Page 43 of Fated to the Alpha

“Most of the time, he will let go to catch himself as he falls. Do you want to try again?”

“Did I do it right?”

“Pretty much.”

“Then I’m good. Next?”

Kimberly didn’t like seeing Shane on his back, not like that anyway. The floor might have been padded, but it was still too hard, and she cared more for his comfort than her own.

He walked her through how to slip through a rear headlock with his right arm. Again, it was all about finding an opening and balance. She stepped forward with her left leg, dropped her center of gravity, and swung to her right, slipping right against the weakest part of his hold, between his fist and shoulder. It took a few tries to get the right angles, but she managed it. After several more rounds, she could slide out without hardly any effort.

“Now, for hair…” Shane’s gaze fell on her hair and he stopped himself. “Uh … I guess we can skip scenarios if an attacker grabs your…” The light bulb finally went off in his pretty head, and a dark, knowing look came over him. “Kim—”

She held up a hand. The sudden sternness in his tone told her enough where this was going. They were doing so well up until then.

“Not talking about it.”

The energy in the room exploded. It wasn’t quite dominance but just as dense and enough to make her hold her breath.

Shane was not going to drop it this time. “Is this about … No, I’m done dancing around this. You don’t have to talk about it. I can figure it out. What else did he do to you?”

“Shane, I—”

“What else did he do?”

He didn’t yell. He didn’t roar. The room didn’t shake. The mirrors didn’t shatter or crack. But the growled demand was just as devastating, and Kimberly wanted to crumble beneath his hard stare. There were only a handful of times she remembered Shane this upset. Every time, it was directed at someone else or had nothing to do with her. Now, it was all about her, about this unspoken event, and he wouldn’t pretend he was anything but pissed.

She let her timid gaze wander to the wall in answer to his question. No words were needed. Shane jerked his chin and she obeyed. Kimberly stood with her back to the wall and waited.

In one swift move, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the wall at eye level, his body flattened against her, core against core, thighs against thighs. His heat warmed her, and if it weren’t for the strict look on his face, she might have enjoyed this intimate closeness. She thought it uncanny how he somehow knew exactly what Nathan had done, how he pinned her that night during the attack when she tried to run away to her bedroom.

Funny enough, she had no flashback, and the panic didn’t return. Over the last half an hour, Shane gave her a smidge more confidence. She started to believe that it was possible to protect herself again, that she could hold her own. He made her believe she was worth fighting for. Best of all, her wolf seemed to believe it, too, the ultimate goal of all this effort. Her wolf didn’t rise to defend her, but that was because it was Shane in this scenario, someone who promised not to intentionally hurt her again.

“What did you try?”

Kimberly swallowed hard. She hated the repressed rage in the words. That hate was reserved for the shifter who hurt her, but she didn’t want to be a casualty in that way.

She fought through the unease his emotions put off and mimicked the way she struggled that night. Just as Nathan did, Shane resisted her and blocked her attempts to hurt him.

“Okay. Stop. Here’s what you should have done.”

He walked her through the steps. Kimberly ducked under one of his arms and kept her back against the wall as she forced her trapped wrist to her opposite shoulder, her elbow over his. Now, a portion of her upper body was free. She rotated her hip and shoulder toward the wall to break his hold. That pushed him off balance, and he leaned back. She copied the move on the opposite hand, and then with a kick to the outside of his knee, she was fully out.

“Again,” he ordered.

So, she did it again. Then, again and again. Each time, he held tighter, he was more adamant in his resistance, and none of this was fun anymore. Shane drilled her so hard, making sure she could do this with minimal effort and lightning swiftness.

After the tenth time, Shane paced away and ran his fingers through his hair. The frustration was palatable, so thick she could swim in it. His breath came out in ragged huffs like a dragon ready to spout fire.

Suddenly, he turned on her, golden wolf eyes blazing. “What else?”

Kimberly shook her head, tears ready to breach her eyelids. “Shane, I can’t … Please.”

“What else, Kim?” This time, he did yell, and she flinched.

He seemed to understand what he did and willed away the gold before speaking again. “I never want you to be in these situations again either. Let me help. Isn’t that why I’m here?”

Kimberly stared at the alpha, unblinking. The intensity. The fire. The honest concern. Kaelyn’s theory about Shane being in love with her came back with a full, unapologetic ferocity that made her go bloodless. How could he look so fierce, terrifying, and so panty-wetting hot at the same time?