I rub my elbow where I landed on it awkwardly, the dull ache already fading.
At least the floor here has some padding. The unforgiving ground of our outdoor training camp used to give me scrapes, where debris embedded into the wounds. And frack, thinking back on it, it was Shade who would patiently clean each wound with tender care and that same dangerously kind smile reassuring me everything would be okay.
How was I ever supposed to resist catching feelings for him?
Knox calls us back onto the sparring mat, and just like that, we’re at it again. I’m sweating, stumbling, and seriously questioning every life choice that led me to this moment.
Shade fights like he's thinking about something else. Unlike the Alphas, he doesn’t have to concentrate as hard not to hurt me with super-strength. Yet, his blows are still swift, hard, and clever, finding every weak spot I’ve left open.
"Keep your guard up, Omega Specialist,” Knox calls from the sideline.
Right. Not Omega Sparks anymore. I’ve been promoted to Omega Specialist Sparks. And he sure as hell doesn’t call me princess while he’s acting as my trainer.
I have to fight the urge to pout.
I’d rather hear him whisper my pet name than bark my title across the mat.
“Feeling anything yet?” Shade asks between jabs at my ribs.
“Nuh-uh,” I gasp out.
I'm frustrated, angry, and humiliated by how out of shape I’ve become. I spent the many weeks away from them wallowing in self-pity, inhaling every carb I could get my depressed little hands on. And now? I’m paying the price.
I’m wheezing. My shirt clings to my sweaty skin, and my limbs feel like they’re made of noodles. Every muscle in my body is screaming by the time Knox finally calls Shade off the mat.
“Just give me a moment to catch my breath,” I plead, breathless and way too exposed.
Knox lifts one brow like I’ve personally offended his standards. Judgment radiates off him like heat.
Right. Not impressed that I’ve let my fitness slide. Not even a little.
Still, he gives me more time to rest.
I breathe out a shaky sigh of relief, only for it to catch in my throat.
Because Blaze steps out of the shadows.
He doesn’t walk. Hestalks, slow and sure, like he’s already imagining how this ends. Me beneath him, pinned and wrecked. His eyes glitter with a dark promise and a brighter heat.
Is he remembering how wet I was when he touched me last night?
My hand moves on its own, fingers brushing the spot where his bite used to be. It’s healed now, not even the faint bruising from earlier this morning is left behind. But Blaze sees. He watches the gesture, tracks it, and his smirk spreads slow and sharp across his face.
My core pulses in response, deep and traitorous.
I force my eyes away before he sees more than he already has.
I don’t think sparring with Blaze is a good idea. My body remembers how he forced that false orgasm, and my Omega seems especially eager to claim a real one from him.
Rutting-frack. Save me from my rampaging hormones.
I look to Viper for backup. Surely his declarations of love and devotion, punctuated by the rhythmic slap of his balls against my pussy, extend to protecting me from my own raging desires.
But Viper only tilts his head, lips twitching like he can hear every dirty thought I’ve had since crawling out of bed this morning. His arms cross over his chest as his voice slips through the bond with annoying calm.
‘Focus. The sooner your O-space activates, the sooner this ends.’
Frack. Okay. I’m on my own.
