ivan and Yaroslav were just the voices that made the puzzle a little easier.
Gods, Katya never thought there was another rabbit hole to the surveillance on him.
And more than anything, he was worried about Sergei Moskowsky.
Because this wasn’t normal.
But Katya had lived in fear one too many times to identify it instantly in a person. Sergei had just been too good at hiding it, but now...
Now Katya could see it.
The man who thought he was only useful and worthy if he gave something.
The father who protected his son so much in the hopes that he’d not lose his only child.
The man who protected his son’s friends and his own friends with everything because he had attached his value to ultimate protection.
Because for Sergei, protecting the people he loved was the only way to earn their love.
It also explained why he’d kept the surveillance in Katya’s penthouse even now. Because he was terrified he would wake up and Katya would be gone.
"So, he never slept?" Katya wondered when he watched the night feeds from his own penthouse. Especially on the nights when Sergei came over.
How Sergei would stay watching over him, keeping him safe while Katya slept peacefully, believing there wasn’t much to worry about.
He watched Sergei pretend to sleep right before Katya’s morning alarm went off.
"I’ll be here when you wake up," Sergei had told him one too many times. Katya didn’t think too much about it then. Because they were in a relationship. Of course they had to reassure each other.
What he’d not known was the fact that the big bad wolf of Frolo meant it literally.
There were still so many files and footage, but Katya had seen enough, read enough risk assessment reports to explain why the man had surveilled him.
But the most important thing he’d picked up from it all was the fact that through his marriage with Yaroslav, Sergei had stayed close, but not so close. He’d protected them both, even if he didn’t interfere in their relationship.
He’d watched over Katya even then.
Even when Sergei couldn’t protect him from being heartbroken by Yaro, he had been there. Had gathered the facts on what had unfolded along the way.
Crazy as Sergei was about Katya, Katya learned that the man respected his marriage with Yaroslav, which wasn’t new to Katya because Sergei was the kind to die first before he let himself be loved without condition.
Oh, this alpha.
"Rahim..." Katya called the alpha who was assigned to protect him and who clearly was a night owl, seeing as it was almost one in the morning and the surveillance systems were active with people coming in and out.
"Yes, Mr. Katya," the former secretary spoke.
"Where is he?"
"Sir?"
"My boyfriend... Where is he?"
Rahim stared at him nervously, like she knew something she wasn’t supposed to divulge. Then again, of course, she knew what Sergei was doing at the moment.
"He left," Rahim said before realizing how that sounded.
"I mean he left to give you space," she added.
"I can see that he left, Rahim. I’m asking where he is. And do not lie to me or give him a heads-up; I will know," Katya reminded him, his voice soft like his words weren’t enough to start a world war.
"I..." Rahim tried.
"I can do this all night, Rahim," Katya said, staring at her and she knew he could. This man had waited two hours in the lobby for his boyfriend who was hiding from him. Of course he could wait even till dawn.
"He’ll kill me if I tell you," Rahim explained, and Katya sighed softly.
"You can either tell me, or I’ll use the mate bond to find and go to him. Without backup or anyone protecting me," Katya stated like it was the simplest math.
Like he wasn’t making the craziest of gambles with the mate bond.
Of course he could track Sergei, but a man who could block his pain while being beaten and attacked by people, Katya knew Sergei could just as easily lock him out.
"He’ll be ba—"
"He spent six hours hiding from me; don’t tell me he’ll be back. Now, will you take me to him or should I call a cab while my crazy ex-boyfriend is out there waiting to avenge himself?" Katya challenged, and fuck if Rahim didn’t frown at that.
"Fine. You need to change first, I’ll b—"
"Nice try. Get moving," Katya deadpanned.
Sighing, the alpha led the way out of the surveillance room. They didn’t go back to Sergei’s penthouse. Instead, they used a different hallway that led to many more, before they ended up in a parking lot on the lower side of the Moskowsky Group compound.
Katya was amazed, but still he needed to find Sergei.
"Gods help us all," Rahim mumbled before they grabbed a car and she drove them off.
To the lower district.
The Hercules camp.
Where Sergei was at the moment.
"He’s never going to love me again. Or even mark me... What if he is disgusted by me? Maybe I should just jump off a cliff... But Vitya would hate me too..." Sergei grumbled, face down on the throw pillow on the couch.
He had run away from Katya, and honestly, he knew the omega would not want anything to do with him again. Perhaps that was why he was whining his heart out to the only people who were able to understand him and his fears.
"Someone shut him up before I do," Anya grumbled from her desk, working too.
"You’re being mean... my life is falling apart, and you’re not making it easier," Sergei sighed exaggeratedly.
"Well, maybe you shouldn’t have run from him, father," Yaroslav teased, and Sergei groaned again.
"What if he rejects me, Rastenkin... what if—" Sergei continued, only to be interrupted by Katya’s voice.
"What if he just wants his boyfriend to stop running, Vladimir?"
"Soln... Solnyshka..." Sergei fell from the couch with a thud.
"Finally, some peace and quiet," Anya huffed in relief.