Chapter 13 Riley
THIRTEEN
RILEY
Riley guided Adrian through the maze of equipment and bodies toward the men's warm-up area, her hand resting possessively on his forearm.
The contact sent little sparks of electricity through their bond, but she pushed the distraction aside.
Right now, Adrian needed to focus on preparing for his first professional fight.
"Find a spot and start stretching," she instructed, gesturing toward an open section of mats near the heavy bags. "I'll grab you proper gear."
Adrian nodded, already rolling his shoulders to loosen the tension she could feel radiating through their connection.
She threaded her way through the crowded training area toward Cameron Mitchell, one of her longtime sponsors who always traveled with extra gear.
The middle-aged man looked up from his equipment bag with a familiar grin as she approached.
"Hell of a performance out there, Riley. That uppercut was poetry in motion."
"Thanks." She cut straight to business. "I need a favor. Can you spare a pair of men's shorts and a mouthguard? Size large."
Cameron's eyebrows lifted as he rummaged through his bag.
"Since when do you outfit random fighters?
" His gaze drifted across the training area toward Adrian, who was flowing through a series of stretches that showcased every muscle in his impressive frame.
"And who's the mountain of testosterone over there? "
Riley accepted the gear Cameron handed her, trying to ignore the speculative gleam in his eyes. "His name is Adrian Kael. He hired me to train him for this competition—it's his first time competing."
Cameron let out a low whistle. "First time? Either this guy's got serious natural talent or he's trying way too hard to impress you. Please tell me he's not some rich man who thinks throwing money at you will get him a date."
Heat flared in Riley's cheeks, and she found herself bristling at the implication. "Actually, we are dating. But it's not public yet, so keep it quiet. I don't need my name splashed across tabloids right now."
"Relax, your secret's safe with me." Cameron's expression grew more serious as he glanced around the training area.
"But you might want to prepare yourself.
People are already starting to notice you two together, and you know how this world loves gossip.
Headlines are probably inevitable at this point. "
Riley's stomach dropped. More complications she definitely didn't need.
Being a public figure in the kickboxing world was challenging enough without having her personal life dissected by every sports blog and social media account.
The thought of seeing her relationship with Adrian—whatever it was exactly—analyzed and sensationalized made her skin crawl.
"Thanks for the warning," she muttered, already dreading tomorrow's news cycle.
She made her way back across the training area, dodging other fighters and their coaches.
Adrian had progressed from stretching to shadow boxing, his movements fluid and controlled as he worked through combinations she'd taught him.
Even without an opponent, there was something mesmerizing about watching him fight—a deadly grace that spoke of barely leashed power.
He must have sensed her approach through their bond because he paused mid-combination and turned toward her, sweat already gleaming on his skin despite the brief warm-up.
"Everything okay?" His sharp gaze searched her face.
Riley forced her expression to remain neutral.
The last thing Adrian needed right before his fight was to worry about media drama.
"Everything's fine. Nothing I can't navigate.
" She held out the gear. "You should head to the locker room and change into these.
I'll work through some more techniques with you when you get back. "
Adrian accepted the shorts and mouthguard, his fingers brushing hers in a way that caused her pulse to skip. "You sure you're alright?"
"Positive. Go change before it's too late."
He studied her for another moment, clearly not buying her casual dismissal, but finally nodded and headed toward the men's locker room. Riley watched him go, admiring the confident set of his shoulders and the way other fighters automatically moved out of his path.
She was settling against the wall when a familiar voice cut through the ambient noise of the training area.
"Well, well. What's a champion like you doing in the men's warm-up area?"
Riley's spine stiffened as Darius Vonn materialized beside her, his presence immediately setting her teeth on edge. The man radiated predatory confidence, his green eyes fixed on her with a piercing intensity that made her skin itch.
"I'm helping out Adrian," she replied evenly, not bothering to look at him directly.
