Adrian nodded, his blue eyes sharp with understanding. "I was starting to pick up on that pattern."
"When he fades right, he sometimes comes back hard left to trick his opponent," Riley continued rapidly. "Stay left and catch his jaw at that point. Use his momentum against him."
The third round bell rang with finality, and Riley returned to her seat with her heart in her throat. This was it—the moment that would determine whether Adrian's first professional fight ended in victory or devastating defeat.
She watched anxiously as the fighters circled each other again, both clearly exhausted but determined. Kade was getting impatient now, his movements becoming more predictable as fatigue set in.
And then it happened, exactly as she'd predicted. Kade went low, faded right, and just as he began his deceptive swing back to the left, Adrian was waiting. His uppercut connected with Kade's jaw with devastating precision, using the man's own momentum to amplify the impact.
Kade dropped like a stone.
The arena erupted in chaos as the referee began his count, but it was clear that Kade wasn't getting back up. The announcer's voice roared through the speakers as he raised Adrian's arm in victory, declaring him the winner by knockout.
Riley leaped to her feet, screaming with joy alongside her mother and watching with fierce pride as Adrian's supporters in the stands rose to applaud their Alpha's first victory. The skeptical expressions had transformed into something approaching respect, and Riley felt her chest swell with satisfaction.
She didn't wait for the official ceremonies to conclude. The moment Adrian disappeared into the tunnel, she was moving, pushing through crowds and security barriers with single-minded determination.
She found him in the corridor leading back to the locker rooms, still dripping with sweat and clearly exhausted but radiating the kind of satisfaction that came from hard-earned victory. The moment he saw her, his face broke into a grin that made her knees weak.
He swept her up in his arms, lifting her feet clear off the ground as he spun her around and claimed her mouth in a kiss that tasted of triumph and salt and pure masculine dominance. When he finally set her down, she was breathless and dizzy with more than just the spinning.
"Thank you," he said, his voice husky with emotion. "That advice about Kade's pattern—it made all the difference."
Riley basked in the warmth of his gratitude, allowing herself a moment to forget everything else except the pride radiating through their bond. But then movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention, and she turned to see Darius storming down the tunnel toward his own match, his green eyes blazing with barely controlled fury.
The sight of him brought all her earlier doubts rushing back like a flood.
Did Adrian really lose control that night in her office... or did he mark me on purpose?
The trust issues that had governed her life reared their heads with vicious intensity. Everyone she'd ever relied on had eventually used her trust against her. Her father had abandoned them. Trent had tried to reshape her into someone more manageable. What if Adrian was just more subtle about his manipulation?
She didn't confront him about it—not here, not now, when he was still riding the high of victory and surrounded by potential witnesses. But the doubt had taken root in her chest like a poisonous seed, and she could feel it beginning to grow.
Adrian must have sensed something through their bond because his expression grew concerned. "Everything okay?"
"Fine," she lied smoothly, forcing a smile. "Just thinking about dinner. Let's go find my mom and celebrate your first professional win."
FOURTEEN
ADRIAN
The soft glow of Chez Laurent's crystal chandeliers cast warm light across the pristine white tablecloths as Adrian guided Riley and Tammy through the restaurant's mahogany-paneled entrance. He'd chosen this place deliberately—elegant enough to mark the occasion, intimate enough for the conversation he suspected was coming. The maître d' recognized him immediately, leading them to a corner table that offered both privacy and an excellent view of the city lights beginning to twinkle beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Adrian had changed from his fighting gear into charcoal slacks and a blue button-down that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, while Riley wore a simple black dress that somehow managed to be both understated and stunning. But beneath her composed exterior, he could feel the gnawing tension that had been building since Darius's poisonous words at the arena.
That bastard.
Adrian's jaw tightened as he pulled out Riley's chair, his tiger bristling at the memory of Darius suggesting Adrian had manipulated the mate bond for political advantage. The accusation was so far from his nature it should have beenlaughable, but the seed of doubt he could feel festering in Riley's body made it anything but amusing.
He would never coerce his mate. Never use their sacred bond as a political tool. The very suggestion went against everything he'd been raised to believe about honor, about leadership, about the responsibility that came with true power.
"This is lovely," Tammy said, settling into her seat with obvious appreciation for the restaurant's understated luxury. "Though I have to admit, I'm more accustomed to celebrating Riley's victories at the diner down the street from the gym."
"Tonight deserved something special," Adrian replied, signaling the sommelier with practiced ease.
The waiter approached with practiced deference, and after they'd ordered their meals, Adrian requested a bottle of the restaurant's finest vintage—a decision that made Tammy's eyebrows rise slightly.
"That's really not necessary," she protested gently. "We're not used to such extravagance."
