How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 78: Sparring With Her Mate...

JASMINE’S POV

Aiden caught me.

One arm beneath my thighs, the other behind my back.

Like it was nothing.

Like I was nothing but air to him.

My breath caught in my throat. His scent overwhelmed me—pine and smoke and something darker, something that tugged at my ribs and burned all the way down. His pulse thudded where my cheek pressed to his collarbone, steady and deep.

It was both comforting and intense at the same time.

We didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

His heartbeat was loud enough for me to feel it.

His gaze locked with mine, slow and searching. Not just to check if I was okay, but to see if I was still me. Still Jasmine. Still fighting.

And the worst part?

The fall wasn’t what had knocked the breath out of me.

He was.

His lips parted slightly, like he was about to say something, but Lyra beat him to it.

"Please, please let him say ’I’ll pin you harder than gravity.’ I’m begging you."

I scowled silently. "Shut. Up."

"I mean, look at him," she sighed dramatically. "His arms were made to be gripped during morally questionable decisions."

"Jasmine?" Aiden’s voice cut through, low and amused. "Still breathing?"

"Barely," I muttered, then louder, "Put me down."

"Are you going to trip again the second I do?"

"That was one time."

He grinned... actually grinned and slowly lowered me to the grass. My legs weren’t quite ready for reality. His hand hovered near my waist, just in case.

"Maybe we should switch tactics," he said.

I arched a brow. "You think?"

He stepped back, rolled his shoulders, and cracked his knuckles. "Let’s spar."

My brain short-circuited. "You want me to what?"

"Spar. You’re burning off too much power pacing. Let it out the fun way."

"You think fighting you is fun?"

His eyes gleamed. "Don’t you?"

Lyra purred. "Oh, I like this game."

"I—" I started, then stopped. Mostly because I realised I really, really did.

"You sure you’re ready?" I asked, narrowing my eyes as I took a step back, barefoot in the grass. "You remember what happened to the G-Wagon, right?"

Aiden smirked, his stance easy but alert. "I’ll take my chances."

"You realise if I accidentally maim you, I’m not apologising."

"I’m counting on it."

"Okay, this is foreplay," Lyra whispered gleefully. "Tell him to take his shirt off. For tactical reasons."

I growled and lunged first.

Aiden moved quickly, grabbing my wrist as I lunged forward and spinning me around. I managed to break free from his grip and ducked down, trying to sweep his feet out from under him.

But he jumped back with ease, avoiding my move.

His voice dropped an octave. "You’re faster."

"You’re cocky."

He grinned again.

This time, he struck first, testing me. His palm came at my shoulder; I caught it, shoved it aside, and used the angle to turn behind him. My claws flicked out just enough to catch the hem of his shirt.

Rrrip.

He froze, glancing down at the newly opened tear.

"Oops," I said sweetly.

"That shirt was expensive."

"You wore it to a sparring match. That’s on you."

His eyes flashed, playful and dangerous. "You want to play, Jasmine?"

I bared my teeth. "Don’t start what you can’t finish, Alpha."

"Oh, she went full title," Lyra gasped. "I’m getting popcorn."

We moved again, the dance between us becoming more intense. Each strike felt like a half-hearted kiss, and every dodge was like a breath we didn’t take.

The air around us buzzed not just with energy, but with a raw, electric heat that pulled us closer together.

I ducked a punch, only to find myself chest-to-chest with him.

"Got you," he whispered.

"Do you?"

I twisted with my claws out and grazed his side.

He hissed, but his smile never faded.

"That’s cheating," he murmured.

"Using my assets."

He dropped his voice even lower. "You haven’t used your best ones yet."

My breath hitched.

We froze again, close enough that if I leaned in a fraction more, our lips would brush.

Lyra let out a moan so theatrical it echoed through my skull. "Mate energy. I’m choking on it."

"Stop talking," I snapped internally.

"I’m not even sorry."

