Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Nikolai sat on the edge of his bed, two women convulsing behind him—dull marks and love bites along with hand-shaped prints covered their bodies and hips. Last night became wild. He flicked his head back, wiping sweat from his face before heading to the bathroom.

"Leona was amazing."

Despite knowing she must've been angry, Leona didn't complain once.

Instead, she tried her best to please and regain Nikolai's attention. She succeeded. When he finished inside Clara, Leona kissed and caressed him until he couldn't endure, and once she gained control, Leona didn't let go.

I should get ready and prepare for tonight.

***

The scalding water burned Nikolai, flowing down his spine before swirling in the drain, washing the sweat, dirt and scent of sex away. His heart pounded slowly as he lost himself in thought about the arena, facing the Silver clan and meeting with Sulley.

Steam rolled along the mirror and walls as he leaned his palms against the tiles, eyes shut and focused on the painful ache in his chest.

Clara's blood still lingered inside him like molten sugar, sweet and poisonous. He could almost hear her soft voice, her moans and the bloodthirst he barely contained with a night of non-stop sex still threatened to drive him back into the pit of lust.

"It was dangerous, but not the way I thought..."

He muttered while watching his reflection in the foggy mirror.

In his madness after swallowing so many powerful human souls, he entered a berserk state and almost fucked the girl at the counter, then Clara. The need and hunger he felt for a woman after killing those SSS agents was something he'd never experienced before.

"Keep it together."

A warning to himself so that he wouldn't forget their importance to him.

Since I've crossed the line, I'll take responsibility.

Nikolai couldn't betray Ryan, his best friend, without seriously considering Clara's happiness, although he expected a punch or two.

Despite this, he would accept whatever emotions Ryan might throw at him.

When he stepped back into the apartment, the smell of breakfast spread through the penthouse. Clara sat wearing a fresh dress, her black hair tied in a braid, cheeks faintly pink when she noticed his gaze. Leona stood by the counter, mug in hand, every inch the picture of calm, though her neck still bore countless kiss marks.

"Eat," She passed a plate without looking at him. "You'll need the strength tonight."

He laughed at her fake anger, noticing the love heart drawn in ketchup. "With pleasure."

"Hmph, if you lose, I'll drag you back and kill you myself." She met his eyes with a sharp glare before drinking from her mug with red cheeks. "Handsome bastard."

Clara peeked at the two while eating a sweet porridge, her arm trembling with each spoonful.

Anya popped her head into the kitchen, messy-haired and grinning. "Honey, why didn't you come to me last night if you were that horny!?" She slipped into the dining room, sat beside Clara, and said something in her ear that turned Clara's face bright red.

"A-Anya..." Clara pouted, but couldn't overpower the vampire shaking her.

"Tch." Nikolai grabbed a plate, but his hand trembled just once when he lifted the fork. The power inside him still hadn't settled. He shoved food down anyway, because Leona was watching him with a worried face.

Not long after the group enjoyed their breakfast, Ryan entered the room with unsteady steps, his eyes red, and the dense scent of alcohol lingered on his body.

Ryan's hair was a mess, sticking up in tufts, his shirt half-buttoned, trousers crumpled as if he'd rolled straight from bed. He scratched his jaw, squinting at the light streaming through the blinds, before his gaze landed on Clara.

"Clara, you seem different..."

He watched her with glassy eyes, her braid, her flushed face... and then the faint bruises along her neck and collarbone that no summer dress could hide.

He froze.

Love bites, kiss marks and fingerprints that formed light bruises.

The sound of cutlery on porcelain faded, because everyone knew what he'd seen.

"You." His voice was hoarse, but it carried a sense of sharpness like a sword that sliced through the room. He pointed at Nikolai with a sharp glare. "Outside. Now."

Clara's spoon clattered back into her bowl. "Brother, wait—"

"Not a word, Clara."

His tone snapped like a whip while his bloodshot eyes never left Nikolai's.

Nikolai didn't make a scene; he set down his fork carefully, stood without a sigh and followed Ryan into the hall before shutting the door behind them, sealing the women off.

Ryan's fists were already trembling.

"Did you sleep with my sister..... Did you fuck Clara!?"

