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"No." I shook my head and took one step closer, my hands moving to press against his cheeks. "You would never hurt me."
His eyes were locked onto mine, while the magnetic pull between us grew more intense. I didn't fight against the growing need to place my lips on his, and there we were, sharing a tender but solid kiss when we should have been battling it out.
There was something so uniquely different about Jayce that I'd yet to figure out. He carried so much anger, and yet it felt like it was all a front to protect his heart from agony. To shield him from the pain he'd endured in the past and anything that threatened to shatter his heart in the present.
It was as if the very fear that coursed through his veins was what triggered his persona of rage and concealed hate, just so the world would only see that and not the real him.
Not the man who was able to cut through the heightened void of rage that had consumed me back in the locker room.
He was stoic at first with the kiss, but as seconds began to pass, his lips pressed firmly back while his arms slowly moved to pull me against him. I could feel his energy begin to calm, and the tension that fought to consume him eased.
I didn't want the kiss to end, and maybe he didn't either, but we forced our lips to part and took a moment to stare into each other's eyes. The fear was gone now, and it seemed to satisfy my wolf because she backed into the shadows once more.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied. "You didn't...have to do that, Willow."
"It's fine if your Alpha sees your struggles, but I don't think the entire pack has to," I confessed. "But I still have to kick your ass."
He arched an eyebrow as I winked, gave him a peck on the lips, and took a step back.
And proceeded to strike him with a solid kick that sent him flying into the forest.
The action sliced through the sound barrier, cleared the mist, and shocked everyone else as Jayce crashed into a column of trees. My leg was still up as I waited to see if he'd get up or send something my way, but Dimitris called it.
"FIGHT OVER!" he announced.
"Oh shit," Saint commented while his eyes kept darting from me to where Jayce crashed. "That's so hot. Can we do a replay?"
I looked over at him with a smug smile before lowering my leg and clapping my hands like I was dusting them off.
"I win," I declared. "Can we go run now?"
The others looked excited at my statement while Dimitris nodded slightly.
"Congrats, Willow. You're officially Beta of the Forbidden Pack. We'll talk about your role in detail later," Dimitris stated. He wasn't showing it, but I could see the pride in his eyes, but more importantly, the acknowledgment of what I'd done.
"Thank you for that."His tender voice filtered through my mind, and for a brief moment, he allowed me to feel just how grateful he was for my actions, for protecting the confidence of one of our own by shielding the world from seeing their personal struggle.
You're welcome, Alpha.
"Better go make sure Jayce is alive," Saint announced as he began to walk over to retrieve Jayce.
Viktor walked over to me, his eyes assessing my body as if to make sure I wasn't roughed up too much. "You've been slacking on your form," he noted.
I gave him a look. "I'm just a tad rusty, alright," I whined. "Cut me some slack."
"Only if you agree to get back in the training ring in two weeks," he suggested.
"You just want the opportunity to kick my ass," I complained.
"Essentially," he replied but reached out to lay his hand on my shoulder and squeeze gently. "You did good."
"Really?"
"Really," he replied with an approving grin. "Glad I got to see it."
"Maybe that will encourage you to join? Hmm?" I playfully elbowed him.
