Rejected by My Alpha Now He Replaced Me with a Copycat Luna novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Raven’s POV

The whir of another treadmill starting up pulled my attention. Of course it was Dexter. The gym area in the club is anything but small, there are dozen other treadmills stood empty, yet he had to choose the one right beside me. His grin was all mischief as he matched my pace.

“Thought I’d join you,” he said, as if this weren’t blatant boundary-testing.

I increased my speed. “Has anyone ever mentioned your complete lack of personal space awareness?”

He kept pace effortlessly. “I prefer to think of it as enthusiastic companionship.”

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. That was the problem-I did like his presence. The easy way his scent of whiskey and citrus wrapped around me, how his constant chatter filled silences before they could grow heavy. My wolf had been calmer these past twenty-four hours than in years, soothed by the unspoken promise of pack.

The realization sent an ache through my chest so sharp I stumbled on the treadmill.

“Whoa there.” Dexter’s hand hovered near my elbow, not touching but ready. “You good?”

I forced a smirk. “Just realized I forgot to water my plants.”

“Plants you’ve had for all of two weeks in that apartment?” His eyebrow arched. “Try again, luv.”

I slowed to a walk, catching my breath. “Fine. I was contemplating how many laws you break daily by existing this annoyingly.”

Dexter matched my pace, his laughter warm. “Violent and vicious. Be still my heart.”

“Please. You ‘fall in love’ with every patron who tips well.”

“Professional charm,” he corrected, wiping sweat from his brow. “There’s a difference.”

Hopping off, I stretched my arms overhead, muscles singing from the workout. The groan behind me was unmistakable. I turned to find Dexter’s gaze locked onto my butt like it held the secrets of the universe.

I flipped him off without breaking my stretch. “Yo, my eyes’ up here, Casanova.”

He jogged over, all predatory grace and boyish enthusiasm-a golden retriever in human form, if golden retrievers came with abs that could grate cheese. “How about partner stretches? I’m excellent at-”

“Dexter.” My voice carried a warning, even as my traitorous imagination supplied vivid scenarios involving those tattooed hands and very different kinds of flexibility.

He backed off, hands raised, but the heat in his gaze said this game was far from over.

A slow smirk curled my lips as I turned to face Dexter. “How about we skip the foreplay and go straight to full-contact?”

His pupils dilated, wolf gold flashing in his emerald eyes. “Name the time and place, luv. I live to serve.”

The low growl that rumbled through the club needed no translation. Kael inserted himself between us with the subtlety of a freight train. “If anyone’s sparring with her, it’s me.”

My wolf bristled at the alpha posturing-not in fear, but in something far more dangerous: interest. I rolled my shoulders back, meeting Kael’s steel-blue gaze without flinching. “You sure you can handle me, K?”

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Rejected by My Alpha, Now He Replaced Me with a Copycat Luna?

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The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees- or up, I couldn’t really tell the difference. “Keep pushing, Little Warrior,” Kael murmured, “and you’ll find out exactly what I can handle.”

I grabbed my gear, tossing a careless shrug over my shoulder. “Prove it.”

Dexter’s dramatic groan followed me toward the ring. “For fuck’s sake, Kael. I’m begging you. Let me take this beating like a man.”

The current sparring partners-Rodriguez and Dante-cleared out as I approached. Rodriguez’s dark eyes scanned my face with genuine concern. “No hard feelings about last night?”

“Please.” I tapped my temple. “Hardest part of me. You barely grazed me.”

Dante leaned against the ropes with a wolfish grin. “Damn shame. Would’ve been my honor to nurse you back to health.”

The growl that erupted behind us sent both men scrambling backward. Dante held up his hands in surrender. “Message received, boss. No flirting with the lethal lady.”

I turned to find Kael glowering like a storm cloud. “Care to explain?”

“Professional courtesy,” he said through gritted teeth. “They should know better.”

My eyebrow arched. “And Dexter gets a free pass?”

Kael’s smile held all the warmth of a guillotine. “Dexter gets what’s coming to him later.”

As I climbed into the ring, the familiar weight of my gloves grounded me. “Save the caveman routine, Kael. I don’t need your protection.”

Every scar, every hardened edge of my soul stood as testament to that. The girl who’d cowered in dark corners was gone. In her place stood a woman forged in fire-and I’d be damned if I let any alpha, no matter how intoxicating, make me forget that.

Kael slipped between the ropes with the ease of someone who’d spent a lifetime in the ring. The stretch of his shoulders made the muscles in his

back ripple beneath smooth skin-skin that, to my complete shock, was covered in intricate ink.

My breath caught.

Where I’d expected clean-cut discipline, I found art-dark swirls and sharp lines mapping his chest, shoulders, disappearing tantalizingly beneath his waistband. The contrast between his controlled demeanor and this hidden wildness sent a jolt through me.

When I finally dragged my gaze upward, his eyes were already waiting-light blue and knowing. He’d watched me look. Let me look.

My wolf’s answering purr vibrated deep in my chest.

Apparently, she wanted to do more than look.

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Rejected by My Alpha, Now He Replaced Me with a Copycat Luna?

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