A sharp crack of knuckles on bone.
Reyes’ head snapped sideways-and then he slumped out cold.
The entire field went silent.
And I-
I smiled.
That was my girl.
Not mine to hold yet. Not mine to claim.
But mine to worship.
Mine to protect.
Mine to burn for until the world turned to ash.
Shade purred in my chest, satisfied.
‘She doesn’t need saving. She needs worship.’
And I was ready to kneel.
KAI POV
Did I feel bad for knocking Reyes out cold?
A bit.
But the smug golden retriever needed to be put back in his place-and fast. Before either Dalton or Derrick completely lost it. And trust me, they were close.
Stupid mutts.
The second Leo started calling out sparring pairs, I felt them. Their gazes. Both of them- Dalton and Derrick-locked onto me like I was a goddamn siren pulling ships into the rocks. I didn’t have to look to know. My skin tingled, warmed. Summer stirred inside me, ears flicking with mild amusement.
‘They’re watching again, she purred.
‘Like good boys, I thought back.
They were supposed to be sparring. But I could feel the tension in the air twisting tighter and tighter, like a rubber band pulled to its breaking point. Neither of them was paying attention. And I knew exactly why.
I was the reason.
It was always me.
So I gave them something to focus on.
I could feel the heat of their gazes tightening the air, pulling every muscle in my body taut. I needed to do something before one of them did.
Reyes smirked like he thought this would be easy. Like he’d take it easy on his “best friend” just to impress Alpha Leo. He had the kind of face girls would have swooned for back home -sun-kissed skin, messy hair, and that cocky smile that thought it could get away with murder.
I didn’t swoon.
I assessed. Calculated. And made a decision.
Reyes had to go down.
For his own good.
The fight wasn’t long. He made the mistake of going for a dominant hold too early, thinking I’d squirm. That I’d be overwhelmed. That I’d submit.
I didn’t squirm.
I waited.
Used his leverage. Rolled my hips. And then-
CRACK.
My fist collided with his jaw, and he hit the mat like a bag of bricks. Sprawled. Unconscious. Mouth slack. Probably dreaming of rainbows and unicorns.
Poor guy was going to wake up with one hell of a headache.
Deserved to.
The silence that followed was delicious. A quiet stillness stretched across the training field, even the breeze pausing as if stunned. Alpha Leo was the first to speak, voice low and sharp with approval.
“Impressive technique.”
He crouched near Reyes, checked for a pulse, then stood back up. “I’ve never seen an Alpha built like you knock out a dominant like Reyes in under a minute. Where’d you learn to move like that?”
I just shrugged, wiping sweat from my brow. “Savage blood in my veins,” I said flatly.
His brows rose a bit, like he didn’t know whether to be impressed or concerned.
I didn’t care either way.
Because when I turned around, both Derrick and Dalton were staring at me.
Still.
Like two lovesick puppies.
Just perfect.
We broke early after that. Reyes was still out cold. They dragged him off to the infirmary while Alpha Leo told us to hydrate and reflect on our form. I didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered on me when he said it.
Good. Let him reflect.
Let them all reflect.
I grabbed my water bottle and wandered to the far end of the field, giving myself a moment. It wasn’t about Reyes. It wasn’t about the attention. Not even about Leo’s praise.
It was about them.
The two wolves who followed me like shadows. Who thought I didn’t notice when they positioned themselves between me and every other breathing male on campus.
Summer was purring again, restless and smug. ‘You liked the way they looked at you, she whispered.
I did.
And that was the damn problem.
I tilted my head back and let the sun soak into my skin, cooling the heat buzzing through my blood. The heat that always came when they looked at me like that. With that dangerous edge. That want. That claim.
I finally turned and glanced at both of them.
Derrick’s hair was still damp from sweat, clinging to his brow. His deep brown eyes burned with pride and hunger and a frustration he wasn’t bothering to hide.
Dalton’s black tank top was soaked. His jaw was clenched. His eyes hadn’t left mine since I’d thrown Reyes across the mat.
I swallowed.
“You both need to stop watching me like I’m gonna shatter.”
“I’ll try,” Dalton said finally. Voice rough. Controlled. Dangerous.
I stepped forward, brushing past them. “Good. Because if either of you tries to step in again when I’ve got something handled, I’ll make you wish you were Reyes.”
Derrick raised his hands. “Noted.”
But he was smiling. That kind of proud, infuriating smirk that told me he loved it. That seeing me fight lit something up in him he couldn’t turn off.
Hot. Too hot to be fair.
Goddess, I was in trouble.
Because I didn’t just like how they looked at me-I wanted to let them.
The second I started toward the locker rooms, I felt them fall into step behind me like damn shadows.
Dalton on my right, Derrick on my left.
Silent. Tense.
I didn’t need to glance to know they were bristling. I could feel it. The heat rolling off of them like twin suns, their wolves practically growling just from the direction I was walking in.
Typical.
“What?” I muttered, not bothering to look back.
“You’re going there,” Derrick said. Like it was some forbidden territory.
“It’s the locker room,” I drawled. “Where people change. After they sweat.”
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