Chapter 490: The Arrogant Silver Clan
Inside the meeting room, several men sat on either side of a large table, with a muscular male sitting at the head of the table. His narrowed eyes glared at Nikolai, who stepped forward and, without care, took a seat at the opposite end.
Three Elders, two great elders and five mature wolves.
Nikolai quickly scanned the room, his fingers tapping his thigh while managing his breathing. The atmosphere became heavier the moment Black Bear stepped inside.
"What about the boy?" The largest male at the head of the table asked, ignoring Nikolai with a smug grin on his face.
Black Bear shifted slightly under Nikolai’s sharp gaze.
"He’s waiting in the other room, boss."
It might have been the first time he heard Black Bear speaking so politely to someone. None of his usual arrogance or bravado. Nikolai leaned back with a sigh, closing his eyes and ignoring their blatant disrespect.
"Bring him, then we can discuss what to do from here."
The Lord of the Silver clan cracked his knuckles and slammed both legs down, crossing them. Annoyed by the sound, Nikolai sighed, glaring at the Great Elder.
"Now then, Patriarch Nikolai. How about we have a friendly discussion?"
"I only want Sulley." Nikolai tilted his head to the side with narrowed eyes." What is there to speak about?"
"Well...."
***
Meanwhile, at Londis Airport, a beautiful red-headed maid stood at the arrivals section, holding a large briefcase, and wearing a maid outfit and bodysuit underneath it. Leona tapped her phone and curled her lips into a smile.
"They’re here."
The private jet’s turbines shrieked before winding down, the smell of jet fuel mingling with the sharp bite of morning air. The tarmac buzzed with activity, but it was the formation of black-uniformed maids that stole every gaze.
The Volkov maids moved like soldiers, their heels striking in perfect unison, each bearing the clan’s sigil stitched in silver thread. Their presence alone turned heads, disciplined, lethal, unmistakable.
"Captain!"
They all saluted her, lowering their identical briefcases.
"It’s been a while, everyone."
Leona smiled upon seeing their sparkling eyes. She couldn’t decide how to address them at first and turned to the shortest girl with blond hair. "Bren, is everything prepared?"
"Yes Captain! We’re all ready for action!"
The blond pulled on her apron, revealing a tight black bodysuit, standard equipment for the combat maids of the Volkov estate.
Come to think of it...
Nikolai asked to do it wearing this when we got back.
Another maid stepped forward. "Captain, or rather Head Maid. Do you have the master’s current position?"
Leona looked back with a smile. "Of course. He’s my husband, after all."
The maids looked overjoyed, smiling and making a low squeal at Leona’s response. A low hum sounded with a light buzz as Leona took out her second phone and immediately answered it with a polite tone.
"Good morning, Mistress Nikita."
On the other side, Nikita’s laugh rang out like chimes. "You sound serious, Leona. Are you keeping our little wolf from wandering again?"
A mixture of voices joined in. Selene, Kumiko and Risa listened as Leona explained everything that happened in Londis. She didn’t hide his actions with Clara and Anya, but she hid the confession from the night before.
I can tell them in person.
Because she worried about the true identity of the woman that Nikolai slept with in his unstable state, even though part of her believed they were fakes.
"You’re doing well," Nikita continued, "It’s getting a little hard to move recently, so please tell him to come home soon... I think our children will be born soon." Her sweet voice slipped back into the rough, gangster-esque tone as she spoke more about Nikolai.
However, Leona just beamed with a smile. "Of course. Leave him to me."
The line clicked dead, but another voice carried across the tarmac before she could pocket the phone.
"Leona."
She turned.
Kumiko descended from a waiting car, the curve of her figure wrapped in a silk kimono patterned with crimson blossoms. At her side walked Lunaria, serene as moonlight in a matching white kimono with silver crescent moons.
And wearing a designer outfit behind them, Amphitrite, and her luscious pink hair bounced in a pair of bushy twintails. Though one shoulder was left bare, her every step oozed lazy seduction.
"It seems you took my advice little sister." The mermaid swished forward, hugging the tall maid, her hand tapping her back. "Congratulations." A strange tingle shot up Leona’s back as she heard Amphitrite’s words. Then she continued with a low, dangerous whisper. "I think it’s time we brought our little wolf home."
