Chapter 175

Hannah

It was another early morning, but unlike the last, this one was particularly cold and rainy—the first signs of a long, wet spring. It took considerable willpower to roll out of bed, and nearly all my energy to pull my hair back and put on my training clothes. “Here goes another try,” I muttered, opening my bedroom door and stepping into the hallway.

It had been a few days since the last disastrous training session, and Noah insisted he’d recovered enough to begin again. I’d promised to alternate between him and Drake, and today was Noah’s—thankfully, in our home gym. But as I went downstairs toward the west wing, I felt nervous. It wasn’t just that the last session had been a disaster; I hadn’t really trained with Noah in years. And the last time we’d tried, right before the Luna Queen’s tournament… well, it had been a nightmare. My wrist still throbbed at the memory of our tangled fall.

When I entered the gym, Noah wasn’t there—surprisingly. He was usually first, but not today. I sighed, surveying the state-of-the-art equipment, the lockers, and the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.

I approached the windows and peered out. Rain lashed against the glass; the sky was so dark I could see my reflection. In the distance, a dark flash of lightning was followed by a rumble of thunder. I shuddered and hugged myself. “Stormy today,” I murmured.

Noah stepped into the room, wearing his training gear. His face was mostly healed, except for a small, red crack on his lower lip—a cut he hadn’t let heal, I suspected.

“Yeah,” I shrugged, turning to face him. “Guess I’m not going outside.”

“Me neither,” he said, striding to the center of the room and pulling out a mat. “It’ll be a good day to stay inside, maybe even watch a movie…”

My eyebrows rose. “You? Watching a movie? That might be a first.”

He glanced at me sideways. “I meant for you. I have work to do.”

“Oh.” I quickly looked away, hiding my disappointment. A small part of me had hoped he meant we’d watch a movie together—like a real husband and wife.

Chapter 175 + 25 Bonus

But of course, the cold Alpha had work to do. I couldn’t even remember the last time we’d watched a movie together.

Once the mat was in place, Noah stretched and nodded toward it. “Ready?” he asked.

I nodded and went to the mat, avoiding his gaze. We stretched silently, the only sounds the fan and the storm. Finally, Noah broke the silence.

“Let’s get to work,” he said, straightening. “We’ve got training to do.”

I lay back on the mat, breathless and sweating. Noah knelt and wiped his brow.