51. After That

Konstantin

"Out of everyone to come back from the dead, why couldn't it fucking be Viktor?” I ask as I follow

my brothers out of Fang.

Kai chuckles. “I think I would have preferred that; however, I would prefer the dead to stay dead.” He

says and walks towards his SUV. “It's nearing 7; we should head back to the estate.”

I thumb at Dimitri. “I'll take him back to the penthouse,” I say, nodding at Kai, who screeches out of

the parking lot soon after.

So, our father is alive after all this time and has plotted for years to get where he is now. To find out

that he’s been against us all this time hurts like hell; I don't think I'll ever understand those who

betray others. Yeah, he was from an unknown wolf family and had to take my mother’s last time

because of the power it held, but surely he could not have been offended over something as trivial

as that.

We'll have to find out what exactly is in the vault that he’s after, that so many people had to die for

it.

Dimitri is quiet all the way to the penthouse, and I'm already pissed off as it is, so I don’t engage in

any conversation with him. I don’t know what's going to happen when I get back to the estate. Hell,

I know Lily and I are fighting at the moment, so fuck knows what I'm going to expect when I get

back.

“I'm sorry, Kon,” he suddenly says when we step into the penthouse.

He looks at me and sighs. “I didn't think you guys would believe me or even want to help me.”

“I don't know what it is with pack members saying that line when we would literally die for any of

you.” I spit out, sick of hearing that for the second time today.

I grab him by the scruff and push him against the wall. “How much trust do you guys have in Kai

and me? What do you think being Alpha and Beta means?!” I growl, knowing my eyes have shifted

to silver but not giving a shit.

Dimitri blinks in terror at my anger, but then he takes my hand at his scruff and peels it off. Then he

pushes me away before he levels me with a gaze and then sighs.

“What am I still doing here, Konstantin? You and Kai will never fucking trust me again, so why not

kill me? I've always been the weakest Volkov, and right now, I'm a liability as it is. We dont know if

Father had the demon do anything else to me, so I ask you again: why am I here?” He asks me as

the fear dissipates out of his scent.

His question bounces around in my head, but I already know the answer to this.

So, I cross my arms and answer him. “You think you're the weakest Volkov because you don't fight?

Dimitri, Dreamcatcher has been our biggest earner for the last few years. We've got hundreds of

politicians in our pockets because of you and what you could do. The Volkov Bratva would not be

where it is now if it weren't for you and your mind, so please tell me now why you think you're the

weakest?"

He looks legitimately surprised at my answer, but I'm not even close to being done.

“You don’t earn the title of a warrior by only using your fists. Yes, we now know why you hated to

engage in fights in the past, but that makes you an even better person than any fighter on the field.

Fuck, you could have gone to town on enemies using your beasts’ anger, but you decided not to

and instead started using your cunning to get us where we are now. Dimitri, you're not the weakest

fucking member in our pack, not by a long shot.”

“But-"

“No fucking buts unless it's your mate and she’s into it. Now shut the fuck up and accept the fact

that you're a warrior before I beat it into you.” I say and pull him in for a bro hug.

It wasn't long before he dissolved into a sobbing mess, and I had to stop myself from rolling my

eyes into oblivion. I forgot that Dimitri is the only one who actually shows his emotions in front of

people, and right now, I am made to comfort him.

“Thanks, Kon,” he says and pulls away from me while wiping his tears on the sleeve of his hoodie.

“I'll try to remember what Father is after and let you guys know.”

I nod, but something occurs to me. “Hey, you said your memories returned when Kai forced you to

shift three times over, right?” I ask, and he nods, but it doesn’t take him long to get what I mean.

He sighs and nods. “Yeah, I'll have to do that and see. Will you guys come back to check on me

later?”

“Yeah,” I say and pat his shoulder. “Tell us everything, even if you think we'll be pissed off. We know

you've been under the influence of a parasite, so your actions weren't exactly your own. Fuck, the

blonde bitch might have cursed you not to speak about it, so I understand.”

Dimitri's eyes widen at my words and it looks like he's close to another snot fest, so I slap him on

the back and take my leave. “We'll be back in a few hours,” I say before the elevator doors close.

I wonder when I became Konstantin: The Understanding.

When I get back to the estate, Kai tells me to meet them behind the mansion as the ritual is about

to start. He looks up when he sees me approach and walks over.

