PRIZE: An MMA Fighter Secret Baby Romance

by Brooke Valentine

  Chris put his hand on her shoulder and tried to pull her close. “It’s okay.”

  She shoved his hand off of her. “Let’s go. We have to put an end to this. I don’t want to return here ever again.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Formula

  After the long wait, Edward had finally found the right formula. His eyes were sunken deep and the bags under his eyes were like dark eyepatches. It looked as though someone gave him a hard punch, causing a sore black eye. He hadn’t slept a wink for a week now and he’d lost so much weight that he weighed like a kite, easily drifted by the wind. His and Maverick’s lives depend on this formula and he hoped it wasn’t too late for Valentine to accept it.

  He had perfected the formula just the other night and he had not taken a second look at it to make sure he’d done it right and the formula could be reproduced by anyone without his assistance. Though his body refused to work, he forced himself up and headed to the laboratory. His vision blurred out from exhaustion, but he knew it wasn’t the time yet to celebrate.

  He grabbed the testing tube containing the blood of a lycan and used a dropper to take a sample and then put it on a watch glass. He did the same with the other tube containing a human blood, but this time he mixed it in with the lycan’s blood and put the mixture under the microscope. A look of so much gladness had brightened his face.

  “It’s working,” he whispered under his breath, crossing his fingers that the mixture would bond and form a new set of cells.

  At first, the cells were fighting each other off, but because lycan’s blood’s structure had so many similarities with that of human’s, they had found a common ground to combine. After a couple of minutes, the new set of the formula was formed – but things did not end there. A special chemical had to be added to secure it. Edward grabbed the dropper and took a drop of silver nitrate and mixed it in with the mixture. The silver nitrate smoothly blended well with the mixture.

  A sigh of relief had escaped out of his lips. “Finally, I’m done! I’m freaking done!” he yelled in excitement, stoked that Valentine would be delighted to hear the news. But at one point he paused and thought of testing it first before presenting it to him.

  Without wasting time, he grabbed the testing tube containing a pure lycan’s blood and dropped the mixture into it. Quickly, he jumped to the other side of the room and hid behind the wooden cabinet as if it would do any good when the explosion happened. He closed his eyes and waited for the violent reaction.

  A couple of minutes had ticked by, but nothing happened. He frowned and wondered what was wrong with the procedure, so he walked back to observe. But half way through it, the tube started boiling violently and before he could make it to safety, the mixture exploded, blowing him against the wall. The equipment, furniture, and windows were blasted into disorder; they were torn into pieces.

  The ceiling was cracked, but it didn’t collapse – though a piece of it where Edward was lying down snapped from the position and fell on him, bringing his consciousness back. The ceiling was made of light material so it didn’t hurt as much as being blown against the wall.

  He shook his head as his smile stretched to his ears. “It worked!” he said with disbelief. “It really worked!” He rushed out of the door, grabbed the mixture, and went on his way to report to Valentine.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A Legend’s Goodbye

  Quarter past nine pm.

  Chris and Theresa observed the train station; they sensed a strong presence of dark shadows in this area. The best of their packs were behind them, waiting for their signal. Each of them was equipped with guns and bombs, though their weapons were out of date. Well, it was better than nothing.

  The subway train station was somewhere no one would wish to be in. It was cramped with people getting on and off the train, and the smell, oh dear, it was worse than a decaying carcass in the forest. The heedless crowds kept walking back and forth, ignorant of the war going on between two kinds and they were the center point.

  It didn’t take long before Chris saw a dark shadow and it happened to be an assassin who seemed to be following them all along. He brought his gaze to Theresa and gave her the look.

  She glared back at him and walked forth. “Boys, let’s get rolling.”

  After one, two, three more steps, bullets fired in all direction, targeting them. It turned out there wasn’t only one assassin in the train station, there was a handful of them, hiding from the far and hidden corners. Theresa ran to the left with the pack while Chris went the opposite way.

  The crowds were screaming in terror as they tried to get into the train, which was already overloaded. As the bullets fired recklessly, it was inevitable for some people to get shot, somewhere on the shoulders and arms, but some were shot in the head and back. The chaos had caused stampede and bloodshed everywhere.

  Chris pulled the screen off the drainage that led to the basement. Two dark shadows were chasing him from behind while the other went on the opposite way to corner him. As he got down, the sewage water splashed all over him. His thighs were submerged into the water, but he couldn’t care less. He ran toward the end of the tunnel where the light was, but before he even made it there, a dark shadow appeared before him.

  His eyes turned black and his fangs protruded. He whirled his head slowly and his body’s muscles contracted. His whole body widened and black hairs covered him. His face elongated as his legs and arms bulged out. In no time, he transformed into a full-grown werewolf.

  The dark shadow’s fangs came out and his eyes flamed red. He hurtled his iron whip that contained liquid silver nitrate, dashing it against the water as he threatened to hit Chris. He pulled another whip from his side and started hurling them against the water, striking Chris on the legs, arms, and head as to further provoke him and get him to attack. To his request, Chris jumped at him, but the dark shadow was way too quick. He smacked him on the back and Chris let out an agonizing cry as the silver nitrate burned his flesh. In frustration, he yelled out and attacked the dark shadow again, and this time he was much successful.

