The Mask Falls

Nikolai POV

My knuckles were raw, but I didn't care. I threw another fast jab into the punching bag, watching it swing back before hitting it again with everything I had. Sweat was dripping into my eyes, stinging, but the pain was the only thing keeping my mind off that night.

It had been two days. Two days since I met the woman in the silver mask at the club, and I still couldn't get her out of my head. Every time I blinked, I remembered the way her skin felt under my hands, hot and smooth, and the way her pulse jumped when I touched her wrist.

My inner demon was clawing at my ribs, restless and angry, demanding to go back to the docks and search every inch of the city for her.

"That bag didn't do anything to you, Nikolai."

I stopped, my breath coming in heavy gasps, and turned my head. My father stood near the doorway of the private training room, his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't smiling. He never smiled.

"Just blowing off steam," I said, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand.

"You need to blow off steam on the ice, not here," my father said, his voice flat and unyielding. "Get cleaned up and put on a suit. The Moretti family is upstairs. We are finalizing the contract and setting the wedding date tonight."

I wiped my hands on a towel, hiding the bloody skin on my joints. "They're early."

"They are right on time," he replied, giving me a sharp look. "Fix your face and get down to the main hall. You are the future leader of this syndicate, Nikolai. Stop acting like a street fighter and start acting like an heir."

He turned and walked out, leaving the door wide open.

I stared at the swinging bag for a few seconds, letting out a rough breath. I hated the suits. I hated the fake dinners, the politeness, and the endless talk about territory lines. But I had a job to do. I was three months away from marrying Chloe Moretti, a girl I barely knew, all to make sure our family stayed at the top.

I took a fast shower, threw on a black suit, and forced myself to walk down the staircase into the main hall.

The room was lit up, smelling strongly of fresh flowers and expensive perfume. Servants were walking around with trays of drinks, and my father was already standing near the entrance, talking to Dante Moretti.

As I reached the bottom step, Chloe spotted me. Her face lit up with a bright smile, and she hurried over, her heels clicking against the floor. She looked pretty in a soft blue dress, her blonde hair falling down her shoulders in neat curls.

"Nikolai!" she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing my cheek. "I missed you."

"Hey, Chloe," I said, forcing my voice to sound gentle as I stepped back.

She wrapped both of her hands around my forearm, leaning her head against my shoulder. She smelled like vanilla and sweet bakery items. It was a nice, clean scent, but my demon didn't care for it. He stayed sleeping deep in my mind, cold and distant, completely unbothered by her presence.

"My dad brought all the final papers," Chloe said, looking up at me with bright eyes. "Can you believe it? We're actually setting the date tonight. Everything is happening so fast, but I'm so excited."

"Yeah," I lied, patting her hand. "It's big news."

"Nikolai, come over here," my father called out, waving his hand toward Dante.

I walked over, carrying Chloe on my arm like an accessory. Dante Moretti smiled as I approached, holding out a hand for me to shake.

"Good to see you, son," Dante said, his voice loud and full of false warmth. "You played a tough game on Tuesday. Shame about the final score, but we know you'll bounce back for the playoffs."

"Thank you, sir," I said, keeping my tone polite. "We're fixing our mistakes in practice."

"Good, good," Dante said, turning back toward the open front door. "Now, we just need my eldest to join us so we can go over the financial clauses. Ah, here she comes. She had to grab the files from the car."

I didn't really care about the legal team. I looked past Dante toward the doorway, waiting for some old lawyer to walk through so we could get this over with and sit down for dinner.

Then she stepped inside.

She was wearing a dark green dress that hit just below her knees, her long dark hair pulled back into a neat style. She was holding a thick folder under one arm, her eyes fixed on the paper in her hand as she walked into the room.

"This is my eldest daughter, Bella," Dante said, waving a hand toward her. "She handles all our corporate legal work."

The moment she lifted her head, the air in my lungs completely vanished.

I froze. My hand tightened around Chloe's arm so fast that Chloe let out a soft gasp, but I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

Those eyes. Sharp, dark, and intense.

A draft swept through the open front doors, carrying her scent straight across the hall. The sweet vanilla smell from Chloe was instantly wiped out. All I could smell was rain, and the dark forest right before a massive storm.

It was her.

My demon didn't just wake up—he roared. He slammed against my chest with so much force that I took a tiny step backward, my whole body going rigid as heat flooded my veins.

MATE.

The word echoed inside my skull, the bond snapped into place so hard my vision blurred around the edges. My heart started hammering against my ribs, wild and out of control, as my dark energy scratched at my skin, desperate to get out and claim her right there on the floor.

Bella stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes locked onto mine, widening in shock.

She knew. I could see it in the way her cheeks went pale, the way her grip on the folder tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"Bella, dear," Dante said, completely oblivious to the fact that the room had just turned into a war zone. "Come meet Nikolai. You'll be seeing a lot of him from now on."

She took a slow, forced step forward. Every movement looked like it was taking all of her strength. She walked right up to us, stopping a few feet away.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Nikolai," she said.

Her voice hit me like a blow. It was the same low, smooth voice that had whispered against my ear in the dark room, telling me she was nobody for the night.

"Nikolai?" Chloe asked, shaking my arm gently. "Are you okay? You're staring."

I forced my jaw to unlock, forcing my eyes to stay blue when I could feel the red heat rising up behind my lashes.

"Nice to meet you, Bella," I gritted out.

My father gave me a stern nudge in the back. "Shake her hand, Nikolai. Where are your manners?"

I reached out my hand. My fingers were trembling, but I couldn't stop them.

Bella swallowed hard, hesitation clear in her dark eyes, before she lifted her hand and placed her palm in mine.

The second our skin touched, an electric shock shot straight up my arm. It felt like bare live wire hitting my chest. A gasp broke from Bella's lips, and her fingers twitched, almost dropping the folder to the floor. I gripped her hand tighter for just a second, feeling her pulse racing under her skin.

Our eyes met, locked together in a silent, terrifying struggle. She was staring at me with a mix of anger and horror, her soul screaming the exact same thing mine was.

I was holding the hand of my fated mate—and her younger sister was still clinging to my other arm.