“Oh please, you love it. I know you’re secretly happy that you’ll get to stare at my ripped body with no shame again.”
“Sounds like something a stalker would say.”
He smiled and put his hands out to help me up. “Come on, let’s go do some pull-ups and TRX exercises.” He led me over to a large power rack in the center of the gym, pulled off his shirt, and hopped up, grabbing hold of the pull-up bar. He gripped the bar as he pulled his body up, all the muscles in his upper body revealing themselves.
Oh Goddess, I felt a strong tingle between my legs. I couldn’t deny my attraction to Blake.
I went after he did, using a bench to reach the bar. As I was pulling up, Blake started speaking. “You know, you were really tough on Saturday. I don’t think most women would have made it that long and still stayed in their wolf form, especially without formal warrior training. I was impressed.”
“Thanks,” I replied, finishing up my set. I got down, and he hopped back up. “Probably best I don’t leave the territory for now though. I didn’t realize how dangerous it is.”
“That’s probably Luke’s and my fault. We should have been pursuing those assholes more, but I think we’ve both been distracted. That was a huge wake-up call for both of us. People leave the territory all the time, and they shouldn’t have to worry that they’re going to get attacked.”
“Where did they come from anyway?”
Blake hopped down and looked at me. “We don’t know, unfortunately. I accidentally killed both of them before I got a chance to interrogate them.” I hopped back up and he spoke again. “How’s your leg doing?”
“Much better.”
“Good, I knew it would heal in no time. Fucking badass Miss Alpha, future warrior. Did I mention how hot it was watching you do all those push-ups?”
After we finished with the pull-ups, we switched to the TRX exercises. We each took a set of straps and Blake called out different exercises as we did them together. As we were doing TRX rows, Blake looked over at me and asked, “So how are things with Luke going?”
I groaned, unable to answer.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“Can I be honest with you and not worry that you’ll say anything?”
“Of course. We’re friends, right?”
“I just know you’re close friends with Luke, so it makes it a little weird. But I have no one else to talk to. I sometimes wish I had an older sister or something. At least then she could help me with my parents, but I don’t have anyone anymore. I used to have Lucy, but you know how that is.”
He nodded. “I’m happy to listen anytime, Jasmine. And I won’t say anything. I honestly don’t talk much to anyone either. I think I’ve had more conversations with you than I have with anyone in the past five years. Let’s switch to TRX chest press.”
I flipped my body over, following his lead. I was surprised at his confession. I sighed and decided he could be trusted.
“I just don’t know if it’s worth fighting for the mate bond anymore. I’m so torn. When I’m with him, it’s like it’s just the two of us and no one else matters. As soon as he touches me, I’m willing to forgive anything and everything as long as I can be close to him. But then, when I step away, I realize how much of a disaster the whole relationship is. I’ve broken my closest friendship to be with him. He knocked up my best friend after he already knew I was his mate! And now, every time I turn around, he’s texting with her. And I understand that he has to take responsibility since he’s the father of the baby, but it just hurts.” My voice cracked and a tear fell down my cheek. “At first, he didn’t even want to commit to me and now, all of a sudden, he won’t hear of us breaking things off.”
“Maybe he realized you’re worth fighting for.” I looked at Blake whose piercing blue eyes stared into me as if they were seeing into my soul. “You’re definitely worth fighting for. He might have just been a little slow to figure it out for himself.”
“I don’t know.” I turned back to look at the floor as I pressed.
“Well, what do you want? If you didn’t have to worry about making your parents happy or getting married in the temple, what would you do? Would you still want to be with Luke?”
I pondered Blake’s question and finally came back with my own. “We only get one mate, and the Moon Goddess wants me to be with him. What if I reject Luke and don’t find anyone else?”
“I don’t think that’s even possible. If Luke can’t see how fucking lucky he is to have just been handed you on a silver platter, then, quite frankly, he doesn’t deserve you. And someone else will definitely realize it. There are plenty of men out there who have lost their mates, and I’m sure there are loads that would be more than happy to scoop you up. TRX biceps curl.”
I flipped my body so I was facing the ceiling and began curling. We were mostly silent for the remainder of the workout as I considered what he said. I couldn’t help but wonder if Blake was one of the men that would be willing to scoop me up. I wasn’t sure.
From everything he’d said to me, it seemed that he was no longer interested in relationships and only wanted something casual. It seemed like Ria was the one time he ever swayed from his usual ways, and that was only because she was his mate. Either way, I knew that I definitely couldn’t count on Blake if I broke things off with Luke and that should not even be a consideration. A deep sadness came over me at the thought. I should just assume I’d be alone for a while until I found someone, if I ever found someone, and that suddenly felt very lonely.
After we finished with the TRX exercises, we went back onto the mats to stretch out. It was nice just being with Blake. I felt calm in his presence, I realized, not needing the touch of the mate bond to give me that effect. After we finished our stretches and got up to leave, he pulled me in for a hug, holding me against his sweaty body.
He put his mouth against my ear. “You’re a tough girl, Miss Alpha. You’ll be okay.” He separated from me and walked away. As I watched him go, I wondered what he thought of me. Were we just friends, or was there maybe something more?
Chapter 53