Bought by the Beast King (Katerina and hunter) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

KAT

It took less than an hour for me to realise staying home with Hunter was a bad idea. My body still ached, and watching him walk around the apartment shirtless wasn’t helping. Who the hell vacuumed half-naked?

I raised my feet off the table as he pushed the vacuum back and forth, muscles flexing with every move. The air con was blasting, but somehow his chest still glistened with sweat.

He was a walking temptation. The worst part was that he knew it.

Hunter turned just as my gaze lingered on his ass. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I snapped my attention back to my laptop like I hadn’t been looking at the same blank page for hours.

My phone buzzed at that second, thankfully, and I fumbled through the mess of books and papers beside me until I found it. It was Mal.

I jolted upright when I read the message.

‘They’re here again. Are you working?’

Those bastards.

“I’m going to go out for a bit,” I announced, typing a quick reply as I pushed up from the couch.

“Work?”

Mr Watson hasn’t even looked for me. I tried not to worry, but I couldn’t help wondering if I’d overestimated myself and sassed my way out of a job.

“No. I’ll see you later.”

When I came out of the bedroom, I was wearing my workout gear and jacket, with my helmet under my arm and my gym bag slung over my shoulder. I heard running water in the kitchen, and the door stood open. Hunter was bent over the sink, showing off his back. I didn’t bother saying goodbye as I slipped out of the apartment. I needed to focus, and looking at Hunter’s chest wouldn’t help.

It had been a long time since I rode so early in the day. The city blurred past as I cut through the traffic, unease gnawing at me with every mile. Why the hell were they so persistent?

The small car park at Mal’s gym was almost full when I parked my bike. Sleek, expensive cars gleamed under the sun, a far cry from the beater that usually parked there.

As expected, the assholes had already circled the mats and taken over the rest of the equipment. Suited men lounged around like they owned the place, looking ridiculous, and only a few were dressed for the regulars sat outside his office, arms folded, just watching. When they spotted me, a few grinned.

“Need backup?” one of them asked.

gym. Mal’s

I shook my head, my eyes locked on the intruders. Mal came out of his office, his jaw tight and his gaze burning.

“They’re killing my business,” he said gruffly.

“Did they make another offer?” I asked.

“No. Just paid the fee and walked in,” Mal grumbled.

Cowards hiding behind the law. Mal could have wiped the floor with them, but that would make him a hypocrite. He couldn’t do that, the same way I couldn’t beat up Melanie.

“Then let’s give them a real show,” I said, shrugging off my jacket and boots.

We pushed through the suited spectators to watch the men sparring on our mats. The ones they had brought this time were bigger. Bulging muscles, scars all over their bodies, crooked noses. I was sure I’d seen them in the ring on television, fighting for a famous mixed martial arts promotion.

How much had it cost Nathan Rivers this time? Was it worth it just to buy Mal’s gym?

One of them finally won over the other, using his brute strength, and raised his arms in victory, roaring so loud it echoed in the gym. The suited men clapped and cheered.

“Another flawless victory,” one bragged.

“As expected. Dax is newly signed, but I think he’s the best at Dragon Gym,” another said.

“Then maybe you should keep him at your gym instead of putting on a mediocre show here,” I cut in.

“Don’t get us wrong, Miss,” he said. “We’ve just signed the contract with him. Dax was too excited, he felt like expending some energy before heading back to Thornhill. Your gym was on our way out of the city.”

What a load of bullshit.

“We’ve paid, so this dump has probably earned more today than it does in a month. Run along and let the men train, little girl,” the man in the ring sneered.

My attention returned to him. He was indeed a formidable foe, and my foundation had only been strengthened over three years.

“I can run circles around you without breaking a sweat,” I stated.

I tried to stay confident. I wasn’t the only fighter in Mal’s gym, so the others would back me up if I needed them. And Mal would never let me get seriously injured on his watch.

“I’ve heard of you. The girl who thinks her shit doesn’t stink,” Dax spat out.

He was missing a front tooth, and part of his ear was missing. Tattoos covered scars on his chest and arms. I didn’t doubt this fight would hurt.

“Let’s make a deal. If I win, you guys will get the hell out and stop stinking up our space.”

“And if you lose?”

The man who spoke this time spoke from the back of the crowd. The suited men parted for him, but he didn’t move.

The first thing that struck me was how handsome he was. His light brown eyes held a controlled emotion that I couldn’t make out, and his face was the type that would make the ‘top ten’ list in any top magazine.

The second thing was that he was a wolf. Perhaps an alpha. His aura was so strong that I knew he hadn’t tempered it. If there were other wolves in the gym, he would have incapacitated them.

My heart raced for the first time since I entered the

gym.

“What do you want, Mr…?”

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