Chapter 217 Heir
The conversation with Viktor and Ivan lasted quite a while. Nikolai drifted off several times while Sofia replaced their drinks several times until the dinner bell echoed through the office.
"Hmm... time does fly when speaking with you, Ivan." Viktor scoffed, his head lifting while showing a slight smirk at the corner of his lips.
"There you go again father, being snobby and arrogant."
"Well, I am the lord of the Silvan Alliance, why wouldn't I be arrogant and snobby, hohoho."
'Here we go again...'
As the crackle of wood filled the background, embers fluttering in the old-fashioned fireplace, the father and son duo once again started bickering. Nikolai narrowed his eyes, watching them while wondering what other reason his father brought him here.
"Then how about you step down, old man! I know a great candidate for the new generation to get behind!"
"Hah! Don't make me laugh; how are you any different from me?" The old man stood up and pointed at Ivan, though this was probably the fifth time during the meeting that these two started to threaten each other to fight.
Once they stopped speaking about Kumiko, the glint in their eyes changed as if the pair of them plotted something against him, a devious plot. Each time they gazed at Nikolai, the other would curl their lips into a wide grin and then nod.
"Well, what if I didn't mean myself!" Ivan hammered his chest like a gorilla before stepping closer to his father and whispering something in his ear. "Nikolai... ...?"
The words became muffled after the first word, causing Nikolai's ears to twitch. He wanted to hear more, but there seemed to be some kind of barrier. Like the wind itself stopped all sound from reaching him.
'These old men... always deciding things alone!'
Nikolai shook his head, waiting for them to finish.
Then he leaned back into the soft chair and closed his eyes.
A sense of comfort, the crackle of the fire, a mixture of scents, tobacco, whiskey, his father and grandfather... then the whistle of wind outside the massive windows that covered the entire wall behind Viktor's desk.
'Somehow this room feels comfortable, I wouldn't mind staying in a place like this while listening to Selene, Nikita and Risa arguing like my dad and grandfather.'
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While Nikolai relaxed, his aura became soft and calm and spread rapidly through the room as if the tide were coming in. This caused Ivan and Viktor to gaze at their family.
"What a massive and overwhelming aura?! This boy only awakened a month ago, maybe a little longer!" Viktor's eyes widened, looking at his son for confirmation.
"Do you understand now father?"
"Ivan, it is much too dangerous to let him live away from this compound... no wonder those bastards attacked him like Anastasia!"
"That's why I brought him here, though he might not wish to stay at the main building because his grandfather lives here... what about the annexe close to the eastern district barrier?" Ivan gazed at his son, remembering the night before when the noise of Nikita breaking in made him grab his earbuds to block out sound.
However, the moment he lay in his room on the opposite side of the house, an aura suddenly overwhelmed him.
The feeling of being pushed down by Nikolai's calm yet domineering aura made Ivan wake up and realise the difference between a normal monster and a true hybrid.
"Dad, I doubt he even realises how powerful his natural aura is to normal monsters. I imagine wraiths and the undead would be driven to attack him out of sheer instinct and fear of being destroyed..."
"True. It's similar to how Anastasia seemed like a normal girl, but the moment she matured, and her blood awakened full, she overpowered most of the Volkov bloodline, and it only increased at a rapid pace. We could barely keep her safe back then."
"The issue is his body... Nikolai needs time for his physical body to adapt to the huge aura inside him because right now, he barely uses a fraction of it, even during battle... I believe this is something Elizabeth helps keep under control, or he might have exploded or burnt to cinders because of his aura by now."
Enjoy new adventures from empire
The two men's faces twisted into a look of concern and worry. Yet, gazing at Nikolai, who looked so serene and peaceful despite his aura almost shattering the barriers of the complex. They felt a sudden flutter in their chests, a feeling of hope for the future.
"I don't want to use my grandson for our revenge, Ivan. We must keep him safe and deal with the enemy ourselves." Viktor's eyes flicked to the image of his mother, a feeling of Deja Vu washing over him when he thought of Nikolai's current growth. "Those damn idiots will try to use him the moment they realise his talent and power."
"Why not make him the heir instead of me?" Ivan rubbed his chin, speaking calmly and completely honestly.
