Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Nikolai
Four Years Later
The smell of sweat and blood filled the air. The crowd was already packing into the warehouse, pressing up against the sides of the cage, yelling and jeering.
“You win this, kid,” Dimitri said, his hand clenching on my shoulder. It was an order, one he probably backed with thousands of dollars.
The bite of pain brought me back. I blinked once and nodded. He knew why today was worse. He was planning to profit off of it.
Today marked four years since Aries disappeared.
Four fucking years with no leads.
I was always searching, scouring the internet for clues, paying people to investigate, and yet no one had turned up a thing.
Twice a month, I religiously called the useless police department for updates, ensuring they could never forget that they failed her.
Failed all of us.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, my voice rough from disuse. I didn’t bother to talk much. Hell, I didn’t bother to live much, if I was being honest.
I had lost the one important person to me and everything else was just bullshit.
The feeling of someone’s eyes boring into me had me glancing up, scanning the crowd until my gaze landed on a man at the front. The way he watched me had me shifting uncomfortably, something about that gaze felt heavy.
Did he know her? I waited for someone to come out, to tell me to stop digging, to give me a direction, but it never came.
He didn’t look away from me once, simply cocked an eyebrow as if challenging me. I couldn’t make out any other features other than pink hair, it was too damn dark in this warehouse.
I wanted to move closer, to ask what his problem was, but it was too late. Silas was already stepping into the middle of the ring, announcing another fight in this godforsaken hellscape.
Dimitri had promised me a safe house, and despite losing everything, I’d taken him up on it. Somehow, I’d ended up fighting several nights a week, not just the designated two. It was one of the only ways I kept my wits about me, and when I wasn’t fighting, I was training.
Anything to exhaust my body enough that my mind was silent. I existed in that numb space just past exhaustion. The one where reality didn’t have any leverage.
Aries was the only reason I still woke up every day. She deserved to be found, and it had already been too long.
I bounced on the balls of my feet, shaking out my limbs and relaxing my body. This was the one place where I truly thrived, the only thing I had left.
My opponent, whose name I didn’t bother to learn, was grinning like a madman. He had several jagged teeth, others missing altogether. It marked him as a seasoned fighter and I knew his type. Cocky and thought their size was enough to defeat their opponents.
I’d made a reputation for myself here. I was known as the Hellhound. Unbreakable, undefeated, never letting an injury stop me. I had enough scars and barely healed bones to earn my reputation. Yet, men continued to fight me, eager to prove they could best the greatest.
They failed. Every time.
I circled the beast of an alpha, my eyes locked onto his, gauging every movement he made. Every shift of his muscled body was an indication of how he held himself and where his weaknesses were hidden away.
It didn’t take me long to spot it. He favored his right side, leaning heavily on it as he moved around me.
A feral grin lit my face like I’d already won. His eyes widened in response. Even if they thought they were the prime alpha in this world, they were truly prey.
It was our first time crossing paths, and he wasn’t scared enough yet. But he’d learn.
I hadn’t lost a match for a reason. Today wasn’t going to be the day I did, either. I’d fight until I couldn’t feel a thing anymore.
Thinking I was distracted, he launched forward, trying to jab me in the ribs and knock me off balance.
I dodged easily, spinning out of reach and readying my own hit. It was so fast he didn’t register the blow until I made contact with his ribs. A slight crack and groan echoed out but I was already moving and so was he.
At least this would be a challenge.
We circled again before I feinted right and slammed left. The grunt he let out this time confirmed what I suspected. He had an internal injury he hadn’t healed from and each blow to his right side was making it worse.
I used that information against him, striking again, then kicking his feet out from under him and bringing him to his knees.
As soon as he hit the mat, I let loose, raining blow after blow until the world faded away. Warm blood splashed against me, his breathing wet and wheezing.
The crowd went wild, screaming encouragement as the man curled into a ball to protect himself.
I had a way of reducing seasoned fighters to this pathetic display.
“Enough.”
Dimitri’s Russian accent cut through the noise, stopping me mid-punch. Silas’s guards moved in instantly to retrieve him. I straightened, cracking my neck, not bothering to look at the crowd as I returned to my keeper.
“Another win for us, my boy,” he said with a rasping chuckle. “They bet against you this time. He had a reputation, too. Fools.”
I snorted. “Some reputation. Didn’t take him long to fall.”
“No. They should learn by now not to bet against the Hellhound.”
I rolled my eyes at the name, but his expression turned serious.
“Someone’s here to see you, kid. I told him to wait until after the match.”
“Who?” I demanded. “You know I don’t talk to fans.”
“Not a fan,” he corrected. “The police. They demanded to see you between fights. You’ve got five minutes.”
Stupidly, hope filled my chest as I scanned the area until I spotted the officer.
