The Alpha and The Fool novel Chapter 19

Dean pulled me over to the couch. He sat next to me, his arm laid around my shoulders and tucked me right against him. Again, I found myself struck by how nice this was. “Nic, we have to talk about this,” Dean said sounding serious. I didn’t like him so serious.

“Dean, there is nothing to talk about. I honestly don’t even understand why you’re insisting. This should be good news to you,” I said, letting a little frustration enter my voice.

“Is that what you really think?”

I shrugged, not sure why he seemed so upset.

“Okay, come with me,” Dean said, standing.

“What?”

“Come with me,” he repeated, now holding out his hand.

“Um, Okay,” I said, a little unsure.

My uncertainty grew when I realized we were heading to the gym. “Dean, what are you doing?”

“Making things clear.” We walked inside, and he turned to face me. “You’re going to fight me, holding nothing back until one of us gives up or can’t safely continue.”

“What?” I stared at him, eyes wide. Fight him? Why in the world would he want me to fight him? “No, this is stupid.”

“Yes, you are, and it’s not,” Dean insisted, kicking off his shoes. “We are going to make it clear how we both stand in contrast to each other. If you kick my ass, I’m going to get up and show you unlike your dad, I can take it like a man and not be intimidated. If I kick your ass…” laughed a bark of dry laughter and Dean grinned. “Then you’ll finally believe me when I say I can hold my own. Either way, hopefully, you’ll stop this mopey ‘I’m moving’ on crap. Seriously, where is the girl that knocked me out when we met? Cause I’m starting to miss her.”

That fluttery sensation returned from deep in my belly, and I shook my head. “Dean, we don’t have to do this.”

“This isn’t a debate, Beautiful. We’re going to do this, one way or another.”

“I could walk out right now,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I’d drag your ass right back here.”

“You’re overestimating yourself,” I replied, narrowing my eyes now.

“And you’re starting to sound scared. Are you, the fierce future alpha, afraid of moi?”

My jaw tightened. Of course, I wasn’t afraid of him. I lifted my chin. “I’m only afraid of you getting hurt.”

“Don’t worry I can take it. Hell, I might even like it,” Dean teased.

I sighed and kicked off my shoes as well. “Fine, it’s your funeral.”

“Can’t think of any way I’d rather go,” Dean said, the grin growing as I walked to the center of the room with him. “Oh and remember, hold nothing back, because I won’t.” Without pause, he swung at me with a right hook.

I ducked, and moved to his right, dropping into a defensive pose. He came at me again, throwing punches and kicks. If I couldn’t avoid them, I blocked them, dancing around him and keeping him in the center of the room. I only had to do this until he wore himself out and be done with all of this.

Dean shook his head and clicked his tongue. “You’re holding back,” he said. I gasped as he rushed wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling me to him to knee me in the side twice before sending me back, flying with a uppercutting me in the jaw. I stumbled back, falling, as white spots danced in my vision. “Come on, Nic. You can do better than this.”

I shook my head and stood, feeling irritated. “Fine, but this is on you,” I growled at him and charged, feigning a jab to his midsection and instead hit him with a hook to the face.

For some reason, Dean grinned and nodded. “It is,” he said, walking back to me and tried to grab my shirt, but I brushed him off and sent him hopping back as I kicked out at him, following with another hook. He caught my wrist, pulled me toward him, elbowing me in the back, but I fell and rolled away when he tried to knee me again. I kicked out again, and this time I caught the side of his knee, making him fall.

I got up, grabbed his hair, forcing his head back and punching him twice and kneeing him again. “Had enough?”

Dean was bleeding from his nose and a few cuts on his brow and lip. Yet he simply smirked at me. “Almost,” he said and used his arms to hit me behind the knees, and as I fell, he tackled me.

We wrestled on the floor, his hits were getting in as much as I was blocking them. It wasn’t long before I realized, I may not win this fight. For all his laid back and passive persona, Dean was a vicious and unpredictable fighter. I had the bloody bite mark on my arm to prove it. With a kick and a shove, I finally threw him off of me, but I was too tired to get up.

“Okay, I’m done,” Dean said, mirroring my own thoughts.

“Yeah, me too,” I admitted. I could’ve lied and claimed victory, but it would be petty and stupid.

Neither of us moved for a while, and I took the time to take stock of where I hurt, which I quickly realized was everywhere. Dean rolled on his side gave me a bloody smirk. “So was it good for you too?”

Another dry bark of laughter broke from me. “You’re an idiot,” I said, more worn out than I had been in weeks.

“Maybe a little,” he said, snaking his arm around me and pulling me over to him and groaned. “Man, you have a mean punch.”

“And you have a mean bite. Seriously, I can’t believe you bit me,” I said, holding up my arm. It was healed over, but the faint pink marks of his teeth were still visible.

“Hey, I said I wouldn’t hold anything back. It’s not my fault you assumed I was lying,” Dean said, and expression turned serious again. “See, I can hold my own, Nic.”

He could do more than that. Geesh.

“I also don’t need you to be weaker than me. I like you as you are and don’t want you to change a single thing. You were born to be alpha, it’s obvious. You are going to be an amazing alpha.”

My throat tightened, and I swear I felt tears stinging my eyes. I punched Dean's shoulder, lightly because I didn’t want to hurt him anymore and secondly I was too tired to put any more force in to it. “The pack is happy with Brandon, Sade —”

“How about we verify this. Just because her parents said so doesn’t make it so, and if it is, I’ll introduce you to Harry and something he has in the works that might be a good plan B.”

“What? What plan B?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Dean said, and the smirk returned. “You know back in the day, gladiators were rewarded with a woman’s company when they won. Since I won…” he wagged his eyebrows at me.

“You didn’t win. You said you were done.”

“Yeah, but so did you.”

“You said it first,” I argued.

“Well, true. Alright, you can have the reward of my company.” He dug his fingers into my ribs, tickling me.

I laughed then groaned. “Stop, my ribs still hurt. The only reward I want is a bath and a nap.”

“Oh, I like your thinking.”

I laughed again, despite my ribs. “I didn’t remember inviting you.”

“I invited myself, of course,” He said, and I gawked as he hopped up to his feet as if he wasn’t tired at all. Not only that, he took my hand and pulled me up to my feet. “Come on, let's go get you pampered.”

“Pampered? I don’t do pampered,” I said back, hiding my shock. Seriously? I was exhausted. How had I underestimated him so much?

“You’ve been missing out. Come on, Beautiful.”