Chapter Text
6 months from the present...
He moved through the abandoned warehouse with practiced ease, boots crunching softly against broken glass and dust. The place smelled of rust and old oil, a forgotten shell left to rot. He didn’t slow until he reached the table at the center of the room. An envelope waited for him there, pristine and deliberate, its edges perfectly aligned. Around it lay several photographs, carefully arranged like offerings. He didn’t need to pick them up to know what they were.
"Thank you for coming," a voice said from behind him. He turned, already assessing the man who stepped out of the shadows. Clean suit. Controlled posture. The kind of authority that didn’t need to raise its voice.
"I hear you pay handsomely for my services," he replied, finally glancing down at the photos.
The man nodded, clearing his throat as he approached the table. He picked up one photograph and held it between two fingers. "This man is your target," he said calmly. Then, after a pause, "More specifically, his mate."
The photo was passed to him. He studied it. "Anything I need to know about him? Is he dangerous?"
The man let out a sharp scoff. "No. He's a doctor."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why the fuck am I being paid to target a doctor and his mate?"
The man's jaw tightened, his eyes darkening with soothing ugly and unresolved. "He killed my mate," he said quietly. "And now I'm killing his."
For a moment, he said nothing. He had rules, a moral code. Doctors, kids. Untouchable. But rules didn't pay rent, and he was greedy. The number on the check inside that envelope would erase every hesitation he had.
"Right," he murmured at last. "That's your business." He looked back at the photographs. What's the timeline?"
"As soon as possible."
"Give me a month," he said. "I'll study their habits. Learn their routines. Gather my people."
The man nodded. "Perfect. And I want proof."
A humorless smirk curved his lips. "You'll get photos," he said. "The moment the mate is dead."
A week from that day...
"Thought you'd chicken out?"
He turned slowly, eyes narrowing as they locked onto the man lounging in the shadows. "You underestimate me."
A smirk tinged at the man's mouth. He lifted a photograph, letting it dangle between his fingers. The face staring back was painfully familiar. "I hear you've taken a job involving this man."
"Maybe," he said coldly. "What's it to you?"
The man hummed, circling him like a predator testing his prey. "I also hear he has a pack," he continued. "A strong one. Omegas. Betas. Plenty of leverage if you know where to look.
He exhaled through his node, jaw tightening. "Yeah, I've been... observing them. there's quite a few."
The man's smile widened, sharp and hungry. "I'll pay you double whatever the other one promised, if you bring me the omegas and betas alive. "
That made him pause. He glanced back at the photograph, then at the man's eager expression. "Do I want to know why?"
"No," the man answered simply.
Silence stretched between them. His rules flickered in the back of his mind, then vanished under the weight of greed and inevitability. "Give me three weeks," he said at last. "I'll make it work."
The man nodded, already turning away, deal sealed.
"Oh, a done more thing," the man added over his shoulder. "I know the original order was to kill the mate. But I've seen him." A low chuckle followed. "He's a beauty."
He didn't turn back. "I'll be keeping him."