Chapter 8 Fight it out

Fight it out

Nikolai

I went to the training room and attacked the punching bag. I was too furious, I couldn't sleep like this. I had to talk to her, had to ask her about her previous Master, I'll get the list of all the people who have hurt her and kill them slowly. I was already thinking about the new torture techniques. Were all of her previous Masters sadistic fucks who raped her? Judging by her age, she couldn't have a lot but you never knew in our fucked up world.

The sand leaked out of the bag and I threw it away, putting another bag on the hook, and continued my punching, this would have to do until I got my hands on the bastards.

"No training today, get out." I snapped at whoever had entered the room. I wanted to be alone right now.

"Fight me." I heard Dimitri say. I turned around and nodded at him.

We got in the ring and started. He was the only one who could give me the fight I needed right now. The blood of others was simply not strong enough to withstand the power of my wolf.

Without any warning, I punched him in the face. He flew back and hit the ropes. He shook his head. He was not prepared for the quick punch. I smirked.

He came forward and tried to punch me but I ducked. I didn't see his leg snake ahead to make me fall on my back until it was too late. I didn't fall but I tripped and that pissed me off more. I gave a hard kick to his gut and slammed my elbow in his back when he doubled over.

He fell down but quickly rolled over before I could attack him again. When he got up I punched again before he got his footing but he got a good punch in too when I did that. It was a quick fight, there was no need to drag anything out.

After he was done, Vladimir took his place, then Mikhail, and then Andrei. Sofiya came in the ring later.

"Get out," I growled at her, I was in no mood to play with her, I wanted to beat the shit out of somebody, my wolf was furious. I was not going to let him out right now because I knew we would run and mark Ava right now. That was something I was not willing to risk. Not right now.

"No." She gritted and came to punch me, I held her fist in mine and twisted it behind her back till her face scrunched up in pain. She would never cry out.

"I said get the fuck out of here," I whispered in her ear menacingly, using her twisted arm to push her against the ring cable.

"Vladimir." I snapped. He better learn how to control his mate.

"Dimitri, Mikhail, Andrei." I gritted.

Vladimir took Sofiya out of the room and the rest joined me in the ring. I let my anger surge the power within me and nodded. All three of them attacked together and I fought against them. Mikhail was out soon, and Andrei and Dimitri were working together well. I went to kick Dimitri when Andrei packed a solid punch to the corner of my eye and I fell. I held up a hand, breathing hard.

I nodded at them and sat up, both of them joining me.

"You good?" Dimitri asked. I nodded.

"Are you going to tell us why you beat the shit out of the punching bag and us?" Mikhail asked, entering the ring again. He was already healing.

"She is my mate. And all of this has messed her up, bad, I am helpless now." I whispered brokenly. They knew about her, they saw her, they know, but they didn't know the extent of it- how deep it is ingrained in her. Hell, I was only realising it now.

'What kind of mate am I?' I scoffed at myself. My wolf seemed to agree with me too. I knew he was furious with me.

Dimitri punched me, hard.

"What the fuck?" I snapped.

"You call yourself our Alpha? You've lost your touch, Nikolai." He mocked standing up. I stood up and punched him twice as hard which made him fly across the ring.

"Watch who you are talking to." I gritted. Just because he was my Beta didn't mean I would take his shit.

"Exactly, you are Alpha Nikolai Volkov, you do what you want, get what you aimed for, you get shit done. You decided to buy her, you decided to love her, to mate her, then do it. You are not a helpless spectator, you are the Alpha. Protect. Fight. Rule." He growled before he limped out of the door. Andrei and Mikhail followed him.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. He was right, I don't give up, Nikolai Volkov doesn't give up! I was ashamed of the weakness I showed. I will protect Ava, rule out her fears and fight for her. I will do anything for my Mate.

I got up and went to our room and took a shower, Ava was still asleep. I went to my office and locked myself in, determined to finish my work early and spend the rest of the day with Ava, we needed to have a long-overdue talk.

When I was almost done, it was just past lunchtime. I would leave the rest of the work for tomorrow. I went to the dining room, knowing Ava would be there. Everyone was still having food but their wounds were healed. Ava was eating but she stilled when she saw me and her eyes filled with tears. She stood up and was coming to me when Sofiya stood up from her seat and marched towards me and punched me in the gut. I didn't stop her, I knew I deserved it.

"You were a dick." She said furiously and then suddenly hugged me, throwing her arms around my neck. I froze, I couldn't remember the last time we had hugged, probably before mom died. I put my arms around her waist and hugged her back.

"I'm sorry, little sis," I said softly in her ear.

"I'm sorry too. I knew I shouldn't have come or argued." She whispered and stepped back, she was crying. I brushed her tears away, giving her a soft smile. She grinned at me and went back to her seat.

I turned towards Ava and motioned her to sit on her seat before I sat on mine.

"Finish eating, Lyubov." I smiled at her.

"But you are hurt, let me help Nikolai." She pleaded. My wolf was angry at me and that slowed my healing process. We worked best as a team. The good part was that I knew my wounds looked much better than in the morning.

"After lunch," I replied and started eating too. She gave me another pleading look but then sighed and continued eating when she realized I wasn't going to budge.

After lunch, I took her out of the house and we walked into the woods.

Once we were out of eyesight, I stopped and faced her.

