Chapter 140

Kayla & Nicholas

Kayla

Nicholas and I took our positions on opposite sides of the ring, and I felt like I was going to vomit.

I wasn’t going to stand a chance against him. Not with those biceps that were practically the size of my head. Especially not with that damn cocky grin plastered across his face.

All at once, it hit me just how futile my training was—how it really was just an attempt to take my mind off of the upcoming wedding and nothing more. My friends had been right. Jade had been right.

But it was too late now. Cameras were on us, and the entire pack was watching.

As we began to circle one another, I caught a brief glimpse of Nora perched on the fence, an evil little smirk plastered across her face. She was no doubt waiting for my downfall, waiting to see me become the weak, wolfless loser she always thought I was. Add that to the fact that even now, after sleeping with Nicholas multiple times, he still wasn’t truly interested in being mine and…

And she would be right about every horrible thing she’d said about me.

Sure enough, my distraction allowed Nicholas to get the first hit in. He swiped my leg out from under me faster than the speed of light, sending me sprawling across the sandy ground.

A ripple of chuckles worked its way through the crowd as I scrambled to my feet, my face reddening.

“Focus, Kayla,” Marcus called from the sidelines.

Nicholas just smirked and gave me space. He could have pinned me down while I was already on the ground, ending the spar in mere moments. But that wouldn’t have been very fun, would it? And it certainly wouldn’t have created the image that he wanted to create for the cameras.

The fun-loving, happy, healthy couple. The unstoppable Alpha and Luna. Alpha Nicholas and Luna Kayla, madly in love with each other.

If he beat me too quickly, then it might just create an image of weak, wolfless Luna who was subsequently being humiliated by an Alpha who was out of her league.

Still, Nicholas didn’t go too easy on me. We had agreed beforehand that we wouldn’t do that. I wanted to win fair and square.

We began circling each other again, and this time I narrowed my focus, blocking out everything else. I whirled and positioned myself behind him, using my smaller size and agility to my advantage. Before he had a chance to turn around, I kicked his knee out from behind and made him temporarily lose his balance.

We moved back and forth like that for a while, exchanging deft maneuvers and wary jabs as we tried to feel each other out. Soon, it felt like it was only us there, the crowd fading into the background, and I regained some confidence.

Nicholas was bigger and stronger than me, but I was faster and more agile. Furthermore, he had the slightest limp in his right leg; barely noticeable, but it was there, and it was something to latch onto.

With a swift feint to the left and a crescent kick to his right, I took advantage of his minor deficiency and took him down. But he caught me as he went down, powerful arms wrapping around my knees and slamming me against the ground. He was on me then, but I hooked one leg around his, flipping us.

As we grappled together on the ground, the crowd murmured with anticipation, moving in closer to get a better view. Nicholas and I exchanged maneuvers and grunts, smoothly transitioning from one position to another.

For a moment, it almost felt like we weren’t fighting, but rather dancing. A perfect match.

But in the end, he was still bigger and stronger than me. And with the sensation of Nora’s eyes burning into me, combined with the distinct lack of Jade’s presence, I began to falter.

When he finally got me flat on my back, legs splayed and arms trapped, I realized I’d lost. Nicholas grinned down at me, barely even out of breath after our spar. I struggled against his grip, but it was no use. He was too strong.

“Trapped?” Nicholas cooed, clearly enjoying this. He leaned in close, his breath warming my ear. “Feel free to tap out, Kayla.”

I grunted, squirming, refusing to give in. Not yet. Just a few more moments…

And then—

I saw it. The smallest opening between his elbow and his side, just enough for me to slip my leg through, press the sole of my foot into his chest, and flip us.

I pinned him to the ground, one leg between his while my other knee drove into his chest. I got his arms splayed, one above his head and one crossed straight over his chest, pinned beneath the weight of my knee.

“Now who’s the one who’s trapped?” I teased, grinning down at him.

Nicholas wriggled against my grip, but found himself immobile. The referee counted to three, announcing me the winner, and the crowd cheered, chanting my name.

But I didn’t look at them. I could only look at Nicholas, at that easy smile as he looked back up at me.

…

Nicholas

As I gazed up at Kayla, seeing that gleeful smile on her face, I made a silent vow.

I would never, ever, let her know that I had let her win.

She would kill me if she knew. We had made a promise that I wouldn’t go easy on her, and yet… Seeing the panicked, heartbroken look in her eyes as she struggled beneath me, I just couldn’t help it.

Anyone else might have said I was turning too soft, that a true Alpha would never show weakness in combat, even against the woman he cared about. But I had to let her win. Somehow, I knew she needed this.

I knew she could hold her own in the hunt without beating me, anyway; I had only suggested the spar because I wanted to see her squirm, and maybe partially because the thought of fighting against her thrilled me. She was a damn good fighter, as she had proven multiple times, and I hadn’t had a good challenge in a long time, and I missed our more… physical contact.

The small window of opportunity I had given her was extremely tiny, hardly more than a sliver. Just the faintest movement of my elbow—the sort of thing an untrained fighter would never, ever, not in a million years, notice.

But Kayla had. And the hold she’d gotten me into afterwards had been brutal. I really did try to get out of it, but I couldn’t. Aside from that tiny opening I had given her, she truly had won fair and square.

Needless to say, I was impressed. If she managed to take down the white stag during the hunt, which was very much possible, then I decided then and there that I might just need to display its head on our wall. Above our bed, preferably.

Our bed.

She was pissed at me, I knew. I wasn’t entirely sure why—the speed of the wedding, perhaps? Or maybe because I’d been working a lot? Either way, I hoped to make it up to her, but I just hadn’t found the time.

Regardless, though, I couldn’t wait to marry her in two weeks.

But as I stood, dusting myself off, my smile faded slightly. Jade, who had been watching the fight from afar for reasons I didn’t yet know, was standing beneath a tree a ways away. She was glowering at me, and crooked her finger toward me, indicating that she wanted to talk.

My stomach clenched slightly. I had a feeling I knew what this was about.