Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

"Well, Well, Well! It seems our Black Fang has done it again! Much like his father, with a brutal method Nikolai Volkov crushed his opponents! For those interested, his final fight of the week will be on Friday Night! TWO days from now!"

The announcer's voice reverberated through the Arena.

A booming noise that made Nikolai's head throb with a sharp pang.

Nikolai's arms dangled, blood dripping onto the arena floor as the roaring crowd celebrated. Likely, many people chose to bet on him. He did too. Yet, the joy and exhilaration of the fight, like last time, didn't come.

The dull throbbing of the tiger woman's claws grew stronger.

"Ngh...!"

He staggered to the cage door with screaming muscles and a bruised cheek, the feeling a little dull as he left the Arena.

"Shit. He did it."

"Really! I bet on him!"

"He looked brutal! Imagine dating him?"

The last female's voice sounded quite excited, but Nikolai didn't want to hear these voices; he just wanted something to dull the pain. As he slogged into the meeting room, he found the Arena Master.

Why the hell is he here?

An Arena Master didn't have a reason to be in the fighter's gathering pit.

There was some business he needed to take care of, "Ah, Mr Volkov. I must say, your performance was most enchanting." The male's rough, almost metallic voice gruffed. So it was Nikolai he wanted to see... only the thought lingered in his mind as the small, cowardly male approached him.

He didn't care; his head felt full of cotton, his body stiff, and the wounds stung like a bitch. The bleeding from his wounds had almost entirely stopped.

"Well, I did my best."

The Arena Master showed a strange response, as if he knew it wasn't... well, Nikolai didn't even transform to fight them.

Shit, is this why he keeps making my matches harder?

"If you say so, sir." He smiled in a crooked way that made him want to punch him. That is when, out of the blue, a large, meaty hand landed on Nikolai's shoulder.

"Black Bear?"

"Oh, Kid you remembered?"

The deep and calming voice of the huge bear-type beast chuckled, his breath carrying a faint scent of honey from his whiskey. Black Bear's dark, furry face lit up with a hearty laugh that echoed through the meeting room.

"Despite being injured, you sure fought well. Your dad would be proud."

He knew I was injured!?

Nikolai backed off, his eyes wide.

"Woah, woah, don't worry kid. I don't have the hobby of attacking or hurting the injured and those who have fought already." Black Bear waved his hand dismissively, his face surprisingly kind for a beast that towered at over seven feet tall and a body covered in thick fur and strange scars of grey hair that trailed along his flesh.

"Honestly, I just wanted to get your dads number, since he promised to go drinking again."

"Ah? Sorry."

It was strange, this Bear seemed to be the current champion or at least close to it. But Nikolai couldn't feel the same gaze he got from the other monsters, especially the Silver Clan goons.

"Well, you look horrible. Want to join me?" Black Bear held up a bottle of premium whiskey.

The price of the bottle was close to $300

"I have a whole case of these things in my VIP room. Heh, heh." The Bear's offer was tempting, and Nikolai didn't get the bad vibes from the burly monster, so why not?.

"Sure, do you have a first aid kit?"

"Of course I do, also... there will be a few other guests but that's okay right?"

"If Black Bear offered them a drink, then they're probably good people."

"Oho, Kid you say some good things!"

The Arena Master looked bewildered and a little agitated. His face twitched, but for now the strange man kept his silence. "Right, Mr. Volkov, I wanted to discuss the possibility of making your next fight..."

"I'll fight anyone, so do what your masters tell you." He shouted back and followed Big Bear.

***

Black Bear's VIP room was extravagant. The bottle of Whiskey in Nikolai's hand felt soft, almost silky, as his thumb rolled along the surface of the glass.

It was a strange brand; the bottle itself managed to keep the amber nectar inside at the perfect temperature, as if by magic. The walls carried images and screens of Black Bear and his most impressive fights so far.

While the main window overlooked a digital image of the cage, meaning it was a room for those who loved the Arena.

Not bad...

Nikolai took a swig of the whiskey, its sweet caramel flavour followed by a hot honey aftertaste and smooth texture made it the perfect drink to ease his nerves and pain after such a fight.

