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Mandy was really testing my patience today. I hardened my voice the tiniest of fractions, adding enough of my alpha voice into it that Mandy’s wolf would notice but Cecilia’s human ears wouldn’t. “Be careful. This is her first class.”
“It’s fine, really.” Cecilia spoke up, smiling and reassuring me with her eyes as Mandy eagerly tugged her towards where the other students waited.
“Are you sure?” I called after her.
“I think it’ll be easier if I’m practicing with someone my own size anyway.” Cecilia rushed out over her shoulder.
At least she’d left me swimming in her scent. My wolf let out a soft growl, watching her move farther away with Mandy. I took a deep draw of air into my lungs, forcing my wolf to chill.
Class was already two minutes past start time. People were staring, waiting. Fine, Mandy and Cecilia could pair up, but any shit from Mandy, and she’d regret it.
“Careful,” I mouthed to Mandy as I walked by.
The class started and progressed well, I kept an eye on Mandy regularly, making sure she was behaving as we went through some basic block and strike techniques. The two girls seemed to be getting on just fine, but I knew my pack members, and Mandy was predictable in her unpredictability.
Though perhaps today she might actually be—
Thud! I turned to see Mandy standing with a palm placed over her open mouth, staring down at the mats. I couldn’t decipher the gleam in her eyes, but they were directed down.
To where Cecilia lay.
Knocked out cold.
My wolf howled.
Cecilia
Icame to, feeling warm, pressed against stone. No, not stone. A moving wall of muscle. Lots of muscle. Some guy was carrying me, cradling me against his rippling pecs.
My words muddled and eyes half closed, I asked, “What happened? Where am I?”
“Hey, you took a whack on the chin and got knocked out. We’re still in the sports center, I’m just taking you to the staff room couch to lie down for a bit. You’ll be fine.”
It was Jaxon. And his strong arms and sympathetic words were soothing, comforting me.
Ugh, my chin though. A dull ache pulsed all along my jaw. What the hell was wrong with that girl, Mandy? We’d been practicing, laughing, getting along just fine, and then suddenly, when she was supposed to block and kind of do a slow, dummy punch in response, she’d let loose with a full-on swing, and all I’d felt was a thump. Everything had gone black.
Clasping his large bicep—the skin was so smooth—I said, “Maybe the class isn’t for me.”
Jax nudged open a door with his knee and gently laid me on the couch, propping my head carefully with a pillow. It was firm but comfortable, and the couch’s cool leather felt good against my skin too.
He knelt beside me, stroking my hair softly, smiling with those beautiful, amber eyes. “The class is definitely for you. You were doing great. I should never have allowed you and Mandy to pair up. It’s completely my fault, I’m so sorry.”
I smiled weakly. “You didn’t do anything. It’s completely her fault. To be honest, I’m pretty sure nothing about what she did was an accident.”
“Agreed.” His jaw clenched. “It wasn’t.” All traces of his smile were gone.
“Is it because I’m human?” I’d suspected she was wolf shifter too, with how friendly she’d been with him, and her strength, musky scent, and size. “Or, what’s her problem?”
“Don’t you meanproblems?She has quite a few, I think,” he replied. I think he was trying to lighten the mood. His smile returned, his cheeks forming into dimples.
My vision had been blurry, but it was rapidly coming back to normal. Even while feeling like I’d been hit by a train, I still couldn’t ignore how ridiculously handsome he was.
“I don’t think I’ll go to class again, if she’s going to be there.”
He clasped my forearm with his velvety, warm palm, and stroked gently. “Oh, don’t you worry about Mandy. Before I dismissed everyone, I told her if she dares set foot in my class again, she’s going to regret it.”
Getting to his feet, he went to the fridge and took out a bottle of water, cracked the cap off, and helped me sit up a little to sip it. The cold water felt so good on my tongue and throat. I drank deeper, guzzling almost the whole bottle, until my stomach was filled with a satisfying bloat.
