Obsession (The Mate Games 1)

ChapterTwenty-Three

ALEK

The tension rolling off Sunday was strong enough to set my blood boiling as we stood together in the clearing. There was definitely something going on between her and the shifter, though it was unclear if either of them knew exactly what it was. All I knew was he set her on edge, and it made me want to knock his teeth down his throat.

“So... this isn’t awkward at all,” Sunday said, looking between us.

I realized Kingston and I had been sizing each other up for the better part of the last few minutes, both waiting to see which of us would cave first. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, I’d teach him exactly who he was dealing with. They didn’t call my father the Warrior of Odin for nothing. And I was every inch my father’s son.

“Here’s how this is going to work,” I said.

“Oh, so you’re in charge now?” Kingston snapped.

“Yup.”

“Put your dicks away. I’m in charge here. This is my training session, and I’m the ticking time bomb, so handle with fucking care.”

Sunday stepped between us, her anger and frustration palpable as she spoke.

I could feel power crackling through her. A storm about to break. Recalling a technique my brother and I put into practice regularly, I summoned my magic and created a target for Sunday... using Kingston as the dummy. Something about him taking on the form of Sunday’s rival seemed fitting. From arsehole to bitch. Appropriate for a wolf.

“Seriously? Her?” Sunday stared at the fake Callie I’d conjured, disgust plain on her face.

“Do I threaten you so much you can’t even deal with my likeness?” I made the conjured image of Callie sneer in her voice. Kingston pushed back against my magic, clearly not liking the sounds coming from his mouth. Maybe I’d gone too far, but Sunday needed to be poked and prodded if we were going to learn anything about her triggers.

“How exactly is this supposed to help her with her wolf?” Kingston asked, clearly unimpressed with his new body. You think he’d be thankful I at least gave him use of his own voice.

“The idea is to test her limits. Sunday wants to learn control, so we need to push her to her breaking point. The only way to do that in a safe scenario is to make it feel as real as possible. Thus... her nemesis.”

“Why do I have to wear the chick suit? You already have the man bun. You wear the tits.”

“Just be thankful I only made you look like her. I could change your voice permanently if I wanted to.”

“Hello, I’m right here, and I can tell you right now, we don’t need to turn Kingston into Callie for me to kick his ass. Just say the word, and I’ll have him on the ground in no time,” Sunday huffed.

My lips twitched, and I moved to stand behind her, placing one hand on each of her shoulders. “You told me you felt most out of control during your fight with Callie. We’re going to recreate the scenario, and you’re going to harness and use your anger without letting it overtake you.”

Taking a long, slow breath, she nodded. “Okay. Lemme at her.”

Kingston growled. “I’m not going to forget this, Nordson.”

“Good. Maybe next time you’ll remember who you’re dealing with. Because if you thinkthatis the extent of what I can do, you clearly need to freshen up on your Norse mythology.”

Sunday shrugged. “Or watch a Marvel movie.”

This time I was the one who growled. “The number of liberties they took with those fucking movies... do not get me started, Sunday. Trust me, it’s not remotely the same thing.”

“Aw, does the big bad Viking have issues with Thor and Loki? Give me five minutes alone with Tom Hiddleston and I—”

“Enough,” I grunted. “Get to work.”

“What am I supposed to do? Just stand here like this?” Kingston asked, twirling a piece of hair on his finger. He glanced down at the curvy frame he sported. “On second thought...”

“Attack.”

Sunday narrowed her focus on Callie’s doppelgänger and balled her hands into fists. “I don’t want to kill him.”

“You won’t,” I promised. “Focus on your movements, not your emotions. When your anger pushes you to react, I want you to ignore it. At least for now. The purpose of this exercise is to subdue, not harm. Just like in class.”