Chapter Thirty-Three
Thirty-Three
Atlas
“Do you think you’ll be able to fit?” Tegan asked with a giggle as I stood beside her crossover SUV. I was so distracted when I grabbed her bag this morning that I hadn’t considered the logistics of my enormous body fitting inside of her car.
I walked around the sleek black vehicle, ducking down to peer inside the compact cabin.
“It’s gonna be tight, but I think I can manage. It’s not a very long ride anyway.”
Yeah, I could fit, but it was going to be uncomfortable as fuck.
I’d rather die than admit that to her, though.
Just like I’d rather die than suggest we take separate vehicles.
There was already a possessive part of me that couldn’t bear to be away from her.
I knew that those wolven instincts would kick in eventually, but I hadn’t anticipated having such strong feelings this soon.
Plus, if I was dragging Tegan to go work out this early in the morning after our sexual escapades last night, I could at least make sure she had her car. She hadn’t complained, but I could tell she was slightly tender.
Gods, she had looked so good coming undone against my thigh. And the noises she made when I spanked her.
I had to adjust my cock in my pants as we turned into the gym parking lot.
Not that me popping a boner around Tegan was anything new, but it was later in the morning than when we normally worked out and the parking lot was full.
I didn’t want to chance one of my clients getting an eyeful of wolven dick.
“Wow, it’s packed this morning,” Tegan said as she flung her workout bag over her shoulder.
As we walked through the front door of Leviathan Fitness, Chai called out to us from behind the desk.
“Hey there, boss man. Aren’t you going to introduce me?” she said with a smile and a tilt of her horned head.
Chai was one of the most attractive minotaurs I had ever seen, with deep brown eyes and light brown fur dotted with white patches.
As a trainer, she kept herself in great shape, but she’d been dealing with some mystery illness for a while now.
She didn’t tell me the details, so I didn’t pry, but I was happy to see her looking like her normal bubbly self.
“Hey, Chai.” I offered her a slight wave as I ushered Tegan toward the front desk with my palm pressed against the small of her back. “This is my girlfriend, Tegan.”
Chai grinned knowingly, showing off her perfectly straight ruminant teeth. “Ah! It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she said as she looked at Tegan, then me. “I’ve heard so much about you from Atlas and Fallon.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“If Atlas isn’t around and you need help with anything, just let me know,” Chai said. I could already tell that she liked Tegan.
“I will.”
“Well, we better get started on our workout,” I said, checking the time.
“Have a good workout!” Chai said cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you!” Tegan yelled over her shoulder as I steered her away.
We headed upstairs so I could stretch out Tegan’s sore muscles before our workout. After last night, I wanted to take it easy on her today.
I was in the middle of teaching her morning glories when I heard a high-pitched whistle.
Fuck.
“Hey there, wolf daddy,” Fallon said, strolling up to us.
Tegan looked at me, her lips pursed together holding back her laughter. “Wolf daddy?” she finally managed to grate out.
“I told you not to call me that,” I barked at Fallon.
“I kind of like it,” Tegan said, making him laugh.
“See,” Fallon chirped. “It’s a good nickname.”
I shook my head. “Did you need something, or did you just feel like harassing us?”
“I just wanted to shoot the shit,” he said. “See how Tegan felt about game night.”
“I had a great time,” she said.
Fallon ruffled his feathers. “I didn’t know you were, like, a Mario Kart prodigy.”
“Yeah. That really threw me for a loop, too,” I said, smiling at her.
Teagan was full of surprises. I wanted to uncover them all.
Our conversation was interrupted by yelling coming from downstairs.
“You can’t just walk in here and act like you own the place anymore,” Chai bellowed, her voice laced with anger.
Footsteps stomped up the staircase. The click of nails and the familiar clack of Chai’s hooves.
And that’s when I saw her.
Jade.
By wolven standards, my ex was a knockout.
Her body was toned and thin, leanly muscled with long legs and big tits.
She had silvery-white fur and bright yellow-green eyes, but beneath that attractive exterior was an ugly side.
Her tongue was vicious. She knew exactly what to say to cut you down and make you feel small. Insignificant. Imperfect.
A shiver raced down my spine as she stormed over to us.
“Hello, Atlas,” she said with a sharp smile.
“Jade,” I replied, my voice low.
