Page 52 of Fighting the Darkness

I pull my pants back and drop into my chair. I just need a moment before I go deal with the next shitshow—though it won’t have such a happy ending, unfortunately.

Chapter Twenty-three

Freya

GriffinwalksawaybeforeI can argue with him about training with Wilder. I guess it’s just as well. I need to figure out how to work with him after last night, anyway.

Tossing my water into my bag, I grab a towel and wipe down my face before turning back to Wilder. This should be interesting, seeing as he hasn’t spoken a word to me since I walked in. I don’t know what his problem is, and honestly, I don’t want to know. He’s made it perfectly clear that last night was a one-off, but that doesn’t mean he has to treat me like shit.

“I assume you heard Griffin?”

Instead of answering, he just grunts and doesn’t say anything else. I roll my eyes.

“What do you want to work on, Wilder?”

He refuses to look at me as he shrugs. Wow. That’s mature. I’m going to end up murdering him at this rate. Or, at the very least, blowing up at him again. I force myself to take a deep breath, rolling my neck before stepping in front of him.

“Griffin said I’m supposed to work with you for now. I can’t do that if you don’t tell me what to work on.” When he continues to remain silent, eyes on the ceiling, I throw my arms in the air. “What the fuck, Wilder? We slept together. You said one night, and I agreed to that. You don’t see me following you around trying to get you to change your mind. You’re one of my trainers, but I don’t know how you expect that to work if you can’t look at me and refuse to speak to me.

“If you don’t want to work with me anymore, then that’s on you. But, fuck you, for messing with my training. We’re both adults, and if sleeping with someone makes you unable to work with them after, then you shouldn’t have slept with me. Now, would you like to grow the fuck up so we can get back to training? We don’t have to be friends for this to work. Just ask Soren.”

When Wilder lowers his eyes to me, they’re cold. “I told you to leave the locker room last night. I didn’t want to sleep with you, but you offered yourself up like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Of course I fucked you, and now it’s awkward because I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

I jerk back from him like he’d slapped me. Is he implying that I took advantage of him? No, that can’t be what he’s doing. He was just as desperate for me as I was for him last night. Why would he have taken me home and fucked me for hours on end if I was just there? Not to mention how he’d been flirting with me all night and calling me cupcake. He doesn’t get to turn this around and act like I assaulted him.

I shake my head. This is so much worse than I thought it was. I thought we were going back to how it was before we slept together. I figured he’d go back to ignoring me for the most part. But the way he’s looking at me now, all cold and indifferent? It hurts so much worse.

“Don’t be like that, Freya. You wanted me to fuck you, and I did. Multiple times, in fact. You got what you wanted, and I got to fuck out the adrenaline. I guess you didn’t think about how I might treat the woman I use after fights. I don’t sleep with them again, and I certainly don’t see them again. This behavior is on you. You should’ve just walked away.”

“Yeah,” I whisper, nodding my head. “You’re right. I should’ve, but I didn’t think you could become any more of a douche. Thanks for correcting that belief. Go home, Wilder. I don’t need you here.”

Turning my back on him, I grab my gloves before heading for the punching bags. I take out my frustration on the bag, fighting back tears.

I will not let him tear me down.

I will not allow him to make me think I’m less than.

I will not allow him to break me.

If I made it through losing Freyr, I can make it through anything.

I don’t know how long I go at the bag, but Griffin appears on the other side, pulling me up short.

“You okay?” he asks quietly, and I’m sure it’s very apparent that I’m anything but okay.

I nod, looking around me. “Yup. Where did Soren go?”

“Oh, um...” Griffin flushes, refusing to meet my eye. “I sent him home. He was in no shape to work with you. Where did Wilder go? I thought the two of you were going to work together?”

I scoff. “Wilder had better things to do than waste time working with me. I’m not sure that he’s a good fit as my trainer.”

I try to keep the bitterness from my tone, but I don’t know how well I succeed at it. After the bullshit he just pulled, I don’t want to see Wilder anytime soon. If Griffin insists on me working with him, I will, but I’d rather not.

“Idiots,” Griffin murmurs with a shake of his head. “Not you. Him and Soren. Since neither of them can behave, I guess it’ll just be me and you for the rest of the day.”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

I follow him back to the mat, grabbing a drink of water before moving across from him and getting into stance. Griffin has pads on his hands as he calls out moves to me.

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