"I want to show you something. I'll shift into my wolf now." I told her softly as I tucked a stray lock behind her ear. She looked at me with fear in her eyes but nodded at me.

"When I shift, I will have little control over my actions. He can be a little...touchy. And protective. But I promise you that he will not hurt you, Moya Lyubov." I told her as I looked straight into her eyes. "Do you trust me?" I asked.

"Yes, Master." She whispered with a soft smile on her face. I started stripping after she uttered those words. She didn't look away, she didn't shy away from my nakedness as I thought she would. That was progress, I thought happily.

"You will climb on my back after I shift and then we will go for a run. I need you to put your arms around my neck and hold on to my fur tightly." I instructed her before I started shifting.

My bones started popping and fur started sprouting out of my skin. Shifting came effortlessly to me after all these years. I remember the time that it used to hurt so much that even the thought terrified me.

Ava looked at me after I shifted in awe. She wasn't scared at all. My wolf looked at her with so much love that I knew that when the time would come, he would accept her as his mate. Weak or not.

He walked near her and started sniffing her, and rubbing himself all over her body like a damn cat. He was trying to get his scent on her and I laid back and let him be in control. Ava was standing stiffly. She wasn't scared but she made no move to touch us either.

I took control of my wolf back and stood in front of her, knowing exactly what to do. I bent my head so that my head was level with hers and licked her cheek before bowing my head before her.

A king only bows before his queen.

Slowly and unsurely, she brought her hand up and rubbed the top of my head with her soft hand. I purred at that. My wolf loved it.

She then rubbed behind my ears which made me shudder and sparks erupted. She then moved on to my throat and then my neck as she walked ahead. She was so tiny that even my wolf was taller than her. When she reached my back, I sat down so she could get on easily.

Getting my message, she climbed on top of me and when I was sure that she was comfortable and had her arms around my neck and had a tight hold on me, I started walking ahead.

I went slow at first so she could get used to it but when I realized she was enjoying it, I sped up. A giggle escaped her lips and I doubled my efforts in running so that she would have more fun.

This was going much better than I had expected.

When we reached the clearing, I slowed down. In front of us was the beach. This was the real beach in all its glory. The one that was connected to the estate was manmade.

We were now sitting on a lounging chair that was under the shack that I had made and I was now in my human form. This part of the beach was not that famous among my pack members, they all preferred the one by the town.

Ava had already applied medicine to the wounds on my face and now she was kneeling between my thighs as she applied salve on my knuckles gently. She had put a small tube in her pocket before we left.

I savored this feeling of control in our relationship for the last time because everything was about to change now. I was going to fucking change her entire world and as much as I liked her as she is now, I was going to do it if it meant that she leads a normal life.

"What happened, Master?" Ava asked me. I sighed. This was not going to be easy. Not when she had this godlike image of me when I was not even close to it.

"I-I lost my temper, Ava. Not so perfect now, am I?" I said, dejected. I knew she had this entire illusion that I was perfect but she needed to see that it was not the case.

"No, you aren't perfect. But you are the perfect Master for me." She whispered as she kissed my now bandaged knuckles. I scoffed at that.

"I'm not perfect, Love. I'm just as fucked up as González." I muttered the truth, not looking her in the eye.

I heard her suck in a breath at that. She stood up and then sat on my lap with both her legs on either side of mine, straddling me and my arms automatically came around her to support her. Then, she brought both of her hands to my face and cupped my cheeks, tilting my face up so I was looking her in the eye.

"Have you ever taken a girl against her will?" She asked me firmly. There was a fire of determination in her eyes.

"No. I never have and never will." I told her as I looked her in the eye. I needed her to know that I was telling the truth.

"Have you ever killed innocents?" she asked me. Her thumb was rubbing soothing circles under my eyes. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"I have killed many people, Ava. Some I knew were not innocents and some, I wasn't sure. But if killing an innocent ensures the safety of the pack, then I will do it." I told her without flinching.

"That does not make you as bad as Emilio. That makes you someone who would do anything to protect his pack. A true Alpha. He is not even half the man you are. He- he exerts his power over people weaker than him- over females that are weaker than him." She whispered and a lone tear fell down her cheek.

My heart clenched at the sight of so much pain in her eyes.

"Avalyn, what I tell you next is what I think is best for you. Will you do it?" I asked as I set her straight and made sure she knew that I was very serious about this.

"Yes Master," she exhaled.

I hardened my heart and decided to do something selfless for the first time in my life. This was going to shift her world from its axis but I would help her realign it the way it always should have been.

"No, you will call me Nikolai from now on. We are mates Avalyn, which means we are equals. You can say whatever you want to me, you can do whatever you want, even if I don't like it. We will fight about things but makeup again. When you will be stubborn, I will come to you and when I'm stubborn you can knock some sense into me. You can shout at me, laugh at me, disobey me. You never have to kneel for anyone again Ava, not even me. No punishments, no fears, no submissive positions, just mutual respect and understanding." I told her softly what I should have from the start.

Her eyes widened and her eyes quickly filled with tears. She then leaned on me with her head on my shoulder. I could feel the wetness from her tears. I tilted my head and rested it on top of hers. I rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her.

"Talk to me, my Love," I whispered when she didn't say anything.

"I want to tell you something first," she whispered against my neck once she was calm.