Page 103 of Serpent King's Prisoner

You cut it out, or it spread until everything rotted from the inside.

“Been watching you, Alex,” Knuckles continued, his voice smooth but with a sharpness underneath, like a knife hidden under silk. “Your moves, the company you keep. I know what you’ve been up to.” His brown eyes drilled into Alex’s, seeking a crack in his facade.

“I’ve only been hanging out with Neon and Javi, just like always,” Alex said. “Nathan—please.”

Alex’s shoulders stiffened, his eyes flaring with a mix of fear and defiance. I could see him wrestling with himself, whether to fight or flee. This wasn’t just triad business; this was family, our bloodline threatening to tear itself apart.

And there I stood, caught in the middle, forced to choose between the brother I grew up with and the legacy of the Serpent that coursed through my veins.

“Look, I know what this looks like,” Alex’s voice was tight, the words tumbling out as he edged back. His retreat toward the door was slow, a careful dance of suspicion and self-preservation.

“Alex, we just want to talk,” Knuckles said, his tone almost soothing. But there was an undercurrent of iron in it, a commander talking to a cornered soldier. “You’ve been spending too much time at Venom, and not just for bike tune-ups.”

“It’s a free world, isn’t it?” Alex shot back, but the quiver in his voice betrayed him. His eyes darted from me to Knuckles and then to the door again. He was like a caged animal looking for an escape, and every muscle in my body tensed, ready for whatever came next.

“Brother to brother,” I murmured, “I don’t want to do this the hard way.”

“Neither do I,” Alex whispered, his back now nearly brushing the exit.

“Then stay,” Knuckles implored again, stepping closer. “Talk to us.”

But the plea fell on deaf ears. The atmosphere, thick with tension and distrust, choked out any chance of a peaceful resolution. My brother’s eyes, usually mirroring my own, now held a look I couldn’t fathom—a mixture of defiance and desperation that twisted in my gut.

“Alex, don’t,” I warned, but it was too late.

Something snapped inside me, some primal, territorial instinct that had been passed down from the Serpent himself.

I saw red.

In a blur of motion, all talk of reconciliation abandoned, I lunged at Alex, trying to grab him. My fingers brushed against the fabric of his shirt, finding no purchase. He ducked under my grasp with the agility that came from years of dodging blows both physical and emotional.

“Fuck this!” he spat out, his incredulity giving way to action.

With a forceful shove, Alex threw the door open, the metallic clang echoing through the sterile hospital corridor.

My heart hammered against my ribcage, every beat a war drum, urging me forward. I surged down the hall after Alex, my boots slipping on the polished floor as I rounded the corner. The distance between us narrowed and widened like an accordion as he weaved through the chaotic sprawl of gurneys and medical staff.

“Alex!” I yelled, but my voice was swallowed by the frantic pace of our pursuit. I hurdled over a gurney, its wheels spinning out as it collided with the wall. Nurses and doctors shouted in alarm, their faces blurring past as my focus tunneled on the retreating figure of my brother.

“Stop!” I heard someone call behind me, but they were part of another world—a world where rules and laws mattered. In my world, there was only the hunt and the hunted. And right now, Alex was prey wearing my blood.

I saw him glance back, his eyes wide with a feral kind of fear that edged him on faster. He knew what I was capable of. What I had done in the name of family.

He didn’t want to be on the receiving end.

“Alex!” Knuckles echoed my cry from somewhere far behind. “Get the hell back here!”

But slowing down wasn’t in either of our natures. Not when so much hung in the balance. It was a dance of shadows, him darting left as I veered right, trying to predict his next move. He shoved past a janitor, sending a bucket clattering to the floor. Water spilled across the tiles, and I skidded, barely keeping my footing.

“Damn it!” I cursed, feeling the slippery film beneath my boots. I couldn’t lose him—not now. My lungs burned for air, each breath firing like a piston in my chest.

Ahead, Alex pushed through a set of double doors marked ‘Emergency Exit’. They swung shut with an ominous click, and I knew time was running out. I sprinted harder, my vision narrowing to the small window of opportunity as I barged through the same doors.

“Alex!” The word was a growl torn from the depths of my throat.

He was mere steps ahead, his breaths coming out in ragged pants that echoed in the stairwell. The pounding of our footsteps reverberated off the concrete walls as we descended, a chaotic rhythm to the madness.

“Stop running!” I bellowed, my voice bouncing around us.

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