Chapter 4—Pinned
1296 Words
(Sherry’s POV)
I met my friend Agnes and her mate, Mark in the evening, sitting at a small café near the werewolf training club. Agnes slammed her cup on the table the moment I finished explaining.
“That bastard Dave!” she burst out. “He’s unbelievable!”
Mark shook his head, eyes dark. “Eden Astor said no?”
I nodded weakly. “He said he can’t take the case.”
Mark leaned forward. “But his firm could, right? You just need a way to get higher access to him. I’ll try to get his internal schedule. Not to stalk him—just to create a chance for you to talk to him properly. Plead your case.”
I almost teared up. “Thank you.” “You’re family,” Agnes said, squeezing my hand. “Of course.”
After we finished eating, the three of us headed to the werewolf training club. We changed in the locker rooms and stepped into the training area.
I froze the moment I saw him. Dave.
He stood across the room, laughing with some pack members like nothing had happened—like he hadn’t just destroyed my entire family.
Agnes hissed under her breath. “Why is he here?”
My stomach twisted. “I… I don’t want to see him. Let’s just—let’s go somewhere else.”
Agnes wrapped an arm around my shoulders protectively and steered me toward another corner. “Ignore him. He’s trash. Focus on your breathing. Focus on punching a bag. Imagine it’s his face.”
I almost smiled. Almost.
But then Dave noticed me and he started walking over. My blood ran cold.
My wolf growled inside my chest in warning. “I don’t want to talk to him,” I whispered. “Agnes, I can’t—”
“Then let’s go,” Agnes said immediately, already leading me toward the exit.
I nodded and headed toward the door. If I could just get out before Dave reached—
The door swung open just as I reached it and someone stepped inside.
My eyes widened. Eden. I stopped in my tracks so fast Agnes bumped into me. I stared at him, stunned. Why is he here?
He looked down at me with this strange little shift in his expression—like relief washed through him before irritation flicked right behind it.
His eyes sharpened, and I felt his wolf push forward in the air around us, brushing against mine. It startled me. His whole presence always did—calm on the surface, storm underneath.
Before I could make sense of anything, someone called out, “Eden! Hey!”
Dave. Of course.
Eden looked sideways, visibly regretting it. I watched his jaw tighten.
Then—surprisingly—he turned his back on Dave entirely and looked straight at me.
“Would you like to train with me?”
I blinked. “Uh… yes?”
Why did I say yes? I had no idea. My mouth moved faster than my brain.
Eden nodded once and gestured for me to follow. As we passed Dave, he shot me a glare sharp enough to peel skin. I snorted and looked away. If Eden could ignore him, so could I.
We walked into a private combat section, quieter and darker than the main room. My heart was pounding so loudly I wondered if he could hear it.
He stopped and faced me. “You know basic combat?”
“Define basic,” I muttered.
He huffed. “We’ll work with whatever you can do.”
Which, in my case, was… not much. But I took a stance anyway.
I tried. I tried very hard.
But Eden moved like he wasn’t from this world. Every shift of his body was clean and fluid, silent and precise. Meanwhile, I was pretty sure my wolf was short-circuiting every time he stepped near me.
At one point, he placed a hand lightly on my waist to adjust my posture. My entire brain melted.
“I—uh—okay,” I squeaked.
He went very still. I missed the tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth because I was too busy trying not to spontaneously combust.
To distract myself, I blurted, “Why did you ignore Dave earlier?”
He straightened. “I wanted to.”
“…That’s it?”
“Yes.”
The arrogance. The confidence. The absolute menace of this man.
I snorted, utterly delighted. Suddenly I liked him even more.
But then the memory of this morning hit me again—the hope, the begging, his rejection. My expression flattened.
“Why won’t you help me with my dad’s case?” I asked quietly.
His eyes cooled. “I simply don’t want to.”
That one hurt. My face tightened in anger before I even realized I was glaring.
“Then fight me,” I snapped.
He stared like I’d grown two heads. “…What?”
“If I win, you help me.”
For a second, there was silence. Then a low laugh slipped out of him, warm and amused.
“You think you can beat me?”
“I—I can try.”
He shook his head, breathing out. “Fine. I’ll make it easier. If you get me to touch the mat even once, you win.”
My eyes lit up. “Deal.”
A spark flickered in his eyes too. “Don’t regret it.”
The match started.
I lunged first—bad idea. He slid out of reach effortlessly. “Too open.”
I tried again. He ghosted around me. “Too predictable.”
“Show-off,” I muttered.
He didn’t deny it.
I pushed myself harder, sweat dripping down my temples. Eden barely looked winded. He blocked my attempts with a kind of lazy elegance that made me want to scream.
Then—miraculously—I grabbed his wrist and twisted.
For three glorious seconds, I thought I had him.
Then the world flipped.
Suddenly I was on my back, pinned, his hands locking my wrists above my head, his knee braced between mine. His chest hovered inches above me, warm and steady.
My breath hitched. Hard.
Eden leaned in, voice low and maddeningly calm. “You lost. Do you surrender?”
My wolf practically rolled over in bliss.
“…yes,” I whispered.
He pushed off me instantly. I scrambled backward like he was on fire and my face felt like it was melting.
“Let’s take a break,” he said.
“Yeah,” I squeaked.
He walked off to talk to a couple of instructors. I paced in circles, trying to convince myself to approach him again, but every time I glanced at him, my stomach somersaulted.
Agnes suddenly grabbed my arm. “Come with me,” she hissed, dragging me away like she was rescuing me from myself.
“Where are we going?” I muttered.
Inside the restroom, she shut the door and turned to me with wide eyes. “Okay. Spill. What’s with the s****l tension and the full blown take-me-now stare he kept giving you?”
I choked on air. “Oh. That. We… um… spent a night together.”
Agnes slapped a hand over her mouth. “W–WHAT?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“It meant nothing!” I squealed. “And I’m not pursuing anything. I just need him to help my dad.”
Agnes narrowed her eyes, then pulled me into a hug. “Fine. Just be careful. Eden breaks hearts accidentally.”
“I know,” I whispered.
When we stepped out, Dave was standing right there.
His expression was thunderous.
I moved protectively in front of Agnes. “What do you want?”
- Writer
