Chapter: 05

The house was calm. Harv sat sprawled on the couch, legs up on the coffee table, phone glowing in his hands and a smile tugging at his lips wide and soft, the kind that crept in when you weren’t even trying to stop it. Fenris walked in from the kitchen, water bottle in hand, catching sight of him.  He didn’t say a word, but the name “Zayna” flashing at the top of Harv’s screen said more than enough. Harv’s thumbs were flying over the keyboard, texting back and forth, his expression lit up with something close to joy.

Fenris’s eyes stayed on him.On that smile. On what it meant. The glass water bottle crumpled loudly in his fist cracking under the sudden pressure.

POP!

Cold water spilled over his hand, and the jagged edge of the broken glass sliced his palm. “Shit!” Fenris hissed, pulling his hand back instinctively. Harv’s head shot up. “Dude! what the hell?” He rushed over, immediately crouching beside Fenris. “You okay? Let me see.”

“I’m fine,” Fenris muttered, flexing his fingers even as blood trailed down his wrist. “No, you’re not,” Harv said firmly, already dragging him toward the bathroom. “Sit.” Fenris reluctantly let him clean it. Harv worked quickly, gently pressing a cool cloth to the wound, dabbing it clean before wrapping a bandage around it with surprising care. “You seriously need to chill,” Harv muttered. “It’s just a bottle, man.”

“Yeah,” Fenris said under his breath. “Just a bottle.”

His voice didn’t match the words. They sat in silence for a moment. The TV kept playing, something dumb and laugh-tracked in the background. But all Fenris heard was his own pulse pounding behind his eyes.

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Fenris’s Private Property

After getting his hand treated, Fenris left quietly. He needed space. Space to breathe. Space to burn. His car rolled down an empty, tree-lined road. The headlights sliced through the dark until they reached tall iron gates. With a quiet click of recognition, they swung open to reveal a sleek, minimalistic house tucked into the hills. This was his own place—off-limits to everyone but him and a few trusted guards. He barely turned the lights on as he entered. The silence was thick, broken only by the ticking of the modern clock in the hallway. He went straight downstairs—beneath the polished wood floors, behind a concealed steel door.

The basement bunker.

It wasn’t a myth. It was a reality hidden under polished concrete and smart locks. A sterile corridor led to a reinforced cell-like room—more luxury than prison, but inescapable nonetheless. Inside were three men. Two of them sat quietly, already broken. But the third?

He was still smiling.

"Kai"

Tall, snake-like, with dark stubble, a smirk permanently carved onto his lips, and cold blue eyes that scanned everything like a predator. As Fenris stepped in, the guards stood straighter. Kai’s smirk widened. “Well, well. If it isn’t the golden boy with blood on his knuckles.” Fenris didn’t answer. He simply stepped into the room, locked the door behind him, and stared him down.

Kai leaned forward. “What’s wrong? Trouble in paradise? Oh wait… don't tell me—she chose the wrong brother?” Fenris’s jaw flexed. “Say her name again, and I’ll break more than your ribs this time.” Kai laughed. “Zayna. Right?” He dragged the name slowly, like venom off his tongue. “You know… it’s poetic. You fight monsters in basements, but lose to a smile in broad daylight.” Fenris walked forward so fast the guards tensed—but he didn’t hit him. He stopped inches from Kai’s face.

“You don’t know a thing about me,” Fenris said, voice cold as steel.

Kai tilted his head, voice softer now, sharper. “But I know you kept me alive. Not out of mercy. Out of fear. Fear that if you kill me… you'll become me.”

Fenris’s fist clenched. But he didn’t strike. He turned on his heel and walked out, locking the door behind him as Kai chuckled behind the glass. Back upstairs, Fenris leaned against the wall, eyes closed. Right now, he just wanted silence.  And Zayna’s voice haunted it anyway.

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Kai had always been a thorn in Fenris's side, a constant presence that hovered in the background, waiting for the right moment to strike. From the very beginning, Kai was a source of competition—always trying to one-up Fenris, always trying to prove he was better. What made it worse was the fact that Fenris never fully realized the depths of Kai's resentment until it was too late.

They had grown up together, shared some history, and for a time, Fenris had actually considered Kai a friend. But that friendship quickly soured when Kai’s jealousy turned into something far darker.

Kai was never as comfortable with his place in life as Fenris was. Where Fenris had the strength to rise on his own, Kai was always looking for shortcuts, for ways to manipulate situations and people to get what he wanted. Fenris had built his success by loyalty and hard work, while Kai had learned to play games with people’s emotions.

And then came Zayna.

Kai had always harbored a quiet resentment towards Fenris. It wasn’t just about the rivalry between them—it was something deeper, darker. Fenris had everything Kai wanted, everything he felt he deserved. And when Zayna entered the picture, the stakes were raised.

He had started noticing the subtle moments: the way Fenris looked at Zayna, the little smiles shared between them, the way she made him laugh. It made Kai sick to his stomach. Fenris was different around her, softer, more vulnerable. Something that Kai had never seen in him.

And that was something Kai could never allow.

When he first saw the spark between them, he tried to ignore it. But the more he saw them together, the more desperate he became. Zayna was his opportunity, his chance to hurt Fenris. He could sense Fenris's feelings for her, and in a twisted way, Kai felt that if he could get close to Zayna, it would destabilize Fenris completely.

So, Kai began making his moves. First, it was subtle—small gestures, casual conversations with Zayna, trying to get under Fenris’s skin without directly confronting him. But Zayna wasn’t blind. She sensed something off about Kai. His attention to her felt almost… too much. Too forced.

The Incident at the Café

It was a slow afternoon, sunlight streaming through the café windows as Zayna sat quietly, flipping through her notebook. Then—she felt it. A sudden, unwelcome hand grazing her arm. She looked up. Kai stood there, too close, with a crooked smirk. "Relax. Just saying hi." Zayna shifted uncomfortably. "That’s not funny, Kai. Step back."

But he didn’t. Just then— The chair scraped loudly across the floor.

Fenris.

He had been watching, and now, he was already moving—his eyes blazing with fury. He reached them in seconds, grabbed Kai’s wrist, and yanked it off Zayna like it burned. "Don’t touch her," Fenris hissed. Kai’s smirk faltered. "What, you think she’s yours?" It left Zayna and everyone at the cafe shocked.

"That’s not a joke you want to test," Fenris said coldly.

He shoved Kai back, hard enough to make a scene. Zayna looked on, stunned, her heart pounding in her chest.

Later That Night – The Basement Bunker

Kai sat slumped against the cold wall of the underground cell, the dim light flickering above. The iron bars clanked as Fenris stepped closer, calm but deadly.

"You know, I tolerated you for years," Fenris said quietly, voice sharp as steel. "Your games. Your ego. Even your jealousy." He paused, locking eyes with him. "But today... you crossed a line."

Kai’s smirk finally dropped. "And now," Fenris continued, stepping back into the shadows, "you pay the price."

The cell door slammed shut.

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