Her True Mate

Chapter 5 - Mansplainers

Present Day

Kaitlin’s POV

Fifty minutes later, which did not go by as fast as I had wanted, I felt ten times better. My mind was clear, but I had this odd sensation of being watched. I looked around for who it could be in the guise of looking for an empty area where we could box, but I couldn’t find anyone in my direct line of sight or from the level above. I landed on a spot in the back with little equipment and a wall to our back, which provided a good place for us to spar, talk, and find whoever was staring at me.

Blayn looked as distracted as I felt.

“How are you feeling?” I asked him while starting our combination workout. I was breathing heavier than I wanted, but I chucked that up to being forced to run on a treadmill at a maximum incline for the whole hour.

“Honest answer?” I smiled at our coined childhood phrase and nodded. It was letting the other know we weren’t holding anything back. He used it twice today already.

“I fear you will have to deal with more emotions than you want to on this trip with Dakota being here. Feelings that you might not be ready to face. Otherwise, yeah, I’m good–I’m great!” He exaggerated while forcing me to fight low, and my quads screamed in protest.

“I have changed, Kait. I am no longer a punching bag and, least of all, affected by whatever that rat bästard says to me. I rank higher than he does with my qualifications, anyway. He can’t get at me so easily this time around. I should be asking you that question: Are YOU okay?”

His answer surprised me. I stopped and nearly took a kick to the head. I dived forward and rolled, trying to sweep him off his feet as I landed in a crouch. I almost got him, and he smirked and motioned to start again with a different exercise.

“What do you mean?” I asked quietly, ignoring his last statement, taking us into slow punch combinations.

“I mean, he fücked you over, and thankfully, you came around in the end, but it’s you facing that mess all over again with an even bigger audience. Only this time, I fear you will leave here with his balls in your luggage and start a war.”

I laughed loudly and missed his hand with my second punch, sending it straight to his gut. He groaned in pain as I wasn’t holding back.

“Oh. My. Goddess!” I said between giggles, “I AM SO SORRY!” And fell to the floor laughing hysterically over what he said. He wasn’t far off, and even Annika was chuckling and picturing just how we could do it to get maximum pain.

“Ohhhh, Blayn, thank you. I needed that!” I was still trying to compose myself, and getting back up from the ground, I looked at my best friend leaning against the wall. Blayn looked miserable from the solid punch I landed, but he smiled weakly.

“I wish I hadn’t said anything now. Fück me, where did that come from?” He groans but smirks.

“Oh, come on, big boy, it didn’t hurt that bad, and from you! I am only working out constantly now,” I say sarcastically.

“Nope, you're right. I lied.” He says, popping the p, jumping up, and tackling me to the ground, pinning me underneath him.

I managed to escape his hold and switch our positions, taking his dominant arm with me. His arm was tightly pinned behind his back, pulling at the shoulder socket while I had the other held between my thighs at his side. He tapped me twice with his hand, the universal signal for giving up.

“Good, you’re getting better!” He praised me as he rotated his shoulder.

“I think my work is done with your grappling. You will start with Tyler when we return home.”

I sighed, pretending to be bummed out.

“Great, I shouldn’t have done that then, whatever will I do with such a big strong warrior like that!” I said with a teasing smile as he pushed me.

“Hands off, missy.”

I was pretty pleased with myself. If I start grappling with Tyler, I will get stronger and return to where I was before stupid Dakota Bane destroyed my life. I danced around a bit, not caring who saw.

We finish our boxing and make our way toward the weights.

“You got it?” Blayn looks over at me as if I can’t handle his plan for me, which is permanently ingrained into my daily routine.

“Yea, go get buff, handsome.” I smile. I hate doing circuits with him anyway, so I usually go off alone, even at home. I am grateful he leaves me be, at least for a while. He has me toned in all the right places, so I listen to whatever the master has planned. Four years ago, I was a girl, but now, I have the body of a woman with curves to prove that. Dakota won’t know what hit him if we have to train together, which will inevitably happen.

