“Am I really ready for—”
He swings and I stumble, throwing myself away from the quickly incoming blow. Okay, guess he’s raising the difficulty level.
Bane effortlessly kicks my ass. Knocking me to the mat with ruthless precision over and over, all while touching me as little as possible and never staying close for long.
Why did I think fighting was a good idea again?
This sucks.
~
“Can we take a five-minute break?” I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand. “I need to catch my breath.”
Bane rolls his eyes. “If you want to improve, you have to change your attitude.”
My body is tired, but my mind is active, racing around in circles. I go back and forth on whether Bane felt the chemistry between us too. Given how he closed off and distanced himself, it seems like our sparring excited him too. But why is he so opposed?
Well, besides the obvious reasons. Between our mutual hatred, clashing personalities, and my scrawny ass, I’m probably the last person he wants to be attracted to. I know the feeling.
“Let’s go, Josh. You train until I tell you to stop. You should be grateful I’m here at all.”
“Fine. I’ll take a break on my own then.”
“Pathetic,” he spits.
“Screw you.”
“I’m helping you. I’m calling the shots. Keep. Going.”
“No.” I won’t back down.
Bane scoffs, glaring at me with disgust. “Fine. Why don’t we call this whole thing off? There’s no point. You’re hopeless.”
He’s insulted me dozens of times during the past week. I’ve insulted him right back. This is hardly the worst thing he’s said. But this time, it’s different. I know who’s saying those words.
Mytrue mateis calling me hopeless.
It’s too much.
“Fine with me,” I say. “I’m done.”
I storm out of the gym without another word.
Who did I piss off in a past life to get saddled with this jackass for a mate? And what was I smoking to think spending more time together would solve everything? This is Bane Blackwood we’re talking about, the same jerk whodestroyed my bikewhen we were younger.
When Mom and I moved to Concordia, I brought my bike with me. It had been a necessity in the human world since I couldn’t zip down to the store in my wolf form when we ran out of milk. Not without animal control being called and panic spreading about wild wolves roaming the streets.
Some wolves here thought it was silly that I rode a bike instead of using my own four legs. Bane was one of the wolves who disapproved. He crushed the bike and set it on fire, but the faintest trace of his scent remained under twisted metal and ash. I doubt he’s even aware that I know it was him.
Why did I think we could start over?
“Fielding! Wait up!”
Bane’s voice calls out behind me as I head down the sidewalk away from the gym. I keep walking.
“Fielding, hold on a second.”
He catches up to me, and I sigh and stop.