“You look like you’ve put on weight,” Jade said as her gaze passed over my body.
As soon as the words left her mouth, I instinctively dropped my shoulders and tugged my tank top away from my stomach, doing what I could to disguise my body.
I had put on weight, but it wasn’t anything noticeable.
And even if it was, I was the happiest I’d felt in a long time.
Tegan didn’t judge me. I felt safe with her, and it was helping to heal my relationship with food and with my body. But the damage Jade had done to me over the course of our relationship was hard to repair.
“You can’t be here.” Fallon stepped closer to her, his feline tail thrashing from side to side in agitation.
Jade held a hand up to silence him, and her red-painted claws glistened under the fluorescent lighting.
“Shut it, bird brain. The last time I checked, this wasn’t your gym.
” She noticed Tegan and her eyes narrowed, her sharp stare raking over Tegan’s body.
“You must be my downgrade.” She sneered at Tegan, the bridge of her muzzle wrinkling in disgust.
“I’m Tegan.” Tegan’s voice was calm and confident. She puffed out her chest and smirked up at Jade. She wasn’t intimidated in the slightest, and it made my heart swell with pride to see her standing her ground.
Jade glared daggers at me, and her mouth twisted into a devious smile. “Does she have any idea who I am, Atlas? Hmm?” She examined her nails, awaiting my response.
“Tegan.” I sighed. “Jade is my ex.”
“Ex-fiancée,” Jade corrected.
Tegan didn’t seem bothered by what she said, but I hated that I wasn’t the one to tell her about my engagement to Jade.
My ears flattened and my tail sagged behind me, the fluffy tip kissing the ground. Just being around her sickened me. Made me feel small.
Jade and Tegan were polar opposites. Jade was callous and cold. Tegan was warm, caring, and supportive.
Knowing that I’d wasted so many years of my life with someone so horrid made me feel even worse. Was my self-esteem really so low that I’d allowed myself to be treated that way? I guessed it was.
“I wish that I could say it’s a pleasure, but from what Atlas has told me, you were a truly awful partner.” Tegan grabbed my hand in hers and squeezed tightly. “He deserves better.”
A low growl slithered out of Jade’s mouth. “And you think that’s you?” she snarled at Tegan before taking a step closer to me. “Does she know about wolven, Atlas? Really know? The full moon is only a few weeks away. Are you planning to spend it with her?”
I swallowed hard, not answering her.
Jade’s malicious grin widened. “Has she taken your knot yet? How’s she going to fare when you go into rut?” Jade reached a sharp claw out toward Tegan’s body and trailed it along her cheek. “Do you know what rut is, Tegan? Or did Atlas leave out that little detail?”
Tegan slapped her hand away, her chest heaving and her body shaking. I could feel the anger radiating off her in waves.
“Poor, poor Atlas. You’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
I came back to offer to spend the full moon with you.
Don’t you think that would work things out between us?
A good fuck under the light of the moon?
” Jade clutched my tank top and stared up at me through her lashes, batting her deep green eyes at me.
I was frozen in place and a whine slipped out of me before I could control it. Within seconds, Tegan had positioned herself between Jade and me.
“Listen—I don’t care what happens to wolven during the full moon, and I don’t know what rut is.
But what I do know is that Atlas is my partner now, and if you ever show your face in this gym, hell, even in this town ever again, we’re going to have a real problem.
” Tegan’s face was flushed red, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.
I’d never seen her like this before, all alpha and protective. It made me adore her even more.
Jade looked as if Tegan had slapped her, her mouth gaping open, not uttering a single word. With a hmph, she turned on her heel and stormed down the staircase.
“I’ll follow her and make sure she leaves,” Fallon said before trailing off behind her.
I squeezed Tegan’s hand and pulled her into a tight hug, planting kisses all over the top of her head. “Thank you for that, baby,” I mumbled into her hair between kisses.
“I meant what I said, Atlas. You deserve better.” Her voice was strangled, as if she was fighting back tears.
“And I found that in you, sweet thing.” I tilted her head up, forcing her to look at me.
Her bright green eyes were rimmed red and her lower lip quivered. It reminded me of the day I found her scooping cake off the sidewalk. Things were moving fast, but I was so enthralled with this woman. Her ferocity. Her kindness. Her loving heart. There was no way I would ever let her go.
But it was time.
Time I told her everything.