This wasn't just about rivalry or competition anymore. This was about power. About the threat she posed to Darius's ambitions now that she was Adrian's fully bonded mate. He'd sensed the completed bond the moment they'd walked into the arena that morning—the change in their scents, the way they moved in perfect synchronization, the undeniable claim they now had on each other.
And he'd decided to act before she could become a bigger problem.
"He knows I make Adrian stronger," Riley continued, her voice growing harder with each word. "Two strong peopleleading that pride together—he can't compete with that. So he decided to lash out."
"Riley—"
"I want to find him myself," Riley snarled, trying to push herself up from the bed before her mother's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. "I want to make him pay for what he's done to me."
"You're not going anywhere," her mother said firmly. "You're hurt, you're on pain medication, and you're not thinking clearly."
"I'm thinking perfectly clearly." Riley's brown eyes blazed with fury. "That bastard just destroyed everything I've worked for. My career, my sponsors, my reputation?—"
"We don't know that yet," her mother interrupted. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves until we know what the doctor says."
Riley wanted to argue, wanted to rage against the uncertainty and the helplessness that was eating her alive from the inside. She'd never been attacked like this before. Sure, there were rivalries in the kickboxing world. Verbal confrontations before matches. The occasional heated exchange in the press. But this—this was attempted career assassination.
The door burst open, and Riley's heart leaped as Adrian filled the doorway. He looked like he'd run the entire way from the arena to the hospital—his dark auburn hair was disheveled, his shirt slightly wrinkled, and there was a wildness in his blue eyes.
"How bad is it?" he demanded, crossing the room in three quick strides to reach her bedside.
"The doctor hasn't been in yet with the results," Riley replied, automatically reaching for his hand.
The moment their fingers touched, some of the fury in her chest eased, replaced by the steady warmth of their bond.
"How did your match go?" she quickly asked, needing to know if he won or not.
Adrian's expression darkened. "That's not important right now."
Riley gave him her most stubborn look, the one that had intimidated countless opponents over the years. "It is important."
A muscle in his jaw ticked, and his eyes flared with golden light. "I won in under three minutes. First round knockout."
Riley's eyebrows shot up. In all her years in the sport, she'd never heard of anyone achieving a knockout that quickly in a tournament setting. "That's... that's incredible. No one's ever?—"
"I needed to get to you," Adrian said simply, his thumb stroking across her knuckles. "I channeled everything into that fight—every ounce of fury, every protective instinct. My opponent never stood a chance."
She could feel the truth of his words through their mate bond, the way his love for her had transformed into a weapon of precise destruction. "That means you're in the final match tomorrow."
Before Adrian could respond, Riley's phone rang. Cameron's name flashed on the screen, and she quickly put it on speaker.
"Riley, what's the verdict on your knee?" her sponsor asked without preamble.
"Still waiting for the doctor," Riley replied, her stomach clenching with dread.
"Well, regardless of the results, you'll need to attend a press conference tomorrow after the tournament concludes. The media is demanding answers about what happened, and we've already filed an incident report with tournament officials."
Riley's jaw tightened. "It was Jessica Martinez. She attacked me in the women's locker room."
"I'll have her arrested immediately. This kind of behavior is unacceptable in professional sports," Cameron snarled.
Riley glanced at Adrian, who was listening with the predatory stillness of a hunter. "Who's Adrian facing in the men's heavyweight final tomorrow?"
"Darius Vonn," Cameron replied.
Riley felt Adrian's satisfaction spike through their bond, a dark anticipation that made her pulse quicken. This would give him the perfect opportunity to make Darius pay for what he'd orchestrated—in a controlled setting where violence was not only acceptable but expected.
"I'll see you tomorrow at the arena then," Riley told Cameron before ending the call.
