Alpha Orion’s Wolfless Warrior

5| FATAL ATTRACTION

HAYLEE

“Are you crazy?”

Orion took his sweet time turning around to acknowledge me.

I knew I shouldn’t be in his assigned chambers inside the training booth, but I needed to speak to him before we started off training for today.

He raised an amused brow, giving me a slow once over. I wobbled a bit in my warrior fit, feeling exposed, when my body was actually covered to the brim.

“I’m not.” He replied, facing me fully with his arms crossed in front of his chest.. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh no, you must be. What part of the rejection did you not understand?”

His brows drew together.

My teeth grounded together. “Why are you here?! You know this is… I… can you just leave?”

His expression steeled over and he straightened, towering over me even more. I did my best to stand there and pretend like I was strong, staring him dead in the eye. Thankfully, he couldn’t see my fingers twitching inside the glove I had on.

“I understand why you think you can walk up to your head trainer and speak to me in any manner you like,” he started. My cheeks heated up with embarrassment, and my throat bobbed. I kept my head up.

He continued, “I viewed you as a competent warrior, peach. Only for you to prove me wrong on the very first day of training?”

I scowled lightly at him, but said nothing in response.

Orion cast a brief look behind me, then huffed a sigh and started to step forward. I took my own step back.

“Stay where you are.” I freaked out, still unsure why it still felt like a swarm of butterflies had infested my stomach. My attraction to this man had not dwindled. Not even in the slightest.

It made me so confused. My chest had hurt throughout the night. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t do anything even through the next day. I’d missed a day of training because of the hurt! Yet, just seeing him here had my chest and stomach tumbling with nerves.

He didn’t listen, of course. He continued to approach me, invading my space with that delicious smell of his.

I glanced around to make sure that the other warriors were still in the main ring area.

“Orion stop.” I whispered when our chests brushed against each other. He continued to ignore me, tipping my chin up so I looked straight into his eyes.

“That didn’t sound too convincing, want to say it again?” He whispered back, his eyes searching mine. Suddenly, the words were stuck in my throat and I could only focus on his breath fanning my face.

His thumb stroked my cheek, back and forth, and I almost cried from how good it felt.

“I want to get to know you, Haylee. I really f*****g do.”

“You can’t.” I shook my head. “You’re supposed to get to know Piper, she’s the one you’re meant to marry!” I whisper-yelled against his lips.

“She’s not the one that’s been in my mind all week. She’s not you.”

“Orion, let this go..” I pleaded with trembling lips. His were so close, and despite my words, my eyes stayed transfixed on them. “I rejected you already. I said no.”

“And I didn’t accept your rejection.” He replied, his eyes flicking from my lips to my eyes. I swallowed, but my throat was suddenly dry. His eyes held mine and every second that passed between us seemed to tighten something low in my stomach. I could hear my heartbeat in the tension-filled silence, with none of us looking away from each other.

As if his proximity wasn’t enough, his hand wrapped around my throat, and my whole body burst into flames. “I’m not forcing you into anything, peach. I’m genuinely here to train warriors. It’s not my only reason, but it’s my top reason. I’m here for you, too. That one you know already. But I won’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”

“We’re good with our trainer.” I argued. He hummed.

“You are?” Finally, he moved back a bit. “Want to test that?”

I blinked. “Here?”

“You never knew the walls were soundproof? Even to werewolf hearing. Four walls are locked up by the witch, Freda.” He said.

“Oh…” I muttered. “I didn’t know that.”

“Take out your sword.” He nodded to the knife attached to my waist, at the same time he pulled out his, with a loud swish!

I stared down at him without a word at first. He encouraged, “Go on.”

I dragged in a breath and stayed still for the first ten seconds, after which I snatched up my sword and struck hard. His sword intercepted mine with greater speed and strength that sent me back a few steps.

I didn’t let down, striking the second time. He intercepted the strike again. On the third time, I aimed for his stomach, and he intercepted that too. I started to strike again when he grabbed the wrist holding the blade and turned me around with a single spin. My back slammed against his chest, and the cold, sharp edge of his sword pressed against my throat.

I panted heavily in his arms, my chest beating five times faster.

“You were saying?” He whispered against my ear.

“That wasn’t fair. You were using your wolf speed! I don’t have that!”

He scoffed. “No one will give a f**k about that when you’re out there on the battlefield. There’s no fair play when you’re at war. Either get your hands dirty or die.”

I continued to shake with rage and disappointment in myself. Not that I believed I could take a man like Orion down, but I couldn’t even get one hit in. He’d have easily taken me down if he wanted to.

“But to actually set the record straight,” he continued whispering to my ear, “I didn’t use my wolf speed.”

I paused. Then whipped around faster than light.

“What? That’s a lie.”

He smirked, rotating his sword in his fingers for a few seconds. He slipped it right back into his belt.

“I don’t have a reason to lie to you, beautiful. I’m telling you the truth.”

Oh. s**t.

“You are strong, no doubt. Not many female warriors use a sword like you do. You should be f*****g proud of your skill. If it were anyone else, I’d have had them on their back on the floor. You had your stance correct, and worked with your knife. I didn’t have the chance to do what I wanted to do to you.”

I breathed deeply. “I still think you need to leave. Can’t you find someone else to train us? Someone nearly as good as you, likely.”

“No.” He snapped as quickly as the question came. My shoulders slumped.

He ate up the distance between us again. This time, he walked me back to the wall, and with both hands cupping my cheeks, he whispered against my lips, “I haven’t stopped thinking about that kiss. I want a repeat. Would you let me kiss you, peach? I want to taste you again…”

No.

That was what I should’ve said. She was my sister’s future husband. I shouldn’t be looking at his lips, starved for a taste, too.

My thighs clamped together, with my eyes drooping shut when his lips grazed mine.

The door swung open.