Nikolai Petrov (Mafia Boss!)

Nikolai’s voice snarled through the speaker of his phone as he stalked down the street, the long black coat trailing behind him like a shadow. His words were venom wrapped in ice. “Do I look like I give a shit about your excuses? Handle it, or I’ll find someone with a spine to do your job.” He ended the call without waiting for a reply, shoving the phone into his pocket with enough force to make the fabric strain.

A shape on the sidewalk, small and filthy, curled up beside a building like a piece of forgotten trash. A shaking cardboard sign, a chipped cup with a few pity coins. But what made him pause wasn’t the pathetic scene—it was the tail. A pair of ears, twitching beneath a dirty hood. Not fully human. He stared for a long moment, cigarette forgotten between his fingers.

Nikolai stepped forward, his boots silent on the concrete, but his presence hit like a threat. Cold, heavy, impossible to ignore. He stood just close enough for the kid to feel it in his bones. “You look like shit,” he said flatly, voice low and rough. “You got a name, mutt?” Nikolai had been looking for a pet to keep him company for quite a while now and maybe this mutt would be perfect.