Page 67 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“Protection,” I echoed hollowly. My heart hammered, the prospect of facing George in a legal battle making me feel like a cornered animal. “But I can’t afford a lawyer. Sam’s an estatelawyer. He doesn’t know anything about family court, Noah. You have no idea what George’s capable of, his resources. He’ll have the best money can buy.”
“Zoey.” Noah’s grip on my hand tightened. “Listen to me. You won’t have to worry about that.”
“Easy for you to say,” I shot back, my fear bubbling into a quiet anger.
“Look at me.” His thumb rubbed small circles on the back of my hand, his easy patience coaxing me to look up. “About the lawyer.”
I tried to protest, to shake my head, but he held me steady. “Noah, I?—”
“Shh,” he interrupted, his tone dropping to a seriousness that demanded my full attention. “I’m not asking for permission, Zoey. This is what I need to do.”
His gaze never wavered, and there it was again, that fierce protectiveness I’d seen in him time after time.
“Why?” Vulnerability seeped through the question. “Why would you do that for me?”
“Because you’re mine,” he stated simply.
Holy crap. I never would’ve thought I’d want someone to claim me like that. I would’ve thought I would feel caged.
Instead, I felt… cherished. Safe.
That was new.
17
NOAH
The ring in the center of the room provided me with an excellent vantage point to study the energetic hustle and bustle in the gym. It was alive with sound—the rhythmic thump of the punching bags, the whoosh of the jump rope, and the metallic clink of weights being lifted and lowered. Seeing the effort Ky and I had put into establishing the gym come to fruition filled me with pride.
My trainee, Lloyd, bounced in the ring and grinned, revealing his mouthguard. His opponent signaled he was ready, and I started their sparring session.
“Watch your blocking, Lloyd. Try cutting more to the left to avoid getting cornered,” I called out, circling the ring and watching as he danced around his sparring partner, analyzing his jabs, studying his footwork.
A familiar tug from the depths of my being diverted my attention.
“Hey, Noah!” Roland’s excited shout carried through the gym. His enthusiasm could have powered the city for days.
I glanced over at the reception desk where he and Zoey were waiting. Roland waved like he was trying to flag down a plane.
I chuckled and nodded at him, “Morning, Ro. Go change and come out to the ring, okay?”
The exuberant boy nodded, then grabbed the bag from Zoey’s hands and dashed away with the energy of a pint-sized hurricane. Zoey made her way over to the ring, and the pull of our bond caused my wolf to stir deep inside. His reaction to her scent, her presence, made my blood pulse and pool in a way that wasn’t exactly appropriate in the gym. To prevent any potential embarrassment, I recited the nine times table silently to myself.
We were getting closer, inch by inch, day by day. The past week had been a whirlwind of shared moments since the debacle with George’s lackey. It felt like something real was building between us.
After I’d told her she was mine, I realized how controlling that sounded, how she could easily think I was coming into her life to pick up where that bastard had left off. I worked hard to reassure her, and I would continue to prove to her I was nothing like George.
The only thing we had in common was that he was also an alpha, which was a disgrace to the title, if you asked me. Any man—shifter or human—who put his hands on a woman was a coward, and I’d told her that. If I had to, I’d tell her every day for the rest of our lives that it came from a place of love, not coercion. If she didn’t want this, I’d respect her wishes and walk away. I’d be heartbroken, but I’d accept it.
“Ready for today?” I asked. I’d suggested Ro spar with another kid. It was one thing to hit pads, but to be in the ring with someone else was a whole different experience.
The kid I’d paired him with was one of Ky’s better students, but the sparring match wasn’t about which kid won. I wanted to assess how Ro would react if he ended up losing.
“Of course,” Zoey said, but she cast a wary glance Ro’s way. When I’d brought it up, I tried to lessen her concerns, remindingher that Ro would be a strong alpha one day, and he needed to learn control. This wasn’t a lesson in failure. I saw it as an opportunity to shape his future. Learning to control my wolf in this manner had been good for me, and I was sure it could only be beneficial for Ro as well.
“He’ll be fine, Zoey,” I reassured her, focusing on the sparring match just in time to see Lloyd throw a solid hook. “Nice job, keep it up. Watch your feet!” I called out. “Watch your opponent, look for his tells.”
My mind circled to another fight, one that wasn’t in the ring. Keeping Lloyd in sight, I said, “I have a friend. Claire. She went through hell in family court, trying to keep custody of her kids. Her ex wasn’t physically abusive, but he was an ass. Told the court she was a gambler, a drug addict—all sorts of crap. It was an emotional rollercoaster. She hired a lawyer, a no-nonsense woman who’s known for her fierce courtroom skills. She was great with Claire and had zero tolerance for her ex’s games.
