I Die Or You All Die

Everly's eyes grew wide, her body trembling a bit at the shock of Ivan's words,

"W-What do you mean?"

I" said I'd investigate your mother's death, didn't I? Well, here we are." Ivan said

Everly looked at Ania, seeking confirmation. Ania nodded at her.

Everly turned back to Ivan, her eyes wide. "Are you sure you've got the right person? I mean, I don't want anyone accusing an innocent person of murder. And... why are you just telling me all about this now?" Her voice quivered slightly.

Ivan stepped closer, placing his hands on her shoulders in a reassuring gesture. "Calm down, Everly. I'm absolutely sure we've got the right person, and I didn't tell you anything until now because I wanted to be certain and not get your hopes high."

He continued, "You've been through a lot already. So I'm going to ask, do you want to go in there and see the person who's responsible for your mother's death, or do you want to stand here and allow me to handle it?"

Everly wiped away a tear that was forming in her eye and shook her head. "I'd rather go in with you."

"Finally, let's go kick some ass," Ania chirped in, hands fisted in anticipation of the excitement.

A smirk made its way to Ivan's lips, and he took hold of Everly's hand, walking her to the warehouse. As they approached the front door, Ania suddenly stopped, causing Ivan and Everly to halt as well.

"Look," she whispered, pointing at the guard stationed by the door. "Guards... we need to be quiet, or else if anyone notices we're here, the person we're looking for will definitely flee."

"We need to take out that guard somehow without being detec-"

Ivan had swiftly lunged towards the bodyguard, gripping his throat and slamming his head into the wall. The man dropped unconscious to the floor,

"Common," Ivan said, holding up the key he retrieved from the guard's uniform and unlocking the door.

Everly watched in shock and disbelief.

"What the hell…just happened?"

Turning to Ania for an explanation, she arched her brow. "How did he...?"

Ania shrugged casually. "Meh, he's just really fast."

Together, the three entered the warehouse, searching through various rooms, but they were all empty.

"Ugh, this place reeks of Betas," Ania said as she sniffed the air.

"What?" Everly asked sharply.

"What?" She responded with a shrug.

Everly's hope began to fade so suddenly. "What if they heard or saw us and already left?"

"They're still here," Ivan stated confidently, his eyes narrowing as he followed the familiar scent.

Approaching the large metallic door, the scent grew stronger, and Ania couldn't help but exchange a glance with Ivan, both nodding at each other.

Ivan shifted his attention to Everly.

"You two wait out here. I'll go in and check. Do not enter unless I say so, understood?"

The two nodded in compliance and stepped back, watching as Ivan pushed the door open and walked into the room.

The room was dim, lit only by a weak light in the center. He moved cautiously, sensing various scents in the air. "Come out." His voice was cold, commanding.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind him. A knife flew toward him out of the blue, but Ivan was quick to catch it, his brow cocked in amusement.

"Nice skill," he complimented, tossing the knife away.

His cruel blue eyes rose to glance at the man who'd closed the door. The room brightened, with more men revealing themselves—werewolves, to be specific—and twelve in total.

Ivan looked at the one who had shut the door. "So Betas are taking on dirty jobs now? For a low price, no?"

"I'll deal with the rest of you later. You, come closer. You seem like the main character" he commanded, beginning to release tiny fragments of toxic pheromones.

The man peered at Ivan, beginning to tremble and swallow, but regained his composure. "We're always the ones ignored in the pack, mostly left to starve while the Omegas and Alphas have everything, even though we do most of the work." Well, enough is enough!. " You shouldn't have come here, Supreme Alpha."

Ivan laughed, clearly amused by the situation. "You actually think you can kill me?" His lips arched into a devilish grin. "Okay, I won't release my pheromones. I'd like to see if any of you can leave a scratch."

As the men charged at him, their attacks came in a series of fists and kicks. One lunged forward with a bat, attempting to hit him, but Ivan sidestepped, letting the blow whistle past his ear. With a swift dash, he countered with a lightning-fast jab to the man's ribs, sending him staggering back.

Another man aimed a high kick at his head, but he ducked under it effortlessly, feeling the rush of air above him as the foot swerved harmlessly overhead. Seizing the opportunity, Ivan caught the man's leg, sending a powerful punch at his groin. The man fell to the floor with a heavy thud, grunting in pain.

Ivan grimaced his face, hissing. "Yikes, that must really hurt."

A third man aimed for his chest with a knife, but he saw it with the edge of his eyes. Taking a turn, he leaped backward, avoiding the attack entirely and grabbing the man's hand, snapping it and making him scream in pain.

Before the man could recover, Ivan snatched him by the hair and slit his throat with his now stretched out claws. He threw him on the floor, and blood gushed everywhere.

The men stopped in their tracks at the horrific sight of him unalive, one of their comrades.

Ivan's target, who seemed to be the leader, yelled at them, "What are you doing, idiots? It's either he dies or we all die!"

As more attackers closed in, he dodged their strikes effortlessly. With each evasion, he found an opening, sending blows after blows that left his opponents dead or in pain worse than death.

"Is that the best you've got?" Ivan taunted, his voice laced with amusement as he moved between his opponents, unharmed. "Oh, common, I expected more from you. You're from my pack, show some strength!"

Finally, as the last attacker fell to the ground devoid of life, Ivan retracted his claws, wiped off the blood, and shoved his hands into the pocket of his coat.

"Next time, it'll be much worse." his voice dripped with mockery, as he turned to face the leader of the group.

"You…your turn."