Chapter 18

TYLER

What the hell was I doing? I had just spent over an hour swimming, trying to drown out the thoughts of this girl, and here I was, touching her. Time wasted. I thought, but there was nothing I could do now–or at least nothing I wanted to do. Declan was happy for the closeness. In the back of my mind, I saw him pacing, eager for more, even as my mom’s warning echoed in my thoughts. Mila wasn’t worthy.

“Like this?” Mila asked, pulling her wrists out of my grasp and creating distance between us. Declan didn’t like her repositioning, but I silently thanked her for it. It was hard to think when she was this close. I watched as she lightly closed her fists and brought it up to her face. I laughed at her weak form, but mostly at the fact she looked so determined and so…cute.

“Not unless you’re trying to hit a weak child,” I said, closing the distance and enclosing my hand over hers. “Tighten it like this. Pretend like you’re trying to crush something hard.”

“O…okay.” Her voice was shaky, and I heard the rapid beating of her heart ,which only made Declan even more excited. 

“She wants us. I can smell it,” Declan muttered.

“Calm down, you fiend,” I muttered back.

“Alright, feet staggered, shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent,” I instructed, placing my hands on her hips. “You want to keep your center of gravity low and stable.”

I continued to adjust her form, my fingers lingering longer than necessary. I enjoyed the tingles whenever my fingers brushed across her skin and her sudden gasps at the contact. I wanted her badly, but I knew this could never be. She definitely got the short end of the stick being mated to me. But what was I going to do about it?

Standing here with her was both a dream and a nightmare.

“Well, what’s next?” Mila was looking at the punching bag, her eyes focused and determined. For a moment, I felt myself admiring her spirit. Was she always this eager to learn? Did she always look like this when she was trying new things? I wondered if she was willing to try something else in my room. A mental image of her sprawled across my bed, roping me in with her scent, and giving me freedom with her body. The very thought got Declan way too excited. I coughed to hide his growl.

“Let’s see a few jabs.” I demonstrated and watched her try a few. They were awkward at first, but after a few adjustments, each attempt became better. I watched her intently while my mind whirled with conflicting feelings. On one hand, she was my true mate and everything about her captivated me. On the other, she was weak, and my parents would never let her be Luna.

“Good, but try to keep your shoulders relaxed,” I said, moving behind her to guide her form. I placed my hands on her shoulders, feeling the spark and warmth through the thin material of her shirt. “The power should come from your core, not just your arm.”

Mila turned to me briefly, her eyes sparkling in the light. She was close enough for me to bend just a little to kiss her, but she turned back towards the punching bag, delivering a nearly perfect jab.

“How was that?”

“Beautiful,” I felt myself say.

She smiled brightly at my compliment, and my heart did a little flip. Declan was nagging me at the back of my mind, and I felt my resolve weaken. Just that one moment was all Declan needed to push forward and take control. Mila gasped and took a step back as I looked at one of the mirrored walls. My brown eyes were now a bright shade of gold.

“Declan, what the hell!”

He ignored me and stalked over to our mate as she moved to escape us. She fell onto a workout bench, and in a second, Declan moved over her, aligning our body with hers. Mila placed her hands on our chest to keep from being squished.

“Tyler?” I felt her push against me, but Declan’s strength was no match in this state.

“Declan, love,” he growled into her ear, making her shiver and sending excitement through my body. “That is my name.”

A rumble traveled through my chest as Declan traced his nose down her cheek to the crook of her neck. He took a deep whiff of her scent, making me feel dizzy. Damn, it was fucking amazing.

“And you smell so…delicious,” Declan’s voice rumbled.

Her heart was racing to the point I thought either she would have a heart attack or it would pop right out from her chest. I smiled, loving her reaction to me, but Declan had to stop before this went too far.

“Declan,” she called out, her voice coming out way too breathy. “I think we should stop before someone sees us.”

“Let them see,” Declan responded, pulling back enough for us to see her eyes. He looked down at her lips, and I knew exactly what he was going to do. I needed to get back control before he did. She was right. I couldn’t let everyone catch us like this.

“Declan don’t.”

“Why not?” he questioned. “I can feel your emotions. You want to.”

“Declan…”

Declan cupped her face, brushing a finger over her lips. He leaned in, our breaths mingled, and finally, lips touched…her cheek. She had turned her face at the last second, her eyes closed tight. I was slightly annoyed but a little grateful. 

“Mila!”

My brother’s voice made me push forward to get back control, and I quickly moved away from Mila. She stood up and backed away from me. I watched as her eyes looked down, and I followed her gaze, knowing exactly what she was looking at. It was natural, and it’s not like I had control over it, especially with her body pressed against mine. I looked at her, and her eyes widened before she bolted towards the door and ran right into Gabe. I turned around to adjust myself and wrapped a towel around my waist to hide my erection. It’s not like I was scared, I just didn’t want people to assume anything about us. Not yet, at least.

“Mila, what is it? You okay?” Gabe’s concerned voice was starting to piss me off.

“Yes, please. I just want to leave.”

“Tyler, what did you do?” Gabe asked accusingly.

I turned around to see him glaring at me, but I became more focused on the fact that his hands were holding onto my mate as she clung to his shirt. I immediately lost my erection, and anger replaced my sudden desire.

“I didn’t do anything, Gruggs,” I said, not caring that it came out more like a growl. “But maybe you should stop touching her.”

“Gabe…” The way she said his name didn’t help with my anger. I took a few more steps to close the distance. Declan was itching to come out. Sure, Gabe was my brother but he was touching my mate, and all I could see was red. 

Gabe pulled Mila closer. “I swear Tyler if you hurt her, I’ll–”

“I said stop touching what’s mine!” I snapped, grabbing Mila’s arm and pulling her towards me.