"You were with “Mitri for a long time,” he says with a raised eyebrow.

I nod. “Yeah, I spoke with him a bit. He's going to repeatedly shift and try to regain more of his

memories. I told him we'll stop by a bit later to check up on him.” I say as we slowly walk towards

the women.

Lily looks up when she sees me, and I can tell by her swollen eyes that she’s been crying. Shit.

“That's actually a good idea since that's how his memories returned-"

/“Do you think I am wrong for feeling hurt at what Lily did?"/ I stop Kai with a private mind link, and

he frowns.

/“You mean calling Bastien instead of coming to you?”/ He asks, and we stop walking.

/“Yeah./ 1 nod and look over at Lily, who now has her back to me. /We had a huge fight about it, and

I stormed out before we could talk it over because I was scared of what I would say while I was that

angry."/

Kai sighs and places his hand on my shoulder. /“I would be more surprised if you just shrugged it

off, brother; you're allowed to feel hurt, fuck, I would be on my way to Louisiana if Caterina decided

she needed his help more than mine."/

/“So the cunt is in Louisiana?"/

/“Focus, Kon,/ he says and rolls his eyes. /The fact that you're hurt means that you love that woman

and that you're anything but the heartless Beta they've made you out to be. However, you two need

to sort this out after the ritual. It's better to speak about it now than to leave it to fester, trust me.”/

I sigh and nod in agreement. “I'll do that; thank you, brother,” I say.

“Anytime, you know my door is always open.” He says and slaps me on the back before we make

our way back towards the women.

Marle arrives soon after and instructs us on what is needed. Caterina goes inside with Kira while Kai

and I are off to the side as she only requires Lily for this and when the moon peaks, she starts her

chanting.

“Woah, it's just her? The Lynx witches needed their entire coven and more just to bind your Lycan.” I

say.

Kai sighs. “That's how powerful Marle is. I've reluctantly concluded that we need her as much as she

needs us, so we're having a chat about everything tomorrow.” He says and crosses his arms while

keeping an eye on the witch.

Wow, to say this shocks me is definitely putting it lightly. He never accepted Kaede, just tolerated

her existence in the pack, so for him to fucking accept Marle is on a different fucking level of

understanding.

“I know what you're thinking, but I have to put the pack first. Marle is the only surviving Ancient and

used to be Xamnir's witch; to say I need her at my side is an understatement.” He says.

“I get that, trust me. It's just a surprise since I know how much you hate witches.”

He shrugs. “Putting the pack before my preferences is what an Alpha needs to do, Kon.” That is all

he says after that, and we stand in silence as we watch her lock away the demonic side to my

children and mate.

I don't know how I will sort everything out with Lily after this, but I suppose I have to try. The last

thing I want is to feel like my mate is untrustworthy, so how exactly will this play out?

A light flashes on all three laid out on the salt circle, and Marle claps her hands together before it

disappears. That overprotective pull makes me run to them, but she only looks at me and beckons

me over to her.

I watch Lily sit up and look confused. She blinks a few times then tends to the twins, who are still

fast asleep.

“The demonic part of them will be locked away until their deaths, and I will continue to do this ritual

for any of the generations that follow.” She says, then leans in close. “I also helped with her PTSD

from being locked up with Stefan for so long. Her memories of her time with him are still there, but

they won't affect her as badly as before.”

I stare at her with bulging eyes and shake my head. “Why would you do that for her? For us?” I ask,

not sure if it was the correct question to ask at that moment, but it's the only thing I could think of

asking right there.

"Because I saw the state of her mind, Konstantin. She was hanging by a thread, and if she snapped,

not even my bind would have freed her from the fallout. Lilith put on more of a front than she

thought - her mind was shattered with fear, and it all led back to Stefan.” She says.

“So you erased her memories of being raped?” I ask, but Marle shakes her head.

“That would have been the worst thing to do, so instead of erasing her memories of the time with

Stefan, I pushed forward and eased her recovery. In her mind, she’s worked through her issues and

is ready to start over; she’s ready to be a warrior again.”

I would have thrown my arms around this scary-ass witch if I were a hugger.

“Thank you. I don't know what to say.” Is all I say. Marle smiles as if my appreciation is all she

needed then before walking toward Kai, who still stood at a distance.

So Lily's mind has been healed... but how do we sort the problem out between us?