"Phew, that's nice."

"Hahaha! You like it? Drink as much as you like, your dad would do the same, and since you fight like him. I will treat you the same."

Black Bear's eyes shone when speaking of Ivan, which made Nikolai feel a sense of curiosity. Big Bear reminded him of Alexei, but with a rougher and feral atmosphere.

"Were you close to my dad?"

"Huh?" Big Bear looked at him, his head tilted, before he chuckled.

"Hehehe... I guess you don't know about it, well let's say I am an outcast of my clan and if it wasn't for your dad. I might have been used as a carpet or rug by now."

Black Bear gulped a large mouthful of his whiskey and placed the glass on the table. His face calm, the enormous beast leaned back in the black leather chair and patted the backrest.

"To be honest, he could have asked for anything, but your old man... he only ever asked for a place to relax after a fight."

It's interesting learning more about my dad... to think he would just relax in an illegal arena.

"So, you're our first guest!?" The door to Black Bear's room popped open as two ladies entered.

Nikolai's thoughts and mind froze the moment he saw them...

The first woman wasn't human, clearly Black Bear's good friend, as she slipped straight into his arms, a soft kiss to the cheek and a giggle. When she looked at Nikolai, her mouth opened wider and she gasped. "Oh my, you look just like a younger and more handsome Ivan!"

"Hi there, little Volkov." Her hand raised, and a wave followed, a thick tail swishing behind her back.

Another Beastkin... along with supernaturals, there were planets with the rare humanoid species.

They were far stronger, with different cultures and biology, compared to humans.

However, they looked very much the same, and the woman, who currently pressed her huge bust against the burly Bear, was probably a dog or canine type... not a wolf, at least.

The difference between werewolves and Beastkin was that Beastkin couldn't hide their features, nor transform themselves.

However, she wasn't the issue... it was the second woman who seemed human at first glance as she slipped onto the seat close to Nikolai. But he could smell it, the scent of this woman matched the masked women he fought, even her physique and movements.

"You look familiar, have we met before...?"

He asked the pretty woman with fair skin a cliché-sounding chat-up line, which brought a smirk to the dog woman's lips as the black haired woman with eyes like ink focused on his face.

She looks familiar, but where have I seen her?

Nikolai focused on her face. Her sharp jawline, plump lips and high cheekbones reminded him of a woman he couldn't quite remember, but knew he had seen her often in the past. He thought for a moment, his mind swaying, the alcohol and pain making him feel light-headed.

"Hello, little wolf." Her sharp, husky voice sounded suddenly vibrating in his ears.

Little Wolf!?

This cheeky woman!

"Who are you calling little?" The words slipped from his mouth, the whiskey loosening him up, and she chuckled in return.

"Oh, my a big bad wolf is angry with me~ what should I do?"

She teased, the scent of her body becoming thicker and more earthy. She leaned close to him, their thighs touching. "Don't you think it's dangerous? I could eat you in one bite, Nikolai."

The beauty's words caused Nikolai to shiver. Her hand slipped across his thigh, her nails raking his pants as she approached his crotch, and whispered,

"My, my... you really aren't little. Fufu, maybe I was wrong."

Black Bear watched the interaction for a moment, then turned away with the dog woman and two other people who had entered while Nikolai focused on the woman.

That's when he took the chance to lean forward, catching the woman off guard as his fingers slid through her hair, and yanked her closer. "Listen, Cat. If you don't value your life it's your fault. But next time you should pick your target better." The woman was the tiger from earlier, her strange mask... likely to hide her true face.

A scent of pomegranate and rose spread through his nose, the odour of the masked tigress.

"Fufu, I've already marked my prey." Her hand slipped along his jaw, while her other hand stroked his thigh in long, sweeping movements. "You won't get away, I will definitely kill you." Her eyes shimmered in the light, with a hint of gold inside them.

Face to face with the woman who attacked him, Nikolai's mouth twisted into a distorted smirk. As he sank his claws into the back of her neck, the woman looked at him with flushed cheeks and plump, bright red lips.