Chapter 168

Long after Archer’s more personal training, he decides to actually help train me to fight. Eventually Beau comes to help, though most of his advice continues to be about how reckless I was to even consider fighting someone with a wolf.

After that, when Neil is feeling a bit better, he comes down to join us too. I insist he stay in bed, but he says, “Since you’ve decided to endanger yourself with this, I’m not just going to sit in my room and let you be unprepared.”

With three sets of eyes critiquing my every move, and only sometimes giving helpful advice, I am beginning to feel on edge. My confidence remains adequate. I don’t think I’ll lose. But I am starting to wonder now if I bit off more than I can chew.

“You can’t go for strength with him,” Archer says. “He’ll outmatch you each and every time, because of his wolf. He’ll also have more stamina, so if your plan is to try and dodge his punches until he exhausts himself, that won’t work either.”

Ouch. There’s another knock to my confidence. That was exactly what I was planning to do.

Against Wyatt, I have speed on my side. He may have a wolf, but I’ve seen him move. He’s slow and awkward. Archer’s right, Wyatt’s strength would be a problem for me, so I planned on avoiding that entirely.

But I haven’t considered the stamina. Wyatt may simply be able to outlast me.

Archer watches me closely, his eyes narrow, for a long moment. Then he pulls out his phone and shoots of a text. “I have an idea.”

“What?”

He just looks at me.

His idea reveals itself five minutes later when Steven enters the room. For once, he’s not wearing his glasses.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“Ah,” Beau says, when Steven joins us. “Makes sense.”

“Good thinking, Archer,” Neil chimes in.

I’m still confused. I don’t mind adding Steven to the fold, but he’s not much of a fighter. He doesn’t workout like Archer, or even Neil. Beau gets most of his exercise in other ways. But Steven spends his time in his lab. I’m not sure what helpful pointers he can give.

I’m not sure why this would be Archer’s idea.

But then Steven kicks off his shoes and steps onto the mat. He stops a few feet from me, facing me, and I realize at once: He means to fight.

“Steven…”

“Don’t go easy on me now, Chloe,” Steven says.

I look at Archer. “You sure about this?”

Archer nods. “We’ve already established that my strength level is too high, even to hold back.”

I snort. Archer was not holding back. But whatever.

“Beau would be the same way,” Archer says.

I bet he would.

“And Neil is injured. That leaves Steven.” Archer waves at him. “He is an Alpha wolf, but he doesn’t utilize his strength. Because of that, his skills should be rusty enough that you might have a better understanding of what you are dealing with when fighting Wyatt.”

It’s not ideal, but I suppose this is the best that I can hope for. And it’s kind of Steven to take the time to try.

“Okay,” I say.

Steven and I, facing each other, take up fighting stances. I can see already several flaws in Steven’s. He’s clearly been trained once, perhaps in his youth, but it’s been so long, he’s forgotten the exact steps and maneuvers.

We circle each other for a moment, and then, I see an opening. I dart forward, ready to land a blow. I make contact – with his arm. He blocked me.

I move again, this time I make contact with his side. He doesn’t wince, but I’m hoping that’s the Alpha strength at play.

Yet before I can get away, Steven grabs my wrist and yanks me toward him. Suddenly I am trapped in the circle of his arms, with my back against his chest.

Even rusty, his strength is impressive. As are the toned muscles in his arms and his chest. What has he been hiding under all that looser clothing he wears? Gods, he’s probably just as hot as his three brothers.

My libido takes the helm in my brain for a hot moment and I find myself pressing back against him as if on instinct, wanting to feel more.

Beau laughs.

“You are supposed to be struggling, Chloe,” Archer snaps. He sounds annoyed. He always does, but he probably doesn’t much care for me wasting his time by accidentally feeling up his brother.

I send a silent apology his way, reclaim control of my thoughts, and swivel drop my body as I have been trained to do to escape such a hold.

Steven doesn’t expect it. Nor does he expect that while I’m on the ground, I will kick and swipe his legs straight out from under him so that he lands on his back on the mat with a loud oof.

In a flash, I’m on top of him, pinning him down. It takes my whole body stretched out over his, he’s so tall. I basically have to sit on his lap, with my ankles hooked over his knees and my hands pressing his forearms down into the mat.

Oddly, he has stopped struggling. He stares up at me, and Gods, without his glasses in the way, I can see how beautiful his eyes are.

I’m confused though, I’m stretched pretty thin here. He should just be able to buck me off.

But then he blushes.

And I feel the slightest twitch against my backside.

Holy shit, this is making him horny. Knowing his reaction kicks mine right back into high gear. But I don’t dare move.

Not the least because we have an audience.

“You win,” Steven says.

“Okay.” I back off of him at once. Hopping to my feet, I try to give him some space.

His body could have naturally reacted to the position we were in. Or from the adrenaline of the fight. That happens sometimes. It doesn’t mean he’s into me specifically.

Still my heart races like my crush just confessed.

Steven scurries off the mat and makes a quick escape out the door. He moves so fast that he forgets his shoes.

“That trick won’t work on Wyatt,” Beau says, claiming my attention and my ire. My lust fades away like dust in the wind.

“That wasn’t a trick,” I snap. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“Sure,” Beau says like he doesn’t believe me.

Beside him, Neil has fallen asleep. I worry for a second, but he seems to be sleeping soundly. He’s even snoring a little. He’s likely okay, just exhausted.

On the other side of Beau, Archer is standing with his arms crossed.

“Steven was able to catch you,” Archer says.

“I got out of it,” I say.

“Too late. Steven caught you with no intention of hurting you. Wyatt, on the other hand. He’ll squeeze the life out of you if you get caught like that.”

Oh, shit. He’s right. I have to be faster, and more careful. I want to think that I let my guard down with Steven, but I can’t be sure if that’s true. I felt like I was giving it my all at the time.

“So to win the match,” Beau says, “All you have to do is somehow never get hit or caught, while delivering enough quick, light blows to damage a werewolf. Oh, and also, do it all while maximum speed the entire fight, knowing he’ll likely outlast you.”

“It seems like you’ve already written me off as I failure,” I say.

None of them deny it. It rankles my nerves.

“I deserve a chance to prove myself,” I plead. “This is that chance.”

Archer unhooks his arms and steps closer. He towers over me, looking down.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” he says.