“Did you find her?” I demanded as I stalked forward.
His face was grim, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what came next.
“We did,” he confirmed. “I’m sorry, son, but you can stop calling. She’s gone.”
“Let me see her,” I demanded, my chest puffing out in challenge. I would’ve felt it if she were dead. I knew she wasn’t. He was lying.
“We have the DNA test to prove it, but you weren’t a registered pack. Her mother signed off on it. We don’t need anything else from you. This was just a courtesy.”
“Courtesy my ass,” I bit out. My vision darkened as I surged forward, but Dimitri grabbed me, dragging me back before I could make contact and wind up in a cell.
“It’s not worth going to jail over,” he snapped. “Stop.”
“It’s not worth it?” I demanded. “Are you being serious right now?”
“Have your fight. Take it out on him. Then you can tie up loose ends.”
He knew exactly what loose ends I meant. One I’d been watching just as closely, ensuring she didn’t run from me like the rodent she was.
The next fight was an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t feel the burn or ache of my muscles. My fists moved on instinct. I dodged without thinking, pouring my rage into every blow.
I didn’t stop until my opponent was a bloody pulp beneath me, his breath a wet rattle like all the men before him.
My body was coated in blood and grime from the cement floor and sweat. Bruises and cuts bloomed across my arms, but none of it mattered.
Because if she really was dead… if I’d really lost my omega forever…
I cut the thought off immediately. I refused to go down that road.
“Well, that was brutal,” a deep voice said beside me, letting out a chuckle.
I glanced over at the stranger who’d finally made his way to our side. The one who had been watching me all night.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“See me after,” Dimitri said, squeezing my shoulder before stepping away. It grounded me, reminding me I wasn’t alone.
“What the fuck do you want?” I snapped again. My body was tired, my mind a mess, this was the last thing I wanted to do. Small talk was not my thing.
He raised his brows again, showcasing his green eyes. They were uncomfortably similar to mine.
This time my voice was quiet. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I see you’re as charismatic as they say,” he said mildly. The alpha had a way of holding himself that screamed money, but also an edge of danger. “Name’s Ronan. Ronan Crow.”
I stared blankly. If he thought it would hold weight with me, it didn’t.
“Tough crowd,” Ronan sighed. “Alright, cutting right to it, then. We’re brothers. Half, to be exact.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know me or my family.”
“That’s where we disagree,” he said quietly. “I saw your face and knew.”
“Why should I care about a family that’s never said a fucking thing to me?”
He smiled sadly. “That we agree on.”
I turned to walk away, but he followed.
“I’m not going anywhere until you hear me out.”
“You’ll be waiting a long fucking time.”
Yet, something about him stopped me from telling him to fuck off completely. Maybe it was the side of me that had severe daddy issues.
“I could leave,” he said. “But I think we can help each other.”
I snapped at his words, slamming him against the wall, my forearm at his throat.
“You think you can fucking help me? The cops just told me my omega, my scent match who’s been missing for four fucking years, is dead. I don’t even get the courtesy of proof. Oh, and tonight? I’m going to kill her mother.”
“I assume you have a reason,” he choked out, still just as calm as he was before.
“She sold her.”
“What if I told you I could make that clean? Make sure nothing traces back to you?”
I released him slowly, eyes narrowing but he had me hooked now.
“Tell me more,” I demanded.
“Join me in my car,” he said as he adjusted his suit and glanced around. “We’ll talk privately.”
I realized what I’d admitted to and grimaced. The asshole had a point. Deep down, I knew the cop’s words were full of lies, and I needed a chance to find the truth.
“Fine.”
He waited as I pulled on my sweatpants and hoodie, pulling up the hood and slinging my bag over my shoulder. Once I nodded that I was ready, he turned, leading me outside into the night.
By now the crowd had vanished, leaving a few cars. In the center of the light was one that stood out. Of course, that was the one he walked right to, clicking to unlock it, the lights flashing in response.
The black Audi screamed money. Real money. He smirked at my questioning look. There was no fucking way any man that had money like this was related to me.
I grew up in a fucking trailer. Had to fight for every meal and opportunity I had.
“Let me introduce you to a new life, brother.”
I hated that I trusted him. But something about the way he talked to me told me that he was different. That he meant what he said.
As soon as the doors shut and we were alone, he spoke again.
“Do you know who the Crows are?”
Everyone did. I just didn’t place his last name to them until now.
“What are you proposing?” I asked. His offer held even more weight now. He could make this a clean death.
“I want you to join the family, brother. We have resources. Money. Power. You can even keep fighting if you want. Two fights a week, but the rest of the time, you work with my team.”
“And you’ll make sure she disappears after I extract my pound of flesh,” I said flatly. It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway. “Fine.”
He grinned. “I knew you’d come around.”