a Primal Pursuit

sixty seven

Mya and I were in a standoff, neither of us making the first move. For the past hour, I had followed her gruelling exercise routine. Sweat had poured off of me faster than Niagara falls, to the point I had removed my shirt and stood facing her in only my sports bra and cycling shorts. It had distracted her momentarily, her eyes lighting up as I placed my feet on the mat.

"Something you like?" I teased, smirking at her.

Her lips pulled into a taunting smirk. "I can appreciate a fellow specimen."

Laughing, I shook my head. "Are we doing this or what?"

"I don't know. We seem to just be admiring each other."

I licked my lips, feeling bold with her. "Who said I was admiring?"

Her smirk dropped, eyes narrowing with warning. I grinned, watching as her hands curled into fists. There was a moment's pause, my chest heaving for breath as I awaited her response.

With a sharp, short snarl, she made the first move.

My eyes locked onto her arms as they aimed for my midsection, and I counteracted by grabbing hold of her wrists. Jumping the moment her fingers brushed my waist, I successfully forced her downward, my knee connecting to her chest. She puffed out a sharp breath as I then shoved her backward, her hands losing any advantage over me.

Her eyes darkened as she glowered at me, before we both charged at each other.

The first to pin for five seconds won.

It was simple.

Our bodied collided, neither of us being able to pin. She punched, I kicked, she dodged, I missed. It was a battle of wits; a battle of strength and wits. We fought tooth and nail, my hands scratching as her skin as her teeth chattered with frustration. My ribs ached with every hit, my calves burning as I fought to stay upright.

My bare feet were sweating, leaving patches across the mats. Sweat dripped into my eyes, the stragglers of my hair wafting up my nose. Mya was lucky her hair was braided and slick and out of the way. It momentarily blinded me, and that gave her the upper hand, swiping out my knees with her foot.

My bones rattled as I flew sideways, landing harshly on my side. A whoosh of air escaped my lungs as they ached with the impact, and I had no time to complain as Mya followed in canon. She was atop of me, her hands wrapping around my wrists as she fought to pin them to my sides. She was trying to use our weight to her advantage instead of her strength; the wolf's heavy breath in my ear.

Heart racing, I struggled to get out of her grip. I buckled my knees, sliding one out of her cage and forcing it to her chest. Mya snarled, baring her teeth in my face. I bared mine back, my throat vibrating with what I hoped to be a growl. I felt it swirling in my gut, a warm annoyance that fuelled the adrenaline in my veins.

I felt my strength, and I clutched onto it, inhaling deeply as my pulse throbbed in my temple. A growl of my own tumbled from my lips, and Mya's dark eyes briefly flashed with confusion.

I rolled my arms with a harsh shove, freeing it from Mya's grip. She slipped her hold, and I took the momentary distraction to swipe my elbow into her thorax. She gasped for breath, her eyes widening with surprise. My other hand freed the same time as my knees, and I wrapped them around her waist. Using my thighs as my strength, I arched my back and threw my weight into it.

As hard as I could, I threw her backward, my grip on her waist secure as I followed. She tumbled, her back smacking into the mat with a harsh crack. Her eyes fluttered with pain, and I wrapped my feet around her knees, pinning them. I forced one arm behind her back, the other pinning her wrist above her head. Leaning forward, I forced my spare hand into her upper chest, keeping her down. If she wanted out, she could have to crack a few bones.