Nikolai didn't flinch, his calm eyes steady and unshaken. "Yes."

Ryan's face twisted, half with rage, half with something close to grief. "She's my little sister, you bastard! My flesh and blood. And you—" His fist lashed out, colliding with Nikolai's jaw. The crack echoed down the corridor.

It wasn't painful; a human couldn't hurt a supernatural of Nikolai's level.

Nikolai's head turned, but he didn't retaliate. He only straightened himself, wiped his lip with his thumb and said. "I won't make excuses. I crossed the line."

Ryan's voice broke, raw. "Do you think this is a fucking game? She's not like the others, Niko! She's not some vampire slut or wolf bitch. She's Clara. My sister. My—" His voice caught.

Nikolai's hand grabbed his throat. "Who the fuck are you calling a slut, or bitch. Human."

His rage shattered like glass, into pieces of terror and pure fear as Ryan faced Nikolai's uncontrolled rage as he lifted him off the floor; Ryan kicked out, but couldn't break free.

As the crack of bones sounded, Nikolai's eyes calmed as he dropped Ryan to the floor, his neck dark purple from the pressure.

"Hack....Haa...."

"She's not a child Ryan." Nikolai's tone was cold. "She knew what she wanted, and I'll take responsibility for our actions."

Ryan stared at him, chest heaving. "Responsibility? What the hell does that mean? You think that makes it fine?"

"No." Nikolai's gaze sharpened, his aura simmering just beneath his skin. "It means if she wants me, she has me. I won't betray her. Or you. Whatever comes of this… I'll face it as her husband and family."

Ryan clenched his fists again, then slammed them against the wall instead of Nikolai's chest. The plaster cracked, dust raining to the floor. He leaned there, shaking, the anger bleeding faded like hot water cooling and became something else...

"You're my brother, Niko." His voice dropped, hoarse and raspy from the hangover. "That's the only reason I haven't killed you. But if you hurt her—if you make her cry even once—" His glare lifted, burning. "I'll kill you, even if you are a monster king."

Nikolai tilted his head with a faint smile, acknowledging his brother and friend. "Fair enough."

For a moment, silence filled the room. Two wolves, one human and one not, stared across the gulf that would never be completely closed after a betrayal like this.

Finally, Ryan pushed past him. "Get ready for your fight. I need a fucking drink."

Nikolai watched him go, then turned back toward the kitchen, jaw aching, lip bloodied, but his chest strangely lighter.

At least now…

There were no lies or secrets.

Nikolai didn't go back to breakfast.

Got it — here's a tight 300-word closer that shifts smoothly from Ryan's confrontation into the Arena/Silver Clan setup, without breaking your pacing or tone:

Nikolai didn't go back to breakfast.

The apartment felt too small, too heavy with Clara's scent and Ryan's words still rattling in his skull. He grabbed his jacket and stepped onto the balcony, letting the cold air slap his skin. The city below moved as if nothing had happened, taxis darting, hawkers shouting, people living. For them, tonight would just be another evening.

Tonight would be his promotion match to the following division, one step closer to saving Sulley for Kumiko, and to proving himself.

His phone buzzed in his pocket suddenly.

An unknown number, but he answered without hesitation.

A man's voice, cold and deliberate. "Nikolai Volkov."

"… Who's asking?"

"Hato, of the Silver Clan."

Nikolai's lips curved into a twisted smile. He leaned on the balcony and listened to the male.

"You finally show yourselves."

"You carry Ivan's blood," the voice continued. "Do you know what that means?"

"That you little bitches are terrified?"

"You and your father wiped out our pack, branded us traitors. Our Kin bled and died alone in that lonely land; now you seek a prisoner, aren't you foolish? In the arena, you will suffer!"

A sharp silence followed, thick with old hatred, before the line cut dead.

Nikolai stared at the city once again; the gloomy grey clouds matched his feelings. He wondered if maybe some lightning might strike before leaning against the cold stone wall.

He clenched the railing until the steel groaned. So that's it… mortal enemies from the start.

Tonight would not be about them.

He turned back toward the apartment, shadows swallowing his face. "Silver Clan… Sulley…" His lips twisted into a wolfish grin.

"Good. I'll tear out the truth from your throats."

The Arena awaited.