"Anastasia needs time to heal the wounds those bastards created in her mind and spirit. I will help her recover during that time. Father, please guide Nikolai and teach him what he needs to know."
There was a moment of silence while the two gazed back at Nikolai—surprisingly, his aura began to flicker and ripple with each deep breath and slight snore.
"This little wolf is sleeping... He's truly just like you, Ivan." The old man sighed, his throat clearing slightly, as the dining bell echoed a second time.
However, Ivan and Viktor only cared about the sleeping young werewolf on the sofa. "I will teach him, but Ivan... we should meet Alexei and organise a complete method to make this boy the heir within a year."
Viktor and Ivan's faces watched each other's reactions before holding out their right hands, grasping each other's palms tight. "It looks like those fools desperate to see me die will be VERY upset come next year." Viktor's lips curled into a wide grin.
"Come off it, Dad! You would still be alive even if they killed you!" Ivan's lips trembled, forming a bitter smile, before he continued. "Please, take care of my treasure... He keeps his pain and secrets hidden. Maybe you can help loosen that tightly closed doorway."
"Hmph! I am his family; of course, I will help. However, we should contact the girls' families and ask one of Vlad's wives and Nagisa, that scary woman, to live at the manor with them. Have Dimitri help you with Anastasia and the fools currently tracing our future leader."
The current lord of the Silvan Alliance and Volkov family and his only son chose, at this moment, to make Nikolai into the next heir, something that would change the monster world, turning it on its head with the sudden advent of a hybrid and that hybrid would become the leader of the strongest force in the eastern monster world.
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A short while later, at the Fenrir mansion, Nagisa held her phone tightly, a bitter smile on her lips, while listening to the old, hoarse voice speaking. 'To think that old man would ask me to protect his future heir...'
"Well, Nikolai is my cute son—why wouldn't I do that..." Nagisa's body twirled the moment she ended the call. In truth, she was born a member of the opposing side to the Silvan Alliance, at first an enemy to Dimitri and Ivan—it was after meeting them and becoming friends with Elizabeth that her fate was the future heiress to the Daywalker cause shattered.
"To be honest, the reason they are constantly causing troubles with Ivan and Dimitri, now Nikolai, is because I rejected that idiot from the Hati clan back then... and now Nikita chose my cute son." Once she finished speaking, Nagisa snapped her fingers, a dark glint shining in the corner of her eyes, before five females with black hair and tails like hers.
"We will be moving, prepare a decoy to remain in this mansion, arrange guards for my daughters, and the young miss who we are taking care of. I will contact Vladimir myself, you have until the end of the day to notify ALL Fenrir clan members, our future heiress and mate depend on it."
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Nagisa watched the women chosen to become her shadows from birth.
Narrowing her gaze, she looked towards the territory of the Hati and Nosferatu clans, which were based in S-City. Because they attacked Nikolai, she had already located their main force.
'The bastards fled to the north...'
K-Kingdom was inferior to the S-Kingdom to the south, but it was a savage and heartless people led by a dictator who made it difficult for Nagisa to attack them without diplomatic issues. The agreement her ancestors created banned this action. "You cannot hide forever, dogs."
Her beautiful eyes fluttered while covering her face with one palm. "Since you threatened my daughter, future grandchild and son-in-law... be prepared to suffer."
While Nikolai enjoyed a light nap, he could never have imagined that was a trigger for the various forces to take the move they waited more than a decade to perform.
From the moment their children came into the world, the plan was always to intermarry. What made things difficult was that the Tepes and Fenrir clans only gave birth to girls, and the only male born from their group was Nikolai.
"Well, everything seems to be fate, I couldn't believe it when Nikita told me he awakened as a werewolf... I was so happy, as if my own son awakened. Fufu, Nikolai I won't let anything harm you, in Elizabeth's place, I will protect you in the shadows."
'At least, until she returns...'
After all, they swore back then, over twenty years ago, that their children would marry. And that none of them could turn on the other.
'Come to think of it, did Elizabeth foretell it would turn out like this...?'
With a glass of sake, the black wolf smiled brightly, fondly remembering the past while preparing for the future.
"Crafty woman~ hahaha!"