Chapter 15: Look familiar?

But Liam’s heart, which had just begun to calm down, flared with agitation again. He knew—she’d noticed something. That’s why she cut the conversation short.

He folded the blanket neatly, set it down, then pressed the internal comm. “Circle.”

On the other end, the alphas monitoring the channel collectively flinched.

“Shit. Lucas isn’t here today—we can’t handle this!”

A beat later, the comm buzzed again.

“Send Jaxon in.”

Now, no one said a word.

.....

By the time Lucas made it back to the boxing ring, the place was packed.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the two alphas in the ring.

One of them towered close to two meters tall, bandages wrapping his bare arms—several already soaked through with blood. At that moment, he dodged an attack and stepped back, eyes locking on his opponent before landing a precise, punishing punch.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

The other alpha—mid-swing—froze. The punch, wild and brutal, stopped just short of slamming into the bite stopper strapped to his jaw.

The mood shifted instantly.

The alpha on the edge of the ring had lost control completely—deep in his susceptibility period. There was nothing human left in his expression. Just raw aggression, bloodlust, and the kind of violence only an unbonded alpha could carry at their most vulnerable.

In this state, what they needed wasn’t a fight. They needed their omega, soothing, grounding, love.

Liam could’ve had that. Could’ve curled up in comfort and warmth and asked for what he needed. But he’d already pushed that chance away.

With a crack, Jaxon heard the bone in his left arm snap.

Pain didn’t hit right away. He clutched his shoulder and staggered along the edge of the ring, eyes darting around for help.

When he spotted Lucas in the crowd, he practically screamed in relief.

“Lucas! Lucas, fuck, help me!”

Lucas’s eyes locked on him—cold enough to kill.

That’s when Jaxon realized how badly he’d fucked up. But Lucas didn’t move. He turned to the alpha next to him. “How long’s he been up there?”

“Going on two hours,” the man replied.

Lucas nodded. He could already feel the heat building in his own glands. The pheromones in the air were thick and volatile. Fighting through the discomfort, he turned and made his way upstairs fast.

The moment he stepped into the control room, the lingering scent inside hit him like a wall. Without hesitation, he cranked the fresh air system to full blast and pulled a syringe from the drawer.

Before heading back down, Lucas paused at the French window, scanning the street below. His eyes caught on the building across the way and narrowed slightly.

He tapped the internal comm at the back of his ear. “Who’s in Room 19 tonight?”

A voice replied instantly, “Mr. Tyson, sir.”

Lucas cursed under his breath. Of all fucking people.

He didn’t say anything else. Just turned on his heel and left the room.

Back in the ring, the alpha with the bite stopper was a storm of feral violence. Red eyes, fists flying—he threw Jaxon again and again like a ragdoll, each crash shaking the stage and rattling the metal rails.

The air inside the ring was thick with pheromones, driving the watching alphas into a frenzy.

Lucas shrugged off his coat, pulled on a fitted vest, and strapped on a mask over the lower half of his face. Then, without hesitation, he opened the iron gate and stepped inside.

Now there were three alphas on the ring.

The crowd erupted—cheering, shouting, whistling. A wild, primal excitement rippled through them. More alphas surged toward the ring, riled up by the intoxicating scent and violence in the air.

The alpha still wearing the bite stopper cocked his head, glancing lazily at Lucas. His mouth was hidden behind the cold steel, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed a smile. He was thrilled.

And then—crack.

Luca didn’t even have time to dodge before his right arm was seized and twisted, the sound of breaking bones echoing through the ring. He gritted his teeth as pain shot up his side.

“Jaxon, what the fuck are you doing?!” Lucas shouted, struggling. “Get over here!”

Jaxon, still dazed and barely holding himself up, snapped back to reality. Half-limping, he dragged himself across the ring to help, muttering, “You just love using me as your punching bag.”

Lucas nodded at him in a silent signal.

Jaxon nearly cried when he saw it. “You bastard...”

Still, he charged again, taking another hit to buy Lucas the second he needed.

With one swift motion, Lucas jabbed the syringe into the raging alpha’s side.

But the effect wasn’t immediate.

The alpha grabbed him by the throat.

Jaxon was already down, stomped hard into the mat, unable to move.

“Boss, it’s me—Lucas—snap out of it!” Lucas gasped, the pressure on his neck increasing.

He couldn’t breathe. His face turned red, veins bulging at his temple.

Upstairs, in VIP Box 19, someone asked quietly, “Do you want us to step in?”

Tyson didn’t answer right away. He was toying with the pinky ring on his finger, eyes locked on the chaos below. Though half the alpha’s face was covered by the bite guard, something about him was familiar.

Too familiar.

Tyson’s lips curled slightly. “No need. But don’t let anyone know I was here tonight.”

The man behind him gave a quick nod. “Understood.”

On the stage, Lucas was almost unconscious when he finally pulled out a folded blanket and pressed it into the alpha’s chest.

“Boss... wake up…”

The lingering scent of red currant soaked into the air—sweet, delicate, grounding.

