"How could I ever forget you? You betrayed my family and killed my father!"
Lucien's voice trembled, not just with rage but with something heavier. Pain and betrayal burned deep in his heart.
Mikhail Reznik. The man who now stood before him as Crimson Diablo had once been the old Hound, the Capo in charge of arms, the one who took on the filthiest jobs.
Lucien remembered the boy he had been: a street rat, a nameless orphan scrabbling for scraps, taken in by his grandfather and given a place in the famiglia.
And yet, he had turned his back when he already had power and influence.
And after the death of his father, he build a new group, Dominus.
Lucien still didn't understand why. That unanswered question gnawed at him even now. Maybe that was why he hadn't seen Vincent's betrayal creeping up in front of him.
He was still too naïve. Believing someone would give loyalty as long as he gives them respect.
Mikhail laughed, low and unbothered. "Still clinging to the past? It's been years, little serpent. You were just a brat back then."
His golden eyes glimmered with something cruelly playful. "Why don't we make peace? There's profit in the future if we join hands."
Lucien's teeth ground together. The audacity. The arrogance. Alpha of all alphas or not, this bastard needed a bullet in his skull just to remind him where he stood.
"Kill him!" Lucien roared.
Gunfire erupted instantly, the rooftop flashing with muzzle flare.
But Mikhail moved like a shadow come alive. His speed was inhuman, his body weaving through the storm of bullets with terrifying grace.
Shots grazed him—splitting cloth, streaking skin—but nothing more.
The Diablo laughed again, even as death rained down around him.
The first guard didn't even have time to scream. A single punch caved in his jaw with a sickening crack, his body skidding across the gravel.
The second raised his rifle, only for Mikhail to twist the barrel aside, rip it from his grip, and ram it like a spear through his stomach. The man crumpled, blood spilling down the weapon's length.
"Damn it! Get in your position!" Hound's voice rang out, but the situation was out of control.
The third tried to retreat. Mikhail's pistol barked once, the bullet tearing through the guard's skull. He dropped like a dead weight.
Lucien froze.
"Monsters breed monsters," Mikhail sneered, spinning his gun toward the last barrier, Hound.
Without hesitation, Hound opened fire. The masked Capo's bullets streaked across the night, forcing Mikhail back step by step.
"Don't underestimate me. I become a Hound after you for a reason." the Hound sneered back.
"Hah! Show me what you've got then? Let's see if you can protect your master!"
Diablo laughed through the storm, firing back, their shots ricocheting off walls, tearing through the rooftop gravel.
Then Mikhail ran fast toward him, his pistol smacking aside Hound's barrel.
The two titans collided, fists and knees cracking against ribs, the rooftop groaning under their weight.
Hound struck fast, disciplined, his scarred face expressionless as his elbow smashed into Mikhail's jaw.
"Fuck! That's a good punch!" he spat blood.
But Diablo was unrelenting. He absorbed the blow, his laughter wild. His knee slammed into Hound's gut, stealing his breath, before an uppercut split his mask.
Lucien joined the fray, his pistol flashing, bullets screaming past Mikhail's head. One grazed his cheek, blood trailing down that arrogant smirk.
"Stay still, you bastard!" Lucien snarled, reloading without fear.
"Still fiery, little serpent," Mikhail taunted, catching Hound's wrist mid-strike and twisting until bone cracked. Hound staggered back, coughing blood.
Lucien shot again and again, and Mikhail swayed, dodging with inhuman reflex, the rounds shattering the rooftop behind him.
"Fucking alpha asshole!" he cursed.
How could humans be that fast and strong? That man literally has holes in his body! And he is still fighting as if it were just a scratch?
'God, you fucking unfair!'
Then Diablo seized Hound by the collar and hurled him against the concrete wall. The Capo slumped, blood trickling from his mask, still breathing but out of the fight.
"Servei! You need to run!" he exclaimed before losing his consciousness.
The rooftop went silent except for Lucien's ragged breaths and beating heart.
Only two remained standing.
Lucien, pistol trembling in his grip.
And Mikhail Reznik, blood streaking his arms, his smile sharp as a blade.
"Well," Mikhail drawled, licking the blood from his lip. "Now it's just you and me, little omega Don."
Lucien widened his eyes, no one knew his true identity. How did this man?
"Of course… It's that damned bastard Vincent!" he cursed under his breath.
They must have worked together, investigating the matter in secret.
"Omega? Who the hell are you calling omega?" Lucien laughed, forcing his nerves into mockery.
"Your accusation is as ridiculous as that tattoo on your finger! You don't even have the right to use it anymore."
"Oh, you mean this?" Mikhail lifted his right index finger.
Etched there was a north star surrounded by fine lines, circling his flesh like a ring.
"This isn't Lucero's symbol," Mikhail said. "This is you, my little star. Don't you know?"
He kissed the tattoo gently before locking his gaze on Lucien. "You will be my omega. Mark my words."
Those words—and that kiss—did something to him. Butterflies in his stomach? Or just a sick twist of disgust? Either way, his body trembled.
'Fuck, he's hot!'
Lucien's gaze betrayed him, drawn to the thick veins in Mikhail's bloodied hands, to the sheer size of those arms, powerful enough to lift him with one hand.
But he shut his eyes, dragging his mind back to betrayal, to rage. When he opened them again, the alpha was already in front of him.
Mikhail's golden eyes glimmered in the dark, sharp and narrow, like a predator fixated on its prey. His hand struck Lucien's pistol, knocking it from his grasp before he could even fire.
"What are you thinking? Eyes up here."
His voice was heavy, hoarse, commanding and it made Lucien's throat tighten.
He tried to step back, but Mikhail's arm caught him, dragging him close until the alpha's mouth brushed his ear.
"Do you know how long I've waited to fuck you? Watching you bark orders, kill men, sit on that bloody throne of yours?" Diablo's lips trailed his neck, inhaling deeply.
"The reason I betrayed your precious famiglia… was because of you, my little star. So don't you dare hate me for it."
Lucien's violet eyes widened. That intoxicating scent—vodka, pomegranate, cedar smoke—wrapped around him like chains.
It pressed against him, oppressive, overwhelming, a dragging instinct to the surface.
But he shook his head hard. He was the Don. The Serpent. He would not fall.
"Hah! Your audacity disgusts me!"
For a heartbeat, Mikhail looked surprised. Then his lips curled into a wide, wolfish grin. "Perfect. Fight me harder."
His hand snapped up, seizing Lucien's jaw. And before Lucien could stop him, the alpha crushed their mouths together, kissing him with raw, brutal force.