03. Raw and Undeniable

Raging Fist landed the final blow. His opponent dropped like the stock market, his body hitting the ground and the crowd erupted in deafening screams.

"Raging fist! Raging fist! Raging fist!"

No wonder the idiot walked around with a raised shoulder. He thought he was better than everyone else just because these guys were kissing his ass.

William twitched where he sat, still in shock about the new discovery.

Elijah in the pit, fighting and messing around? Who would've guessed! Did he have any idea what would happen to him if the organization found out-

Wait a minute. William knew what would happen to him if the organization somehow found out their precious golden boy participated in an underground-- very illegal-- pit. How could he not know?

"We hope you had a wonderful time. Thank you very much for coming!" the host said and it came to an end. People leaving their seats to talk about the match with their friends. Some argued over money, others just wanted to head home while the omegas right next to William were gathering the balls on who would approach him first.

"Epic, you guys! That was epic!" Andrew jumped out of his seat, snatching the dollar bills off the guy next to him. "Ha! In your fucking face. I'll take raging fist any day!"

Gee! If he knew who Raging Fist was, he’d eat soap to purge his mouth. Andrew, and the rest of the team, hated Elijah. Sure he was part of Elite Team A too but he was the planet Pluto of the team.

Elijah refused to be under William's leadership and William didn't mind that but take him away from the team-- goddammit! It was their way of rubbing their influence and power in his face.

Not this time around.

"What'd I tell you, huh? You like it enough to keep your mouth shut?" Drew asked, hoping for the best.

"Well…" Jeremy folded his hands, forcing back the smile on his face. "It wasn't that bad."

"Oh c'mon!" Drew threw his hands up and turned to William. "And you, boss?" he teased with a smirk, noticing the pretty omega boys stealing glances at William. "Well, well! We came for a show, you became the show." he wiggled his brows, flashing his charming smile.

The omegas flushed bright pink and almost died when William looked their way again. Their breath hitched and hands flew over their mouth. Whatever prep they were doing suddenly evaporated and all they were left with was a stutter.

"He doesn't bite," Drew shrugged, falling into the wingman role easily. "Unless you want it."

Their world exploded and they were on their feet in the next minute, running away and pulling each other.

William rolled his eyes. He could never get used to that. Was it his blue and green eyes or the sneer constantly on his face? But his mom told him he smiled too much for his own good. She lied, didn't she?

"Hey, I was gonna take the middle one to drink," Drew whined. "Why the fuck do you look so serious anyway?"

How could he not? He had finally found a way to get rid of the demon in his team and William wouldn't let the opportunity pass him by.

He got on his feet and stretched, "I have something to take care of. You guys can go on without me." he was already walking out, ignoring their protest.

He kept his eyes on the stage, trying to find a way round the back. He followed some guys who talked big about wanting to take on Raging Fist someday. Jeez! More face pounding for that scumbag!

William noticed one of the bouncers was walking away and he quickly scanned the dude, looking for a pass-- there it was. He sized up the dude and stepped in his line, bumping into him hard before he staggered back and shook his head.

"S-Sorry I didn't see you there, maan," he slurred as if drunk and put his hand up. "I thought you were over there… no here… dude, you're everywhere."

The bouncer sneered at him and stormed off angrily. William clutched the ID and wasted no time in heading for the door. He raised the ID as he walked past, keeping a straight face. He strode into the backdoor and headed straight down when he saw the door leading to the stage.

His heart thumped in his chest and he took out his phone, getting ready to snatch his evidence and rid himself of this pest once and for all.

Hands of Steel and his manager suddenly barged out of a room and judging by the frown on their faces, he could tell they just encountered that ill-mannered brat.

“If I catch him outside, I'm gonna break his legs and snag that waist in half!” The failure sneered with bloodshot anger in his eyes.

So William wasn't the only one who noticed that waist. Elijah literally served fist, seduction and temper tonight on a platter of broken nose and blood.

He paused once he got to the door and hit the record button.

Okay, let's do this. Time to fight for his freedom and play dirty.

He pushed the door open and stepped into the dark locker room.

Damn! The lighting was so dim, he could barely see anything. How would he-

“Match’s over, nutsack. Why don't you run along and tell your friends to keep off the arena?”

There it was. The arrogant prick!

William turned his head to the sound of voice, searching for the bastard– oh there! Right there! He was leaning beside a pillar with his arms folded and ankle crossed over the other.

Gone was the upper part of his outfit. He showed off sweaty thick biceps in his black tank top.

Great! Besides being a spoiled brat, he could pass for an escort.

“Rules are rules. No fighting outside the ring. I won fair and square so beat it!” Oh the arrogance in his voice ticked William off.

He hated everything about him. No, hate wasn't a strong enough word. He loathed him with every fragment of his soul.

The darkness wrapped around Elijah as if running hands all over him. It seemed to put him in the spotlight, inviting and mesmerizing.

Elijah chuckled, saving William from the twist of his thoughts. “Did I hit your jaw too hard? I could've sworn you were fine a few minutes ago-”

William stepped closer, saying nothing. He could no longer wait for Elijah to somehow end up disabled in a mission. He took long strides and Elijah tensed, pushing away from the pillar and clenching his fist.

His black mask kept his face hidden but not for long.

“Take one more step and I'll-” Elijah started to say, ready to put the egoistic loser in his place once more.

Strong light suddenly flashed in his face. “What the hell do you think you're doing?” Elijah growled, turning his face away and squinting his eyes when he saw a hand approaching from the corner of his eyes.

Irritation flared through him and he knocked the hand off, threw a fist so fast that no one would see coming but William dodged, blocking his fist and throwing a kick to his stomach.