Aiden’s hand rested gently on my hip, not gripping tightly, just a steady presence. "I forgot how dangerous you can be," he said in a smooth and smoky voice.

I swallowed hard. "Don’t forget again."

He leaned in.

For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. Thought I was going to let him.

But instead, he stepped back. "Break’s over," he said. "Let’s go again."

"Oh, you bastard."

His grin turned wicked.

And we collided once more.

******

The next round started harder, faster. We moved like magnets colliding in controlled chaos.

My blood was humming, my limbs fluid, my balance near perfect... but none of it compared to the feeling of being seen by him in that moment.

Every glance Aiden gave me felt like a challenge and a promise.

We circled again.

His shirt was torn open at the side, the fabric fluttering with every pivot. His eyes were locked on mine like they were reading lines from a book I hadn’t meant to write. I swore the wind around us paused just to make room for the tension.

I lunged again, feinting right, and he took the bait.

I ducked left and caught his wrist, twisting behind him, chest pressed to his back, claws grazing his ribs without drawing blood. His breath hitched.

"Sharp," he murmured.

"Learning from the best," I said, leaning in so close my lips brushed the shell of his ear.

He spun before I could retreat, and suddenly I was the one caught. His hands gripped my waist, his body flush with mine. I tried to jerk free—didn’t really mean it—and his grip tightened, just slightly.

We stilled.

His nose brushed mine, not quite touching, not quite pulling away. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek, smell the remnants of his morning coffee and something unmistakably his—amber and pine and heat.

"Jasmine," he said softly.

And gods, the way he said my name.

Lyra moaned again. "Please kiss him. For us. For the ancestors."

"I swear to everything—"

"Do it. You’ll die if you don’t."

I couldn’t move; it felt like I was frozen. His lips were so close, and his eyes were fixed on my lips as if he felt the same attraction I did. Aiden leaned in just a little bit, and my heart raced like it was on fire.

Then...

"Alright," Alara’s voice rang out like a bucket of cold water. "That’s enough sparring for one day."

We broke apart so fast that it was embarrassing. I nearly stumbled back into a tree, cheeks flaming. Aiden’s jaw flexed as he stepped away slowly, the air between us still charged.

Alara raised a single brow, unimpressed. "Anything else you two want to work out can be handled behind closed doors."

My face burned hotter than the sun. I clamped my hands over my cheeks like that might cool me down.

Aiden was no better; he coughed once, clearly fighting a smirk.

"Noted," he said casually, walking over like he wasn’t seconds from making me forget my own name.

Alara turned on her heel and strode back toward the house without another word.

"Wrong timing, Alara," I find myself saying in my mind.

"You love her," Lyra countered. "She saved us from doing something deeply irresponsible on a patch of grass."

"Shut up."

Aiden approached me again and held out a hand. "You alright?"

I stared at it. At him. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The concern in his eyes wasn’t just about the spar. It was bigger, about whether I was okay in my body, in my mind, in this strange new magic I hadn’t asked for but now had to live with.

I placed my hand in his.

His grip was warm and steady.

"I’m okay," I said softly. "Just... overwhelmed."

He nodded. "That’s normal."

We stood there like that, hands still linked, the space between us quiet again.

Not empty.

Full.

Of everything we weren’t saying. Of everything we might have said if Alara hadn’t shown up with her excellent timing and complete lack of boundaries.

"She likes to test," Aiden added. "Not just your body. Your focus. Your control."

I scoffed. "Pretty sure I failed that last part."

"You didn’t."

"You think she didn’t notice?"

"She noticed. She’s not going to hold it against you."

I raised a brow. "You sure about that?"

Aiden smiled faintly. "You wouldn’t be the first new shifter to try to make out with their mate mid-spar."

"I wasn’t trying to make out—!"

He grinned wider, and I immediately shut up.

Lyra was howling in laughter.

"This is amazing. I vote we spar every day."

"No," I muttered to both of them.

"Yes," Aiden said, still holding my hand.

I hated how my stomach flipped when he said that.