“Pairs will be random. Don’t ask for swaps. Don’t complain. And if I see any of you trying to hold back to ‘go easy’ on someone smaller, I’ll make you fight me instead.”
That shut them up.
He started reading off names. One by one, alphas were pulled forward to face each other on the mat in the center of the room. Grunts and cheers followed each match. Most were sloppy. Too much muscle, not enough control.
I waited.
Tried not to shift my weight. Tried not to pray to the moon goddess that my name wouldn’t come right after-
“Dalton and Kai!”
F*ck.
I exhaled slowly and stepped onto the mat.
Dalton was already there, cracking his knuckles like he thought he was starring in some action movie. His smirk widened when he saw me.
“You sure you wanna do this, pretty boy?” he said, just low enough that the instructors wouldn’t hear.
“Pretty sure,” I replied evenly.
His scent was sharp-cedar and spice-and his eyes gleamed with something too eager. I couldn’t tell if he wanted to hurt me, humiliate me, or flirt with me.
Didn’t matter.
I was going to knock that smug look off his face.
Norrix blew the whistle. “Fight!”
Dalton lunged.
Too fast. Too reckless.
He was strong-everyone knew that-but strength without control was just noise.
I sidestepped the swing and ducked under his arm. His shoulder brushed my back as I slid behind him, the scent of his skin-cedar, spice, heat-slammed into me like a wall. I ignored it, ignored the stupid flutter in my gut, and slammed an elbow into his ribs.
He grunted, staggered back a step, then grinned.
“Oh, you’ve got moves, huh?”
His voice was low, amused, and way too close.
He circled me, eyes flicking over my body like he was trying to read something. I kept my stance tight, shoulders loose, ready.
He attacked again, more careful this time. Jab. Fake. Hook.
I dodged, barely. His fingers brushed the hem of my tank and lingered a second too long.
That’s when it started.
The shift.
Less of a spar. More of a dance.
Close. Fast. Touch after touch. My breath came quicker, not just from exertion, but from him and the way my traitorious body was reacting to his. His thigh slid between mine as he went for a sweep-too close-and I twisted out of it, but my body betrayed me with a pulse of heat deep in my core.
No. Not now. Not him.
I caught his wrist mid-grab and used his momentum to flip him. He hit the mat with a dull thud, the air whooshing out of him, but even then he looked up at me, chest heaving, lips curled into a crooked half-smile.
“You hit like you’ve got something to prove.”
“Maybe I do.”
I didn’t mean to say it like that. Didn’t mean for it to come out low and sharp, like a challenge. His smile faltered.
There. A crack.
But then he pushed up, quick as a snake, and we collided.
Body to body.
His hand wrapped around my forearm, too close to the bandage. I froze-just for a heartbeat. He felt it. I saw it in his eyes.
Confusion. Curiosity.
That was all the window I needed.
I twisted, locked his arm, and slammed him down again, harder this time, straddling his hips to keep him pinned.
Sweat ran down my back. His breath fanned against my collarbone.
His gaze flicked up. Met mine.
Too long.
Too intense.
He didn’t move. Neither did I.
Gods, what the f*ck was this?
“Submission!” Norrix barked.
I scrambled off him like I’d been burned.
Dalton groaned on the floor, rolling to his side with a breathless laugh.
“Damn,” he muttered. “Didn’t think you had that in you.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
Not with the heat still crawling up my spine.
I backed away quickly, trying to look cold and unbothered.
Failing miserably.
Norrix clapped once. “Good instincts. Control next time.”
I nodded, getting ready to move the hell away.
A sharp whistle cut through the noise-followed by a cocky voice from the benches.
“Damn, good job, best friend!” Reyes called, grinning like an i***t, two fingers still in his mouth from the whistle. “Remind me not to piss you off, yeah?”
A few heads turned toward him, then toward me.
I gave him a look. One eyebrow, half a shrug. Keep it cool, dumbass.
I didn’t need him to bother me too.
But he was already leaning back, arms behind his head like he’d just won his match by proxy.
Idiot.
Kind of a sweet i***t-but still.
And just like that, it was over.
Until I turned and saw Derrick watching me from the bench, eyes sharp, jaw clenched.
F*ck.
He’d seen the whole thing.
And when our eyes locked, he was smirking.
DALTON POV
The hot spray hit the back of my neck, but it wasn’t doing a damn thing to clear my head.
I stood under the water, one hand braced against the tile, letting the heat pound into my muscles. Around me, the locker room buzzed. Smack talk. Water splashing. Jokes flying across stalls. Just like high school.
But I barely heard it.
Because I wasn’t angry.
And that was weird.
I should have been.
I lost.
Not a beatdown, sure-but still. I got slammed. Twice. I hit the mat in front of half the damn class. That wasn’t just a bruise to my ribs. That was a bruise to my ego. And normally, that would’ve lit me up inside.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply