Claimed by My Mafia Alpha King

Nicholas’s POV

I was falling.

There was no ground. There was no sky. Just an endless, heavy dark. It swallowed everything. The chaos in my mind faded into a terrifying silence.

I could not feel my limbs. I could not feel the heavy tactical armor on my chest. I couldn’t even feel the hot blood pouring from my deep wounds. The pain was gone. The cold was absolute. It crept into my bones. It froze the marrow.

My inner wolf was silent. The fierce, unstoppable Alpha beast lay curled up in the dark corners of my fading soul. He was tired. We were both tired. Our long, brutal fight was over.

Death was not violent. It was quiet. It was a patient thief. It stole the last beat of my massive heart.

But I didn’t want to go. I fought the pull. I clawed at the shadows.

Irina.

Her name echoed in the empty void. It was the only thing I had left. It was my anchor in the dark.

I failed her. I promised to protect her. I promised to keep her safe from this brutal mafia world. But I failed. My brave, beautiful girl was out there alone in the freezing snow. She was surrounded by monsters and death. She was crying for me.

A crushing regret pressed down on my chest. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear the darkness apart with my bare hands. I needed to get back to her. I needed to wipe her tears. But I was trapped. The void was too deep. I was drowning in the abyss. I reached out into the black, grasping at nothing.

Then, the darkness cracked.

A single beam of intense light pierced the void. It was blinding. It cut through the chaotic fog in my mind like a sharp blade.

At first, I didn’t understand. I braced myself for pain. In my violent life, sudden light usually meant a gunshot. It meant an explosion. It meant an enemy attack. I expected the bitter sting of death to claim me for good.

But the light did not burn. It was warm.

It reached out to me. It wrapped around my freezing soul. It was gentle. It possessed an overwhelming, divine tenderness. It felt like sinking into a hot bath after weeks in the freezing wilderness. It felt like coming home.

The bitter cold retreated. The heavy weight on my chest lifted. I floated in the warmth. It enveloped me, shielding me from the terrifying silence of the void. It chased away the shadows.

The light pulsed. It beat like a massive, ancient heart. It smelled like wild orchids and fresh snow. It smelled like my mate.

My inner wolf stirred. He lifted his massive head in the dark. He let out a low, hopeful whine.

The light grew brighter. It shifted and took a physical form.

A figure stepped out from the center of the glow.

I held my breath.

It was a wolf. A massive, breathtaking white wolf. Her fur was pure. It shone like spun silver and moonlight. There was no dirt on her coat. No scars. No pain. Just pure, ancient magic.

She possessed a divine beauty.

My own wolf materialized in the spiritual space. He was huge and pitch-black. He was a stark contrast to her radiant white. He stood up. He did not growl. He did not bare his teeth. He did not show dominance.

For the first time in his existence, my fierce Alpha wolf lowered his head.

He stepped forward to meet her. The darkness parted around his massive paws.

The white wolf did not hesitate. She closed the distance between us. She walked with a regal grace. She moved like a queen. She was a true Luna.

She stopped right in front of my wolf. She leaned in. She pressed her wet nose against his.

A shockwave of pure emotion hit my soul.

It was a feeling of absolute completeness. The broken, jagged pieces of our mate bond snapped into place. The bond hummed with life. It was a perfect, flawless connection. The emptiness in my chest vanished.

She closed her eyes. She leaned her heavy head against my wolf’s thick neck. She cuddled against him. It was an intimate, affectionate gesture.

My dark wolf whined softly. He wrapped his thick neck around hers. They pressed together, seeking comfort. They clung to each other in the glowing space. The black and white fur mingled in the bright light.

I watched them. My heart ached with a fierce love. The warmth spreading through my chest was intoxicating. I was a monster born in blood. I ruled the underworld with an iron fist. I took lives. I broke bones. I lived in the dark.

But this creature brought me into the light. She looked at a killer and called him her mate.

I was mesmerized. I was confused.

I stepped closer to the beautiful creature. I stared into her bright, piercing blue eyes. They were the exact same shade as Irina’s eyes. They held the same stubborn fire.

"Is this...?" I asked.

My voice sounded strange in the glowing void. It was a rough, broken whisper.

The white wolf looked at me. She didn’t speak with a human voice, but her words echoed clear in my mind. Her tone was gentle. It was full of boundless love.

*Yes,* she nodded her massive head. *I am Irina’s wolf.*

I stared at her. Irina’s wolf. The wolf everyone said was broken. The wolf the Iron Thorn pack tried to beat out of her. The wolf I knew was hiding deep inside my beautiful mate.

She was magnificent. She was not broken. She was a goddess.

*I have finally awakened,* she told me. Her voice washed over me like a soothing wave. *The bond is complete. I am here.*

I wanted to reach out. I wanted to touch her glowing white fur. I wanted to stay in this warm, peaceful place forever. I wanted to rest.

But she pulled away from my dark wolf. She took a step back into the brilliant light.

*Irina is waiting for you,* the white wolf said. Her blue eyes burned with a sudden urgency. *She needs her King. Go.*

Go?

Before I could ask how, the warm light shattered.

The gentle peace vanished.

Reality slammed into me. It hit me like a speeding truck.

Pain.

Pure, agonizing, blinding pain.

My chest felt like it was on fire. My skin stretched and burned. Every muscle in my body seized tight. A sharp, violent jolt of electricity ripped through my dormant veins. The ancient magic forced my stopped heart to beat.

*THUMP.*

The sound was deafening in my own ears. It was a brutal command to live.

My lungs expanded. I sucked in a harsh, ragged breath of freezing winter air. It burned my dry throat like acid. The scent of wet mud and copper blood filled my nose.

The void broke into a million pieces.

I felt a sharp pain in my body, and then abruptly opened my eyes.