Lord Of Beasts

Ethan was used to things going wrong.

Life had taught him that whenever everything seemed to be falling into place, disaster usually wasn’t far behind. Every time fortune smiled at him, something eventually came along to collect the debt.

It had happened too many times for him to believe in happy endings.

So seeing Aunt Clarissa standing there, smiling so brightly and looking healthier than she had in years, filled him with emotions he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Part of him could hardly believe what he was seeing, while another part almost expected someone to rip it all away.

Still, whatever came next, he’d deal with it.

Seeing that smile on the woman who had raised him made every risk worthwhile.

’But to think he’d move this quickly...’

Greg had kept his word about everything so far.

For the briefest moment, genuine gratitude surfaced in Ethan’s eyes.

Then it disappeared.

The warmth faded almost instantly, replaced by something colder and sharper, as a dangerous glint flickered behind his smile. It felt like the same silent threat that the Cyclops had given him, and entrusting his family’s safety to a sly and ambitious figure in the association wasn’t the smartest thing.

’I know what he wants, and he knows what I care about...’

Ethan clenched his fists.

’But I can crush the fucker and everything he has.’

Standing nearby, Mark noticed the changes in his expression, but didn’t say anything.

Instead, he quietly looked away.

"Come join us, Mom."

Mark stepped aside and gestured toward the table.

"Have something to eat."

Clarissa smiled apologetically before shaking her head.

"I wish I could. But I’ve got to take Adonis to his dentist appointment."

Her eyes wandered around the recently renovated Black Howl, pausing on Kaela, who was chugging another drink, before she laughed softly.

"And honestly, I don’t really think this is an environment for a seven-year-old."

Her gaze slowly shifted toward Ethan and Elara, narrowing playfully.

"You two have been spoiling him with far too much candy."

Ethan immediately looked anywhere except at her, while Elara politely coughed into her fist and whispered cutely, "It was all him."

Meanwhile, Adonis hadn’t taken his eyes off Kaela since the moment he’d walked through the door. The young boy stared at her with equal parts fascination and absolute terror.

Eventually, Kaela noticed.

She slowly raised an eyebrow before taking another enormous swig of vodka.

"What? You got a problem, kid?"

"N-No..."

Adonis instantly hid behind his grandmother’s leg.

Kaela burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! I’m just joking, and I don’t bite."

She paused dramatically before smirking.

"Well, I do sometimes."

To everyone’s surprise, it was Elara who immediately stepped in.

"Don’t tease him."

Walking over, she gently scooped Adonis into her arms before giving him a reassuring hug. The little boy relaxed almost immediately, and the fear he’d been feeling moments ago seemed to melt away.

Ethan watched the scene unfold with a warm smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Kaela simply chuckled.

"Softie."

Clarissa smiled as well.

Then shortly after, she excused herself, waved goodbye to everyone, and left with Adonis in tow.

Silence settled over the room after the front door closed.

Mark remained standing there, his eyes eventually drifting toward Ethan.

’Why can’t I do anything for them...?’

Ever since they were children, Ethan had always been the one charging forward first. He never hesitated or backed down, and it almost felt like he’d been born to achieve the impossible.

Mark had always followed behind his best friend and brother.

But recently, that had been impossible, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that the distance between them kept growing. Not because Ethan had changed, but because the world around him had, and he just wasn’t as lucky as his counterpart.

It wasn’t jealousy.

Far from it.

He genuinely wanted Ethan to succeed, but he still couldn’t ignore the quiet feeling settling inside his chest.

’I’m being left behind.’

He was sitting with two A Ranks and a B Rank, all of whom could literally kill him without even batting an eyelid. And as much as he liked or trusted them, that still unnerved him deeply, and they truly felt like superior beings.

’Why couldn’t I...’

Mark sighed, shaking his head before joining the others, who had finished eating.

Kaela finally placed the now-empty bottle down with a satisfied sigh, having drunk enough to give a normal person alcohol poisoning ten times over. Ethan stretched lazily before rubbing his full belly, which was protruding comically.

"So..."

He folded his arms proudly across his chest, resting his arms on his stomach.

"The Enforcers. Cool, right?"

Mark gave him an odd look.

He genuinely hadn’t expected Ethan to sound this excited about working alongside the Association, let alone as a glorified police officer. But as if in response to that silent questioning, Ethan rubbed his thumb against two fingers.

The universal sign for money.

"They’re protecting our family, they’re getting Aunt Clarissa proper treatment, and..."

He pointed toward himself with a grin.

"We can do what we want while drowning in cheddar."

Kaela enthusiastically nodded while slamming the two duffel bags they had entered with on the table. Opening them up, one was filled with jewellery, phones, and other clearly stolen goods, while the other had cash.

"We confiscated this off some criminals earlier today," she said with a smile.

Mark was lost for words, while Ethan chucked him what looked like an expensive watch before grabbing a nice-looking golden necklace and putting it on Elara’s neck. The red-eyed woman smiled while fiddling with it, unable to hide her appreciation of the gift, not particularly caring where it came from.

"What about-?" the large man began.

"The association doesn’t care about shit like this. We did them a favour by dealing with those idiots, so we deserve to get compensated."

Mark wasn’t sure whether to laugh or sigh as he watched Kaela and Ethan divvy up the haul like crooks. After that, the duo of enforcers began imagining all the things they were going to do with the funding they received.

"We can buy a bunch of bikes. One of those blacked-out SUVs, too. And when we finally get a headquarters..."

She started counting on her fingers.

"Vending machines, a bar, a gym, hell, even a gravity chamber.

Ethan was immediately on board.

"Exactly! It’ll be awesome. We can have our own private training hall for sparring too."

Watching the pair bounce ideas back and forth was almost like watching two children who’d just won the lottery. Neither of them seemed remotely interested in the paperwork, politics, investigations, and responsibilities that came with their roles.

They were just planning on enjoying the fun parts, which included the fighting.

And this time, it was Elara who was feeling left behind...