The drug finally kicked in. The alpha’s glowing red eyes wavered, then dimmed.

Liam’s fingers loosened. Lucas collapsed to the floor, coughing violently.

Still dazed, Liam stared at the blanket in his hands like it was sacred.

“Boss?” Lucas asked, voice hoarse.

“…Yeah.” Liam replied, barely audible, hugging the blanket tight and burying his face into it.

The faint scent was like gentle hands soothing his broken mind.

His body gave out from the strain of two back-to-back outbursts. He gripped the iron railing beside him to stay upright.

Lucas stepped up, caught his arm with his uninjured hand, and leaned close to whisper something in his ear.

“I knew it.”

The chaos had ended. Outside, pale dawn light spilled through the windows. The crowd had vanished. Silence returned.

Tyson was the last to leave. As he passed the ring, he paused, looking up with a smirk.

“That was a hell of a fight.”

No one on stage responded.

As his footsteps faded, Lucas asked, “He knows something?”

Liam, still on the ring, removed the bite stopper and rolled his sore neck. “No. He doesn’t.”

Lucas wiped the cold sweat off his brow, wincing. He shifted slightly and hissed in pain.

A sound came from behind him.

Lucas turned around. “I’m the one moving, why are you hissing?”

Jaxon bared his teeth. His face was already twisted in pain, but now it crumpled even more. “Shit hurts me too, okay?”

He glanced over at Liam. “Boss, what the hell happened? Lucas and I couldn’t stop you this time.”

Liam’s knuckles tightened around the blanket. He gave them both a once-over, then muttered, “Call Jayden. Get him to check you two out.”

And without another word, he left.

Jaxon came limping over to Lucas, both of them battered and breathless, watching Liam’s retreating figure.

“Seriously, what the hell happened?”

Lucas looked away, voice low.

“I don’t know.”

..........

At the Langley family’s dining table, the twins had been bickering nonstop since they sat down. August, seated at the head of the table, watched them with a gentle smile, used to their antics.

Maverick, quietly eating his breakfast, couldn’t help but chuckle a few times.

Noticing, Audrey—ever the observant one—adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and looked over. “Brother Maverick, you should smile more often,” she said cheerfully. Then she shot her sister a playful glance. “You look way better smiling than my sis does.”

Maverick’s ears instantly flushed red. Still smiling, he ducked his head and continued eating.

Amelia raised an eyebrow. “He’s younger than you, Audrey. Don’t go calling him that.”

Just as she picked up her spoon for a sip of porridge, her phone screen lit up with a message.

Tyson: (Photo attached)

Tyson: Look familiar?

She didn’t click the photo. Instead, she flipped the phone over and powered it off. Her expression remained unchanged as she lowered her head and calmly continued eating.

After breakfast, Maverick headed out to pick up Knox and the others—they’d made plans in the group chat to hang out today.

In the courtyard, the guys arrived carrying boxes of supplements and expensive-looking gift sets. “These are for Mr. August.”

Amelia leaned casually to the side, eyeing the haul. “Put it all here. And make sure to take it with you when you leave,” she added dryly.

Knox set his things down and started yelling at the others, “Told you! The Captain doesn’t like this stuff. But no, you just had to bring it.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

The group collectively rolled their eyes and dropped their boxes. James, standing at the front, reached out and grabbed the unprepared Knox by the collar.

“You go inside first, Captain. We need to have a little chat with this guy.”

The moment Amelia stepped inside, Knox was swarmed. The guys started kicking and punching him.

Their rowdy laughter and scuffling echoed through the courtyard, drawing Audrey away from her writing.

She paused at the doorway, watching the scene unfold. Her eyes caught the soft smile on her sister’s face—one of the rare, unguarded ones.

Walking over, Audrey tilted her head to look up at Amelia.

“What are you staring at?” Amelia asked, catching her gaze.

Audrey shrugged. Her sister’s curly hair was lazily tied up, a few strands brushing against her cheeks, making her fair face seem even more delicate.

“I was just thinking,” Audrey said. “Maybe going to the military camp really was the right call for you.”

Amelia snorted, “Hard to say.”

Audrey ignored the jab. She took a step closer and suddenly wrapped her arms around Amelia’s, resting her head on her sister’s shoulder.

“I know I’ve been busy. I haven’t been around much for you. I’m sorry.”

“How long are you staying this time?”

Since starting her writing career, Audrey had been constantly on the move—meeting people, gathering inspiration, crafting characters from real-life experiences.

“Charles accepted my new script,” she said, letting go and leaning against the doorframe with her hands in her coat pockets. “If all goes well, I’ll be staying in-state for the rest of the year.”

Amelia turned to look at her. “When did you and Charles get so close?”

Audrey sighed. “Charles and I have always gotten along. You just never noticed.” She poked her sis in the arm. “You’re way too inattentive when it comes to your adorable, talented little sister. You should apologize.”

“Speak like a normal person,” Amelia muttered, rolling her eyes. She reached out to flick Audrey’s forehead but ended up pulling off the black-rimmed glasses resting on her head instead.