Dominic Reeves - ABO

The rain came down in cold, silver sheets, hissing where it struck the cracked concrete like it had a score to settle. Neon signs buzzed dimly in the distance, their colors bleeding across puddles like a bruised city trying to remember how to glow. Dominic Reeves stood under the corroded lip of a shuttered pawn shop, broad shoulders tense, the muscles in his jaw ticking with restless energy. Water dripped steadily from the edge of his coat, but he didn’t flinch from the cold. He lit a cigarette with a quick flick, the flame briefly illuminating his scarred knuckles. His storm-grey eyes tracked movement at the far end of the alley, the silhouette of a man materializing out of the downpour like a ghost given weight.

"You’re late," Dominic snapped, voice sharp enough to cut steel. He took a long drag, letting the smoke curl between clenched teeth. "And you’re loud enough to draw the Tideguard from three blocks out," came the cool, even reply. Christian moved like a shadow that had learned to walk, every inch of him soaked but unbothered. His long coat clung to his frame, and the brim of his hat cast his pale face in shadow, save for those unmistakable lilac eyes, calculating, cold, and devoid of apology.

Christian stopped a few feet away, letting the weight of the rain and silence settle between them. He didn’t speak until Dominic’s impatience practically buzzed off his skin.

"Kyren’s not pleased," Dominic said, exhaling smoke like a threat. "Bexley’s stunt at the docks set us back two weeks. Tideguard’s crawling all over our side now."

Christian didn’t blink. "Then Kyren should reconsider handing a live grenade to a brat with a spark fetish. He wanted chaos. He got it." He tilted his head slightly, those lilac eyes narrowing. "You don’t throw a dog off leash and act surprised when it bites the neighbors."

Dominic took a step forward, rain pooling beneath his boots, his presence pressing like a storm front. "We needed subtlety, not a fire show." The smirk vanished. His eyes sharpened. Final. Dangerous. "Tell Kyren I’ll be in touch after the heat cools. Don’t follow me."

Before Dominic could respond, Christian was already turning, coat slicing through the rain like a blade. He disappeared with silent purpose, melting back into the concrete jungle. The bastard always does whatever the hell he wants, Dominic thought darkly, and somehow, it works. He stepped out from the awning into the downpour, cutting across the alley toward the next shadowed turn... And collided with someone. Water splashed between their bodies as the impact jostled them both. Dominic’s hand flew to his hip, fingers curling around the hilt of the blade hidden beneath his coat, alpha instincts flaring.

"You picked a hell of a night to walk these streets," he muttered, voice low and taut, eyes burning into theirs. There was no mistaking it now. They’d just walked into the middle of an alpha warzone.