Page 14 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“Yeah, well.” I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “We’ll need to sort them out soon. Some are going to be disappointed. I can’t train everyone myself.”
“Definitely not,” Kyler agreed. “But this is a good problem to have. If we’d opened and had nobody…” He trailed off, then nodded to the front desk. “Shelly’s waving you over.”
“Why me?” I asked. “My back’s to her. You’re the one who saw her.”
“It’s your name above the door,” Ky retorted, his focus shifting to the paperwork in front of him.
I stood and stretched, feeling my muscles protest. Shelly beckoned me over.
“Noah, there are some women here asking about the self-defense classes,” she said as I approached.
“All right, thanks.” I scanned the lobby. My gaze landed on Heather Crew, her familiar grin stretching across her face when she met my eyes. Although I hadn’t lived in Boldercrest for years, I remembered when Heather and her father Sam moved to town and pledged their loyalty to the pack. Heather had been about ten, I’d been sixteen. She was a feisty little thing. She’d followed Nate and me around town, peppering us with all sorts of questions. Very different from her father’s calm and collected demeanor as an estate lawyer.
“Hey, Noah!” Heather greeted me. “How are you? I heard you were back. Didn’t expect to see you running this place.” Heather still brimmed with the same curiosity and fiery spirit she’d had as a kid.
“Heather.” I gave her a warm smile. “What brings you in? Shelly mentioned you were interested in the classes?”
“Trying to sign up with my sister,” she answered with a nod.
I raised my eyebrows. Shifters usually didn’t need much training in self-defense. Our fighting skills came naturally. Still, I understood that women of all species experienced challengesfrom the opposite sex. And Boldercrest had a mix of shifters and humans, so it appeared the class would be a varied group.
Something to consider when partnering them up for sparring work.
“Your sister?” I asked in surprise. I didn’t know she had a sister.
“Stepsister,” she said, then quietly added. “She’s human.”
“Understood.” I nodded. “We’re still sorting out instructors, but we’ll get those classes up and running soon.”
“Appreciate it,” she replied, tilting her head towards the entrance. “Can you add us to the list, please? Let me know when it starts?” Heather gestured towards the woman standing behind her. “Zoey doesn’t have a phone yet, so if you just let me know, I can keep her in the loop. Let me introduce you.”
The world seemed to tilt on its axis and throw me off balance—something my competitors in the ring rarely accomplished.
Heather, the gym, and everything around me became a dull hum, my singular focus drawn to the woman standing in the doorway.
The sunlight streaming in cast a hazy aura around her. Ebony hair cascaded down her back in loose waves. The delicate strands framing her face caressed her cheek.
Her restless gaze darted around the gym, scanning faces but never landing on any, her body tense and poised to run. Waves of trepidation pulsed off her, from her tense body language to the acrid odor of fear. It stirred my wolf, and I had to exert tight control on him as his need to protect surged through me.
A rising heat consumed my body, and my heart thumped an erratic, unsustainable rhythm. I had to consciously remind myself to take deep breaths, to inhale slowly and exhale fully, and to repeat the process.
What. The. Fuck.
I’d only ever heard whispers of the phenomena I was experiencing. It was rare. Rarer still when I factored in that she was human. There was no doubt she was mine, the person destiny had chosen for me.
My fated mate.
The world snapped back into motion when I heard Heather call out, “Zoey!”
Heather went to the door, extending her hand towards her. They clasped hands, and I saw Zoey’s fingers tighten on her sister’s as Heather guided her forward.
When the woman raised her head and our gazes locked, my heart damn near stood still. Her cheeks and nose were graced with a scattering of freckles. Rich hazel eyes, the color of a forest floor dappled with sunlight, drew me in. They stood out against her pale complexion, but something had robbed them of their sparkle. If eyes were the windows to the soul, hers was haunted.
She took a hesitant step forward, and my breathing quickened, my palms suddenly slick with sweat.
“Hi.” Her hushed greeting carved a path through the cacophony of clanging weights and grunting males.
Her fear unsettled me more than I cared to admit. The urge to extend a reassuring hand, to offer her comfort, overwhelmed me, but I held back. She was so skittish, one wrong move would send her running.
