Chapter 0341
Chapter 0341
Because there's no denying it - no denying who he's pointing to, or what he's smiling about.
And there's absolutely no way to pretend that I'm not laughing, and leaning across this barrier, and grinning at him with joy in every inch of me because I don't feel precisely the same.
The crowd screams their approval of their champion and their Princess, and I let it all run through me, and I pass it to him, and let it bolster him.
My Luca, my mate. Our champion.
Luca laughs a little and stares up at me, almost as if he's unable to take his eyes away, and then he brings his glove to his lips, kisses it once, and holds it back out to me briefly before he turns back to his corner, striding over to speak to his uncle and get his head in the game.
I lean back too, away from the barrier, still smiling like crazy, and when I look around at all of my family and friends I see that they're all looking at me, beaming, and I can't help it. I blush, and laugh, and lift my hands to my cheeks.
Because there's no denying it anymore - the whole nation now knows that Luca Grant is my mate. And I'm so damn proud of it that I don't even care.
I think sensing my happiness, my parents beam at me before they turn back to the ring. And Rafe slips an arm around my shoulders, giving me a little squeeze.
"Baby trouble," Jesse sighs, laughing a little and smiling so hard his eyes crinkle at the edges. "Coming to the boxing match to steal the show."
"I'm not stealing a damn thing," I sigh, crossing my arms and shaking my head as I look down at my Alpha mate, watching him pull his robe off and hand it to his uncle before he slips his mouth guard between his teeth. Then Luca crouches down, nodding seriously to his uncle as he receives his final pep talk, and I can't help but admire his cut muscles, his lovely tanned skin. "This is Luca's night. How can it not be? Just...look at him."
And Jesse nods, and refocuses on the match, just like everyone else in the booth. "Yup, Luca's dreamy all right."
"He sure as hell is," Daphne murmurs, her voice appreciative, and as I laugh and grin at her I don't miss Rafe's tiny jealous scowl. "Damn, did I miss it?" Ben asks, arriving at Daphne's side, and my smile deepens when I see that his skin is back to its normal hue, that his eyes are shiny with excitement again.
"You didn't miss anything, Benny," I assure him, giving him a happy smile that lets him know that I'm glad he's back. Ben gives me a wink and a little nod, letting me know that he's fine.
The mood in the stadium shifts significantly, though, a moment later. I tear my eyes from Ben and quickly move them back to the ring as a huge pulse of bass sound moves through the stadium. My stomach drops as my eyes turn, as everyone else's does, towards where the lights are now lighting the tunnel on the western side of the arena-Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.
The tunnel towards the dressing room of the Atalaxian champion.
I inhale a deep breath as shadows start to appear at the door to the dressing room. I instinctually take a step closer to Rafe, though I don't tear my eyes away from the figures that start to emerge.
"Oh my god," Jesse breathes next to me, but I don't have to ask why.
At the center of the group of people that emerges, walking in time to the pounding music that the stadium plays for them, is an absolutely gigantic man.
My jaw drops when I see the way that he towers over his coaches and trainers, at the way they almost have to scurry to keep up with his long stride.
"What the fuck," Rafe snaps out, and I briefly glance up towards him before fixing my eyes again on the man who can only be the Atalaxian champion, dressed like Luca is in a boxing robe, his fists already laced into his gloves.
"What?" I ask, frantic now, worried at the size of this man but also because Jesse and Rafe - they're not reacting very well either, are they? "What is it? What's wrong?"