Mated by Marriage

Chapter 4

The estate is massive, and it takes me twice as long as I anticipate to navigate my way to the rear courtyard. I'm cutting it close on time, and I'm finding myself thankful that Dallas left me athletic wear. I'm already working up a sweat just running around the estate. I quickly round a corner and see the courtyard in the near distance. I jog towards it and as I approach I can hear the rhythmic thumping of fists hitting a punching bag. Upon closer inspection I can see Chase practicing flurries while Tia rotates around him giving encouragement and criticisms all at once.

"That's it there you go, nice and even. I want to see you guarding your face, Chase. No openings, let's go!"

I approach the two of them slowly, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. I can tell they have a routine, their dynamic looks smooth and natural. It almost feels like I'm intruding. I feel a flush creeping into my cheeks when Tia suddenly spots me.

"Hey you! You made it right on time!"

Tia grins and waves me closer. Chase holds out a hand to stop the swinging punching bag and shifts to face me. He wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead, and grabs a water bottle from the ground. He's wearing basketball shorts and a cutoff t-shirt that pleasantly frames his muscles. I watch him, feeling unwillingly entranced, and I notice that his eyes haven't left me the entire time. A tingle runs up my spine, but Tia's voice rips me from our staring contest.

"Don't mind us, Chase is an early riser so I thought I'd wear him out a little so he's easier for you to totally destroy."

She winks at me and shoots Chase a playful smirk. He rolls his eyes in response, but I see the corner of his mouth turn upward ever so slightly.

"Was that a smile I just saw? I can't believe it, Chase Dixon has emotions? I'm shocked."

I wander closer to the punching bag, eyeing Chase to see if my sarcasm elicits any reaction from him. To my surprise, he raises an eyebrow at me and smirks before shooting back.

"Was that sarcasm? I can't believe it. Melissa Cartwright is capable of speaking like a person instead of a robot. I'm shocked, truly."

His voice is dripping with a mix of sarcasm and playfulness I've yet to hear from him. I'm so pleased at his reaction I almost forget to respond to his brazen insult. I press my lips together and furrow my brow.

"And what's that supposed to mean? I've been here less than 24 hours. You can't possibly know my usual tone."

Chase rounds the punching bag, closing much of the distance between us. His face has resumed its usual dark and moody expression. He peers down at me, seemingly unimpressed with my response.

"You've been here less than 24 hours. You can't possibly know my range of emotions."

I stare up at him in awe. The look he's giving me is piercing and firm, but it highlights every attractive aspect of his face. He holds eye contact with me, and I find it hard to look away even though I'd like to. I don't shrink back from him, maybe out of spite or indignation. Instead, I study his face, looking for any sign as to whether he's serious or not, while also committing his features to memory. I feel a tug in my chest, and my wolf stirs quietly. Tia abruptly appears at our side, clapping like a high school track coach.

"Alright you two, that's enough of that. Let's save all the bickering for our sparring lesson, okay? Keep that energy, you'll need it in a minute."

Tia grabs us both and leads us to the center of the courtyard, facing us towards each other.

"We're going to keep it simple today. The goal is to evaluate your skill, Melissa, while evaluating Chase's mastery of the basics. I'd like to see you two grapple. The first one to pin the other takes the round."

Chase and I nod, both of us keeping our eyes on the other.

"Okay, then. When I blow this whistle, you can start."

Tia hesitates a moment, allowing us to take our stances. She raises her hand, then brings it down swiftly in time with the shrill tone of the whistle. Chase is fast, faster than I expected. He closes the distance between us with ease, but as he reaches out to pull me into a grab, I dodge him narrowly. He may be fast, but he's muscular and meticulous, whereas I find strength in being light and agile. I use my size to my advantage, weaving through his stance to position myself behind him. He's onto my maneuver though, and rounds on me quickly. This time, when he lunges to grab me, I let him. As his arms surround me, I loop my own around his neck and pull towards myself and the ground. He stumbles, losing his footing, and I take the opportunity to sweep his legs forward with his body. The second he hits the ground, I pounce on him. I straddle his chest, pinning his arms to the ground with the pressure of my knees. Chase struggles beneath me for a brief second and I feel my wolf stir again. He stops struggling and peers up at me with an unreadable emotion. In the distance, Tia counts down before making a fake bell-dinging noise. She makes her way towards us, and I become acutely aware that I'm straddling Chase breathlessly, leaning on him more for support than restraint at this point. I quickly slide off and allow myself to sprawl out on the rubberized ground. Chase props himself up on his elbows looking towards me, but I don't allow myself to return his gaze.

"Wow, Melissa, I'm so impressed! That was great. Chase, take note. She's smaller than you, so she essentially let you do all the work and then used your weight and force against you. Think about how you can combat that, remember your basics. Melissa, no notes, do that again actually. Let's reset!"

Chase and I make our way to our feet and back to our starting position. Tia blows the whistle shortly after. Despite Tia's words of encouragement, I decide to take a different approach this time. I dart towards Chase the second she blows the whistle. It catches him off guard, but he steadies himself, ready to block me. Instead, when I'm close enough to touch him, I swerve, circling around and positioning myself behind him. Unlike the first round, he's not ready for me, and I have just enough time to hook my arm under his and pull backwards. At the same time, I press my knee firmly into the back of his own knee. He collapses forward, and I try to force him to roll to his back so I can pin him. He resists, and instead, he loops his free arm around my waist, pulling me to the ground on my back. Before I can react, he's already rolled on top of me. He cages my legs in with his own and quickly pins my wrists together above my head with only one of his hands. He stares down at me, and for once, I can easily read his expression— triumphant. He's right, of course; he's got me securely pinned. I resist the urge to squirm, determined to take my loss gracefully.

"What's the matter? Not even going to try to resist?"

He smiles smugly, before leaning closer to my face.

"You're strong, but not stronger than me."

I don't reply; instead, I get a whiff of his scent. He smells like mahogany and leather. I gasp aloud, and my chest rises and falls rapidly with the change in my breathing. I feel my pulse quicken, and my vision blurs ever so slightly. My wolf is no longer stirring but actively pacing within me. Chase is as still as a statue. His eyes are fixated on mine; his grip on my wrists almost seems to tighten, and he shows no sign of backing away. My blurry vision wanders across his face, and I notice a soft glow in his eyes, the same glow I noticed from the other night. Then, without warning, Chase releases my wrists and rises to his feet. I hear his footsteps get farther and farther away, and I hear Tia calling after him. I don't sit up; I don't call out to him or Tia; I just lie there catching whiffs of Chase's scent on me and the wind. I lie there until my wolf has calmed, and Tia has finally made her way back to the courtyard. I prop myself up on my elbows to greet her. When I tilt my head towards her, my vision blurs again, and this time everything begins to fade away. I squint my eyes, vaguely making out the figure of Tia sprinting towards me, and then all I see is darkness.