Elijah was caught off guard. He staggered back with a sharp pain in his stomach. Before he could process what was happening, he was tackled to the ground and his hands were pinned above his head.

Something struck his chest that made his heart beat twice as fast.

This feeling wasn't new but it was old and long forgotten.

Fear.

Fuck. This wasn't the same guy he faced off in the ring. He could feel it. No, it wasn't the weight of the bastard hovering over him, or the way he pinned him to the ground and made it look so effortless.

“Get off of me! What the hell do you think you’re doing!” Elijah squirmed, recovering from his shock. He planted his feet on the ground, ready to throw the stranger off.

No one had ever tackled him to the ground before and worse with one hand! No wait, someone has but that was a very long time ago-

“Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing,” William chuckled. “Getting you off my fucking back!”

That voice.

Elijah's face drained of colour as recognition punched him in the face. No, really, it came with the size of William's fist.

His composure was thrown off balance, his head blanked out for a while. His swagger faltered and William put his phone between his lips then snatched the face mask off.

“What do we have here?” William held the phone, bringing it closer to record Elijah's face. “Elijah Lancaster in an underground fucking pit. This goes against everything the organization stands for and as your leader-”

That word was his undoing. He thrust up and sent William flying forward. He rolled over, his heart pounding to the rhythm of panic. Every beat drew him closer and closer to a heart attack.

Never in all his wildest dreams did he think this encounter could ever happen.

Elijah scrambled to his feet but William grabbed him by the collar, forgetting the phone for a second, he slammed him hard on the locker, thrusting one leg between his own to further reduce his chances of slipping away like the worm that he was.

"Going somewhere?" William sneered, glaring back at the little shit. His face inches from his own, breath mingling and twisting into grunts. "You're done, Elijah. Busted. Caught right in the fucking act. Give up. It's over."

"Like fuck it is!" Elijah reached out and grabbed William's wrist but the damn grizzly bear didn't budge.

Argh! He hated his size, hated how he grew so tall over the years. Hated he could never be this intimidating size- thanks to his fucking genes.

Truly, God had his favourites and his 'don't give a fuck' son's. Elijah fell on the short stick.

"What the heck do you want, William?" In ten years, he had never spoken his name. It sounded foreign... And unfit. Like a taboo he shouldn't be speaking of.

"You, off my back and I'm gonna see through it," came the growl and the tightened grip.

Oh for the love of God! Elijah's anger boiled inside his veins like an adrenaline rush. "Do whatever the fuck you want. Let's see how far you can run with it."

"Oh right. I know just what you are. An industry baby," William spat venomously. "They can't get rid of you but with this fucking evidence, you're screwed. Let's see how daddy likes his princess playing around with these low lives-"

Their sour relationship was a perfect example anyway.

Loud voices echoed from the hallway. Elijah's heart slammed into panic. If anyone walked in right now, he was fucking done. His mask was nowhere close.

He had no protection. His identity right in front of the door. Anyone could recognize him at first glance.

Then the real hell will begin.

Drawing strength from his panic, and with a hard grunt, he pushed William back, knocked his hand off and this time, grabbed his collar and dragged him behind a locker.

William could barely react when Elijah's hand pressed over his mouth and he leaned forward, their bodies almost crushed trying to hide in the corner.

"Shut the fuck up!" Elijah growled tightly and the door opened. His breath hitched. He kept still, relying on his ears in the dim room.

"Heh, it's fucking empty! Did that bitch run away?" Someone sneered, his voice unrecognizable.

"Listen to me, no one comes in here. Mr. Regis gave this section to Raging Fist!" Someone screamed at the intruder. "Unless you wanna end up in a freaking hospital with all your bones broken."

Who were these guys? Elijah thought, shaking his head to get rid of the cloud gathering. William had really done a number to him. When was the last time he got hit?

"You fear the bastard too much for your own good," this one teased in an amused tone. "Throw us in a cage and let's see who'll make it out alive, haha!"

"Not you," the other guy mentioned flatly. "Now let's go before we step on his toes."

They were already crawling under his skin.

But something else was crawling against William’s skin. Something hard as rock and throbbing like a human heart was pressing against his thigh. With the sweaty palm over his mouth and Elijah’s face just inches away from his own, he stared.

At first William had been shocked by the sudden change of position and how the table flipped, but now only one thought crossed his mind.

Elijah had grown into a fine young man.

His heart raced, violently for the first time in years and a deep yearning awakened, one he was certain had died a long time ago.

“Fuck! Whatever, I'm outta here. You got lucky this time, Raging Fist!” And just like that, the intruders were gone.

Elijah heaved a sigh. Phew! Glad that was over– he turned his head and locked eyes with William. A very familiar gaze resting on his face. Those blue and green eyes looked up at him and he noticed the shift in the air.

William's chest rose against his own, and Elijah was suddenly aware they were almost crushing each other and was that a hand on his waist?

Suddenly aware of it now, the touch burned like never before and Elijah flinched, stepping away from him as fast as he could to avoid the fire.

Without a word, Elijah raced to get his helmet, stepped on a bench and jumped on a locker then twisted his body mid-air as he slipped through the window as if gravity was his ally.

William’s jaw dropped. His mind scrambled to shake off the spell, the enchantment– his body reacted before he could stop it. Something stirred deep inside him, a heat rushing down to forbidden places– no. No, that was impossible. Not with his condition.

But it was there, the feeling raw and undeniable– what was that? That thing blinking on the wall, a tiny red light-

“Oh shit!”

Someone was watching. Someone saw everything.

The mask. The fight. Elijah's face and now… his face.