  Alarmed, the dark shadow kept whipping him, but he ignored the pain and kept attacking the dark shadow until one of his whips got stuck from underneath the water. Now, it was Chris’ time to show off. He smirked, insulting his opponent. Before the dark shadow could further injure him with the other whip left, he grabbed him by the head and pulled him close as he crunched the dark shadow’s neck, detaching it from the body. The blood oozed out and mixed in with the sewage water.

  Panting in exhaustion, Chris suppressed the pain burning his flesh. While tending his wounds, he heard guns firing from above him. He could smell lycan’s blood, an indication they were being ambushed by a significant number of dark shadows. He rushed to their aid, but before he even made it back to the top, a sharp pain struck him on the shoulder blade. A razor bomb stuck him on the back, digging into his body through his bone. Before it could travel further down, he pulled it out and an excruciating yell echoed across the tunnel. Quickly, he threw it away and the bomb exploded, blowing him back to where he was standing earlier.

  For the moment, he lost consciousness but quickly regained his senses when he felt an intense pain.

  “How does it feel?”

  He recognized the cunning voice. He looked up and saw Levi pouring a silver liquid onto his wounds, torturing him slowly. He turned back to his human form. A look of disbelief couldn’t be hidden from his face.

  “Enjoying the pain?” Levi asked, insulting him.

  Chris glared at him. “What are you waiting for?” he asked, provoking him. “Kill me now when you still have the chance because if you don’t, I’ll make you feel the hell out of me just like what I’ve done to your father.”

  Levi felt a stab of pain piercing through him. The memory of the past brought itself to his remembrance. Chris killed his father as Lucas put an end to Lucius reign. Levi swore to himself that he’d revenge his father and now that he had the
chance to do it, there was no way he would let it slip off his grip. He smacked Chris on the cheek so hard his jaw was dislocated.

  “I’m not gonna waste my time on a filthy dog like you,” he said. “Just to let you know before you die, Valentine and my kind shall reign over the whole world and your kind will be abolished,” he spat out.

  Chris let a sarcastic laugh, his jaw hurt. “Do as you please. It’ll never happen anyway. Lucas is gonna stop you and put you to where you belong.”

  Levi couldn’t contain himself and struck Chris with his gun. “Lucas will soon meet you in hell.” He pointed the gun at his head and just as when he was about to pull the trigger, he felt a bullet pierced through his stomach from behind. With great hurry, he turned around and fired back. He turned into a shadow and disappeared.

  “Chris!” Theresa yelled, tears flowing down her cheeks.

  “Go and get Lucas.”

  She took his hands and held them tight. “No, we don’t need his help. We can destroy Valentine on our own–”

  “No, we can’t,” he cut in. “You need Lucas’ help. Dark shadows have grown even stronger and so did Valentine.”

  She tried to pull him up, but Chris refused. “I’ll bring you back to the forest and get Aiyana to help you.”

  He shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’ve done my job. Living for a century is enough.” He looked at her in the eyes. “Protect our kind from extinction. Till then my friend.” He caressed her on the cheek as he breathed his last with eyes wide open.

  Theresa howled in agony, lamenting over a legend who risked his own life for the sake of his kind.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Alliance

  The television was on but no one was watching.

  Lucas and Anna were standing opposite each other, contemplating about their life choices. Vincent and Samantha were out to buy some food for dinner. With the little money they had, a loaf of bread and two cans of tuna were enough to quench their hunger.

  Remembering what happened yesterday put Lucas on edge. Anna had almost died because of him and he couldn’t help but blame himself for all the chaos that had happened – including letting his pack down for choosing Anna over them, though he knew it was an act of betrayal against his kind.

  He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

  Anna looked at him with a worried look on her face. She sensed he was going to say something she wouldn’t like.

  “I think it’s best if we part ways. I’ve put you and your sister in so much danger and I can’t forgive myself if something happened to you two. My conscience won’t let me sleep,” he said with a sad tone in his voice.

  “Is that your way of saying goodbye?”

  He couldn’t speak. Because she was right. He was afraid that he would fail to protect them against the dark shadows, but more so against his kind.

  Tears welled up in her eyes. “Though I know we’re gonna be in constant danger, I’ve chosen to stick with you because I have no choice; either way, we’re still going to be hunted down by those people anyway.” She took a deep breath and looked down. “I’ve chosen to stick with you because… I hate to see you go.”

  A pinch of pain gashed through him. “I like you, Anna, I really do. But things don’t always work out the way we plan them. I’m a werewolf and you’re a human, our kind can never cleave together. It’s against nature,” he said, forcing her to hate him so that letting her go would be much easier.

  “So then why did you touch me that night when you know it’s forbidden?”

  “Because…” he couldn’t find the right term to explain himself. Why did she need to be so thorough? he thought. “Look, I’m doing this because I don’t want you to be in danger. Being with me would put you in so much trouble and it would be impossible for you and your family to return to your normal life again. Is that what you want?”