When I wear something feminine, I pull it off well. My long, lean muscles look stunning, and I can show them off in any clothing style but in gym gear–shït, I know I look good.

I start with my legs since I can plant myself on a bench for most of my arm exercises, and they are nearly burned out anyway. According to the almighty Blayn, when they are on fire, this is the best time to target that area. I beg to disagree, but I get through them anyway.

I felt eyes on me again and looked around for the person burning holes into my skin. It wasn’t uncomfortable, more like a warm, tingling sensation that made Annika sigh. I frowned again. Why would she sigh if someone was staring at us?

Strangely, there weren’t many people here, and I didn’t immediately catch anyone looking at me, so I brushed it off.

I put in my headphones, looked for my Skrillix playlist to get me through my last set of legs, and found the press machine.

By the end of my leg sets, I am drenched in sweat, and my clothes are sticking to me uncomfortably. I move to find a flat bench and cool off. Before I can sit on an open one, this massive döuche throws his towel on the bench I am standing next to.

“What the hëll, dude?” I grit out, removing my headphones from one ear.

“I was about to sit here!”

He smirked as he looked down at me. Great, another jäckass. I schooled my features, looking at the massive figure before me. Being a hyped-up female never works on these ässholes. I look up again after taking a deep breath.

He is ripped and beyond hot. I almost stutter but quickly compose myself. His light tan skin is flushed, and his dark hair is tousled and looks like it could have some red tint in the sunlight. His dark eyes twinkle in delighted mischief, and his firm, chiseled jaw and neat, short goatee make his full red lips stand out. Oh, most girls would be throwing themselves at him by now.

“Sorry, princess. Do you know where you are? These are the weights.” He motions to the freeweights with one hand in an almost mocking tone that makes me bristle.

“The treadmills are over there.” He points back to where we were earlier and not so subtly flexes his biceps.

Oh, this guy, I can feel my anger rising.

“Yes, ässhole, again, I WAS ABOUT TO SIT HERE.” I angrily got out and threw his towel a few benches down from me.

He looks amused. I narrow my gaze at him and want so badly to release my Alpha aura just to make this döuche back the fück off.

“Well then, continue, princess. Don’t mind me.” He flashed a panty-dropping smile, and I could smell that he was a wolf—a relatively high-ranking one that was either masking his scent or something was blocking me from scenting him.

My agitation at his audacity to flirt with an Alpha was at my max. I had to get away from him before I lost it. I rolled my eyes and moved away, grabbing a few varying weights. I put my headphones back on and ignored the döuche who was now overdoing it, trying to get my attention. I rolled my eyes again, trying to shut him out. It worked; I zoned out completely.

About halfway through my set, he suddenly appears in front of me.

“Can I help you?” I don’t take my headphones out, showing annoyance at being disturbed. He doesn’t respond. Instead, he waits until I rip the bud from my ear out of the discomfort of him standing and staring at me.

“WHAT?” I say, exasperated.

“You have great form. I’ve been watching. What are you, princess, some bodybuilder?”

“Stop calling me that.” I get out bitterly, hardly hearing what he said as Srillex’s Reptile blares.

“I don’t need some dude to come in and try to correct or show me what to do.” I ooze sarcasm at the end of the sentence. My tone took him aback as I accidentally let some of my aura slip.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Not many women come in here and know what to do. I was letting you know your form is perfect.”

Ugh, typical male.

“That’s because she isn’t just some woman, Beta Ryan.” I heard Blayn’s voice come out a little defensively. I paused my music for this.

“Beta Blayn,” the Beta stumbles back. “I didn’t know you were in town yet. This your mate?”

I looked at the pair of males and rolled my eyes again. Then, I restarted my music and grabbed the weights.

“Nope. That is my Alpha, Kaitlin Hamil.” He says with pride in his eyes. The döuche takes a few steps away from me and instantly changes his demeanor.

“Alpha Kaitlin, I am so sorry, I didn’t realize...”

I cut him off.

“It’s fine. Please let me finish so I can leave.”

He excuses himself and quickly walks away from us, a tiny bit of terror in his eyes.