The assembled maids shifted, tension thrumming through the air.
Leona’s lips quirked. She bowed her head just enough in greeting.
"Then let’s not waste time."
***
Nikolai closed his eyes, waiting in silence for the distant shouting and complaints, likely the voice of Sulley and Black Bear. The heavy oak doors creaked open, the sound scraping like rusted hinges against the hall’s silence.
"Get inside!" came a command from Black Bear.
Two figures entered first. One was impossible to mistake: Black Bear, hulking, his massive arms crossed like pillars of steel, eyes always observing Nikolai as if he held some kind of grudge.
At his side slithered a figure in silver silks—Ryan stiffened instantly.
The Lamia. The same woman he’d laughed with, kissed, tangled sheets with. Her scales shimmered like liquid gold in the dim light, but her eyes lacked the same light. The moment she spotted Ryan seated beside Nikolai, her pupils widened, stiffening mid-motion.
For a brief moment, she completely froze.
"Oi! Get a move on." Black Bear’s voice cracked like a whip, his glare cutting into her.
She snapped her head down, moving faster, dragging the broken figure of Sulley behind her chains. The boy stumbled, wrists bound, his once-proud silver hair matted with dirt and blood. His bare feet left streaks along the polished stone floor and dragged him to the centre of the hall.
Ryan watched the woman and tried to leave his seat. Only for Clara to catch his wrist, pulling him back down while shaking her head.
Anya didn’t show any nerves or fear; her hand gripped Nikolai’s under the table as she glared at the Lord of the clan. A vampire from the Tepes clan wouldn’t bow to another race, especially a werewolf.
Nikolai leaned back in his chair, tapping the armrest. "I see." His black eyes traced the movements of each person, the Lamia showing shame, Black Bear’s brutality and lack of his usual self and finally the weak and powerless prince.
"No, then, shall we deal with this mutt?" The Lord of the family chuckled as they tossed Sulley to the ground. "A mere mixed breed shouldn’t be causing trouble!"
At last, the man at the head of the table stood.
He was tall, with silver hair tied back, eyes glimmering like steel polished too much to hide imperfections. Unlike the older wolves, his face was youthful, barely older than Nikolai himself. His robes shimmered faintly with threads of gold, and when he raised his hand, the room hushed instantly.
Is he trying to show off?
"Welcome, Nikolai Volkov," he said smoothly. His voice carried calm authority, no need for thunder. "I am Loric Silver. By right of blood, by mercy of Ivan Volkov, and by the will of the clan itself, I now stand as Lord of Silver."
He approached Sulley with slow, measured steps.
"Ivan could have ended the Silver line when your father slaughtered mine. Instead, he chose otherwise. He granted me the chance to continue the bloodline, to restore what was lost. I intend to honor that chance."
His gaze locked on Nikolai, unblinking. "The question is—will you honor it as well?"
Loric’s hand motioned, and the chains rattled, forcing Sulley to his knees before Nikolai. The boy’s chest rose and fell like a hunted animal, his silver eyes glazed but still burning with defiance.
"You see him, don’t you?" Loric’s voice carried a measured calm. "Isn’t this the half-blooded wretch you so desire to take back?"
Nikolai faced him in silence, eyes scanning the man, his posture, movements and voice. He didn’t trust the members of this clan. The bloody and battered Sulley, with two Great Elders in the room, even Nikolai would probably suffer.
Loric stepped closer, circling the chained youth like a merchant showing off a prize. "My clan has suffered enough humiliation. The old men are dead, the old ways shattered. I do not wish more needless blood between us. So I will propose this: Sulley’s life... in exchange for restraint."
His lips curled into a smirk as Nikolai cracked his neck. "Restraint?" his guttural voice filled the chamber.
"Yes." Loric nodded. "You keep your claws from the Silver Clan. We will not interfere with your women, your friends, your hunts. In return, I give you Sulley, alive. We part ways happily and without issues."
Black Bear’s lip curled as though disgusted by the offer, but he said nothing.
Loric’s eyes never wavered. "What do you say, Black Wolf? I bet returning home sooner to your lovely wives is a better idea than remaining here. How about you take my hand and we call it quits, a peace offering if you will."
"Well..."