  She inhaled, it seemed she was having asthma. “If that’s what it takes to be with you, so then be it.” Tears streamed down her eyes.

  “Anna,” he whispered under his breath, taken aback at her loyalty. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her on the forehead and brushed her hair. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I’ve been really selfish. I promise I’ll do everything to protect you. No matter what it takes, I’m going to stand by your side as long as you stand by my side, too.”

  She tightened her embrace on him and buried her face on his shoulder. “I promise,” she murmured, holding him tight.

  “We’re on your side,” Samantha said out of nowhere. Vincent was standing beside her. They’d been standing at the door for quite a while. “No matter what you guys are planning we want to help.” She took Vincent’s hand and held it tight as she gazed into his eyes, blushing to see him beaming with delight.

  Lucas smiled. “Well, I guess we’ve made a pack.”

  In shared gladness, they all laughed forgetting their immediate environment. What was most important was the unity formed between them, that unbreakable bond which will enable them to conquer all odds.

  Their laughter was shattered by a horrifying news. A newscaster broke out the headline, reporting a major incident of terrorism where hundreds of people were killed at the train station in Times Square last night. A report of wild beasts roaming around New York City had also prompted both the local and international authorities to look into the matter.

  But Lucas was no fool to ignore the severity of the matter. “I guess we won’t have time for training.”

  “There’s no need. My pack has got us covered,” Anna said.

  He looked at her and grinned. “Alright, let’s get cracking then.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Dark Shadow’s Defeat

  Valentine’s eyes were sparkling with great pleasure, thrilled at what the mixture Edward had developed could do to a lycan. “It looks dangerous, and I like it.”

  Edward smiled. “Yes, my lord, it’s very dangerous and effective just as what you prefer,” he said, impressing Valentine in the hopes of getting some credit for his masterpiece.

  “Let’s put it to action whether it really works because if it doesn’t you know what will happen to you, right?”

  He brought his head down. “Yes, my lord, I-I surely do,” he stuttered.

  “Bring out the lycan,” Valentine ordered.

  Levi dragged a good-looking man whose feet and wrists were tied up. The poor guy struggled as he tried to escape.

  “Open his mouth.”

  Levi forced the lycan’s mouth open.

  Valentine dropped the mixture into the guy’s mouth down to his throat and then threw the bottle out the window.

  Edward crossed his fingers, hoping for the mixture to work.

  Five minutes had ticked by and nothing still happened. Valentine’s patience was quickly running low as he hated waiting. Just as when he was about to burst in anger, the lycan’s mouth started foaming and in a matter of seconds, the poor guy blew up, his flesh scattered all over the place. His blood painted the walls and tinted the window glass.

  Valentine sniggered, tapping Edward on the shoulder. “Good job.” He shifted his gaze to Levi. “Let’s go. Lucas is waiting.”

  He grinned with a cunning look on his face. “Yes, my lord.”

  ***

  Lucas knew Valentine was looking for him so he led him away from a crowded area to the nearest forest where no human would get hurt. He went alone. Standing for half an hour, all he could hear were the birds twitting. He couldn’t sense Valentine nor any dark shadow’s presence sent by the dark lord.

  Until –

  He jumped off the ground as soon as he heard a screeching sound from under the ground. They were hiding in it all along. These dark shadows weren’t usual assassins – these guys were the primitive of old; they were called the millennial because they had lived way back in time. It seemed Valentine had woken them up from their graves and were using them as puppets to get rid of him.

  But Lucas wouldn’t go without a
fight. He’d learned about the millennial during his training so all he needed to do now was to remember how to put them back to their graves.

  They came forth, dashing out of the ground with their swords. They encircled him as they stepped closer, eating up the distance as to corner him. Observing them, he noticed one thing in common; their eyes were flaming red and their movement synchronized. For sure, Valentine was manipulating them. So, he thought since they were connected to the dark lord he could use them to harm him, and even kill him because he was in them. Great idea.

  They drew their swords and began swinging them at him. Without any weapon to defend himself, he was forced to rely on his flexibility and physical strength. He couldn’t transform into a wolf form because of the absence of the moon where he gained his supernatural strength from.

  One of the millennials tried to stab him on the side, but he managed to avoid it and kicked the mongrel away as he broke its neck. But it was of no use. The puppet remained strong despite the damage done to it. Only then he’d figured out they were already dead so they couldn’t die for the second time.

  He cussed a swear word as his frustration grew in intensity. He realized it would take him quite a long time to defeat them. This was Valentine’s tactics. He was exhausting Lucas so that he could kill him instantly.

  At once, they attacked him. He couldn’t do anything but avoid them. He tried to stab them through the heart, but it wasn’t their weakness. He also tried knocking them down through the head, but it didn’t work. But still, he kept trying until he felt his strength diminishing. He was now panting. He hadn’t eaten a fresh carcass for a while and that had a serious effect on his diet, thus to his overall stamina.

  Lucas doubted he could endure fighting them any longer. They didn’t seem to get tired no matter how much punches he gave them. “I’m sorry, Anna, but I don’t think I could go on any further,” he whispered under his breath, trying to telepath with her.