"Ah, I see." Darius's voice carried a mocking undertone that made Riley want to plant her fist in his smug face. "He does need all the help he can get if he wants to avoid humiliating himself out there. Makes sense he'd seek out the best female fighter in the nation."
The implication behind his words was clear—that Adrian was using her, that their connection was nothing more than a desperate grab for professional advantage. Riley's hands clenched into fists as she finally turned to face him.
"It's not like that."
"No?" Darius stepped closer, invading her personal space with deliberate intent.
Riley's blood ran cold. "I know you're a tiger shifter. And isn't it interesting how you'd choose to compete in the kickboxing world with that kind of advantage."
"There are more of us in this world than you think," Darius replied, his smile turning predatory. "Some of the females you've fought in the past were shifters."
The memory of her one professional loss hit her with unexpected force. The fighter who'd defeated her had been impossibly fast, impossibly strong, landing combinations that should have been beyond human capability. If that woman had been a shifter...
"That explains a lot," Riley muttered.
Darius moved even closer, close enough that she could smell his cologne and the underlying musk of barely controlled aggression.
"You know, Riley, you're wasting your considerable talents on someone like Adrian.
A man who needs a woman to train him for a simple human competition isn't much of an Alpha, is he? "
"Get away from my mate."
Adrian's voice cut through the air, and Riley spun to see him stalking across the training area toward them. He'd changed into the fighting shorts, and the sight of him in full predatory mode made her mouth go dry despite everything.
Darius laughed, the sound rich with amusement. "How perfect. And I see you've already tried to mark her." His gaze dropped to Riley's hip, where the edge of the half-mate mark was visible above her low-rise leggings. "How convenient."
Adrian reached them in three quick strides, positioning himself between Riley and Darius with unmistakable possessiveness. "I said get away from her."
"I heard about yesterday's little decision," Darius continued, completely ignoring Adrian's warning. "Seems like you did this whole marking maneuver on purpose for political gain, didn't you? Smart move, really."
Ice formed in Riley's stomach as Darius's words sank in.
She remembered that moment of passion in her office when Adrian had said the mate bond was singing and he could feel her pleasure, and how she'd wanted to feel that intensity too.
What if he had been coercing her into wanting the mate bond in that moment?
She remembered how she told him to mark her, but he stopped himself, but not before giving her the half-mark.
What if this whole thing was some deliberate scheme?
What if he'd marked her, even partially, to secure his position as Alpha?
The doubt crept in like poison, seeding itself in her mind despite her efforts to push it away.
Would Adrian have manipulated her like that?
"Riley—" Adrian started, but Darius was already walking away, his laughter echoing across the training area.
Riley stared after him, her mind reeling. Through their bond, she could feel Adrian's frustration and something that might have been guilt, which only made the doubts stronger.
"Adrian Kael, you're up!"
The assistant's voice cut through the tension, and Riley forced herself to focus on the immediate situation.
"Sorry," she said, handing Adrian his mouthguard. "I didn't get a chance to work through more techniques with you."
"It's fine." Adrian's jaw was tight with controlled anger, his eyes still flashing gold. "Everything's going to be okay."
He leaned down and kissed her quickly, his lips warm and reassuring against hers. For a moment, the doubts receded under the familiar surge of connection between them.
Then he was walking away toward the tunnel that led to the arena floor, and Riley was left standing alone with Darius's poisonous words echoing in her head.
Riley weaved through the crowd toward the front row as the arena lights began to dim. She spotted her mother's familiar silhouette in the reserved section, waving Riley over to the empty seat beside her.
"There you are," her mother said, her warm smile faltering as she took in Riley's expression. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like someone just told you your gym burned down."
Riley sank into the chair, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the armrests. The weight of Darius's poisonous words pressed against her chest, making it hard to breathe normally.
"We'll talk about it later," she managed, forcing her voice to remain steady. "I just want to focus on watching Adrian right now."
Her mother's eyebrows drew together with maternal concern, but she nodded and turned her attention toward the arena floor as the announcer's voice boomed through the speakers.