Darius obviously hadn't learned from those defeats.
Adrian pivoted smoothly to his left, letting Darius's momentum carry him past before stepping back into defensive position. Through the bond, he felt Riley's tactical approval, and it filled his chest with warmth. Her strength didn't just flow through him—it enhanced his own, sharpening his focus and amplifying his natural abilities until he felt like he could take on an entire pack of tigers.
Darius recovered quickly, spinning to face Adrian with a snarl of frustration. He launched into a series of quick jabs, testing Adrian's defenses, but Adrian remained maddeningly calm. He deflected each strike with minimal movement, conserving energy while studying Darius's patterns.
Stay controlled, Adrian reminded himself as Darius's attacks grew more aggressive.Make him come to you.
The psychological warfare was already working. Darius's green eyes flashed with irritation as his carefully plannedcombinations met nothing but air and Adrian's impenetrable defense. The crowd began to murmur restlessly, expecting more violence, more blood.
Adrian circled slowly, his movements economical and precise. Each step was calculated to draw Darius further out of position, to feed his frustration until it consumed his strategy entirely. This was the difference between them—Darius fought with raw emotion, while Adrian fought with ice-cold calculation.
The first round ended without either fighter landing a significant blow. Adrian returned to his corner where Riley waited on her crutches, her brown eyes blazing with fierce pride despite her injury.
"The defensive tactic might be working now," she said quietly, dabbing sweat from his forehead with a towel, "but you need to land some blows and score some points soon. Defensive points won't be enough."
Adrian nodded, accepting the water bottle she offered. Through their bond, he felt her strategic mind working, analyzing Darius's patterns and weaknesses. "I can feel his frustration building. He's starting to make mistakes."
"Good. But don't let your own anger take over," Riley warned, her gaze searching his face. "Use it, but don't let it use you."
The second round bell rang, and Adrian rose from his stool with predatory grace. The time for pure defense had ended. Now came the hunt.
Darius exploded from his corner like a man possessed, feeding off the crowd's bloodthirsty energy. His attacks came in chaotic waves—powerful but increasingly reckless. Adrian could smell the desperation beneath Darius's bravado and could hear his labored breathing as frustration ate away at his stamina.
When Darius attempted a tricky side feint that had caught Adrian off-guard in their youth, Adrian was ready. He'd grownsince then, learned to read the subtle tells that preceded each of Darius's favorite combinations. But then Darius did something Adrian didn't expect. He pretended to pivot left and as Adrian followed his movement, Darius exploded right with a front kick. As Darius's kick connected with Adrian's ribs, pain flared through his torso—but it also unleashed something primal and terrifying.
His tiger roared beneath his skin, demanding blood and justice. The memory of Riley crumpled on the locker room floor, crying in pain, blazed through his mind like molten fire. This bastard had orchestrated that attack. Had hurt his mate.
The fury that erupted from Adrian's core was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. When Darius lunged again, Adrian faded right and executed the combination Riley had drilled into him—a perfectly timed kick to Darius's ribs followed by an uppercut that connected with savage satisfaction. Blood exploded from Darius's split lip, painting his chin crimson.
"That was a big mistake," Darius snarled, wiping blood from his mouth.
He charged forward with blind rage, landing a vicious blow to Adrian's jaw that sent stars exploding across his vision. For a moment, the world tilted dangerously.
He's telegraphing those punches, Riley's voice whispered directly into his mind through their telepathic link.Fading left just before he swings. Focus, Adrian.
Adrian blinked away the disorientation, his enhanced senses locking onto exactly what Riley had observed. There—the subtle shift in Darius's weight, the microscopic lean that preceded each power punch. When Darius faded left and wound up for another devastating blow, Adrian was already moving.
He slipped under the punch and drove an uppercut into Darius's exposed jaw with every ounce of tiger strength he could channel through human muscles. The impact sent Dariussprawling backward, his eyes rolling as he struggled to maintain consciousness.
The bell ended the second round, and Adrian returned to Riley's corner with blood on his knuckles and fire in his eyes.
"Perfect," Riley breathed, her pride flowing through their bond like liquid warmth. She cleaned the blood from his split lip with gentle efficiency. "Third round is the last. You either need a knockout, or you need to execute advanced combinations. I'll guide you through the bond—stay defensive until I give you commands."
Adrian nodded, his breathing steady despite the adrenaline coursing through his system. "Let's end this."
The final bell rang like a death knell. Darius staggered to his feet, still shaken from Adrian's last blow but burning with desperate fury. He charged toward Adrian in a primal rage, throwing everything into one last assault.
Adrian dodged and pivoted, waiting for Riley's tactical guidance. When it came, her voice was crystal clear in his mind.
Pivot right, then side kick to his thigh, front kick to his abdomen, spinning roundhouse to his ribs. High-scoring combination that'll wind him.
Adrian moved like liquid lightning, following Riley's commands with perfect precision. Each strike landed exactly where she'd directed, fueled by the combined strength of their bond and his own tiger's power. The crowd erupted as Darius faltered, gasping for air.
But the sight of Darius struggling wasn't enough to satisfy the rage burning in Adrian's chest. The memory of Riley's tears, of her pain shooting through their bond, obliterated his carefully maintained control. His tiger surged forward, demanding total dominance.
He rushed at Darius with primal fury, his fists driving into his opponent's ribs with relentless force. Through the bond, heheard Riley's voice screaming at him to stop, to go for points and technique, but the red haze of vengeance drowned out everything else.
When Darius fell, Adrian followed him down, switching his assault to devastating punches to his opponent's face. Darius curled into a defensive ball, but Adrian's fury was unstoppable.
