She shakes her head, a slight roll of her eyes as she huffs out a sigh. “I just want to train.”
I don’t let on I know she threw the fight. I don’t let on at all, because then she’d realize I saw the footage, and it’s not hard to assume she’ll get all flighty knowing she’s being watched.
After I finish lacing her up, I grab the training pad. “Left, right, left. Jab, jab, hook. Dip, shuffle, swap sides and feet, repeat. Don’t drop your form. On my say…” I lock my gaze on the huge clock on the wall to our side, waiting until it hits the minute mark. “Go.”
She’s quick on her feet. Her form is good, but if I was to put money on it, Tally’s not been keeping up with whatever formshe had going on. Nothing unusual there; life gets in the way for everyone. Only those with drive and dedication turn hard times into a part of a routine.
Now that she’s in my gym, sporting fucking bruises, too, she’s mine to train.
Fuck knows how I’m going to be able to keep my fucking trap shut. I want to ask where she’s been all these years, and if she loves her new home. I need to know why she’s only just appeared and without any backstory. All these questions swirl around in my thoughts, but for the time being, they’ll stay locked there. She’s been spooked enough as it is.
I remember the day we met her so vividly. The whole damn world was our oyster.
Then we all got shown what a cruel world we live in. By far the worst event was Noinin being abducted. I swear, we nearly lost Ronin that day, but instead of burning up, he walked out of the fire of grief, rising like a phoenix and changing our lives forever. Not that we wouldn’t have followed him, but at the same time, he finally claimed his position as pack Alpha. And I had to face the truth; I’d never be anything but a Beta.
Then you throw in Noinin’s weird prophecies. No shit, she liked to play around and acted like a kid should, but in her eyes, in her words, you knew you were looking at an old soul. An old soul that wasn’t long for our world.
In her short time, she set us firmly on a path. Tally is included in that. And as obscure as it is being married off by a kid Noinin’s age, none of us are about to brush off one of the last things she ever did, which was bind us to Tally.
Now all we need is to make sure Tally doesn’t disappear off the face of the earth ever a-fucking-gain. I mean, we managed to get her to where we wanted her to be, so that is something. Once she’s aware of that, phase two commences, which is where shegets reminding who we are, because she seems to have lost her memory when it comes to us.
Hearing Ronin and Keegan explain what happened in Genoa, and how they knew it was Tally but she didn’t recognize them, was only the start of the unpacking associated with her. In short, I spiraled. I spent a whole lot of time after in this gym, working out. Her not remembering them, as Alphas too, fed the usual BS my brain likes to fixate on; me being inadequate and nothing more than a waste of space.
It'd been a long time since I’ve felt so fucking disappointed in not emerging as an Alpha, but I did that day. Pretty sure, like every other person in life who thought they were going in one direction only for it to change at the last second, you either learn to live with the hand you’ve been dealt or you creep off to die all alone. My pack made sure I never properly considered the second option, but it didn’t mean I never thought about it.
No shit, biology has a lot to answer for. I should have always been an Alpha, and yet here I am, a Beta currently watching the woman I’ve been bound to for the past ten years acting like we’ve never met. As if that’s not enough, I’m also dealing with the fact that, when she does remember our vows, I’m going to be the only one never able to properly satisfy her. A woe is me moment, but justified still.
Focusing on her is a hell of a lot easier. Tally wasn’t designated yet back then. She could have been a swamp witch, and I’d have still been over the moon. Now she’s back, and not only has she matured into a goddamn bombshell, she’s the tastiest Omega I’ve ever met.
She must realize I’m distracted, because she hammers a hit so hard into the center of my chest, it winds me.
“Take a break,” I wheeze, needing a moment more than she does.
Walking to the other side of the ring, I lean against the ropes, wondering if she’s ever going to mention us knowing each other. And dealing with the stinging disappointment she still hasn’t recognized me.
Chapter Twelve
TALLY
The way he rests his leg on one of the ropes accentuates how nice his butt is.
And that’s the moment I realize I have to tap out. It’s not an option anymore. I need to go and get some rest, or I’ll be throwing myself at him, and I’m pretty sure that’s not something he wants.
All during training, I’ve been on a roller coaster of emotions, going from one extreme to the other. A look from him, even the smallest smidge of his attention, and I’m soaring like an eagle. In the next moment, though, it’s painfully obvious he’s in his head, distracted by something else. And that makes me hit the ground like a turkey.
“Hey.” I’m speaking and escaping at the same time because not only am I exhausted, I know how these trainers are. They’re all motivation, and “you can do it,” or they’re trying to find the reason you’re not matching their energy. I don’t need that right now. I need to get away from him.
He turns and his eyebrows pull together, but he stays quiet. Still fucking distracted.
“I’m going to tap out. I’m done.” I stop once there’s a good distance between us. Where the air is easier to breathe without his scent clouding my thoughts. “Thank you. I needed a good workout. Maybe I can set up another session with you via the app. But I kind of need your name for that.”
The wave of awkwardness I feel is worlds apart from how he’s feeling. I’m an eyes person, and right now, all I can read in his is disappointment for some reason.
“Or not,” I mumble, clearly reading the situation wrong.
Racing off before he can answer, I’m near the treadmills before he even moves. I don’t need to look where he is; my ears are attuned to his steps because my stupid Omega is in hyperdrive.
I seriously need a cold shower and some carbs, followed by ice cream. Perhaps all three at once.
