Heart of Ice

Chapter Twenty-Five

Song: Dangerous Woman- Ariana Grande

As the days pass, I slowly regain my strength, and although the scar is still taking its good time to heal, it's slowly starting to fade and is looking less scary. Mental training becomes easier and I manage to learn to hold my powers for longer while also actually listening to dad's advice and thinking with my head instead of my emotions-- although, it's difficult to always follow that rule. Dad has lessened his one-on-one training time with me and is allowing Hunter to step in, which, of course, leads to some stolen kisses here and there. Although I hate keeping us a secret, there's a little bit of a thrill in sneaking around, and peace in nobody outside of the two of us knowing. Having him in my life more intimately than he ever has been before gives me a reason to push harder to heal and win the fight we still face with Demetrius.

After two weeks, dad finally decides I'm ready to pick up physical training again. Even though I feel ready too, I'm also nervous at the thought. What if my body can't handle it? What if I fail or run out of energy too fast? But what scares me the most is the possibility of not being fully prepared when Demetrius strikes again.

"Let's start with some stretches before jumping into the routine I prepared for you," Dad says as he sits on the ground, legs stretched to both sides as he leans over to the left. I follow his movements, locking my hands around the arch of my left foot as my nose presses against my knee.

"Why are you stretching with me? Hunter usually does that," I question, sneaking a glance at dad to find him grimacing.

"He'll be here later to do most of your physical training. But stretching can be quite distracting, and with the way you're dressed today, it was a good decision for me to take over stretching," He shakes his head and stretches toward his right leg. "Couldn't you have worn a t-shirt or a hoodie over the tank top?"

My dad has a bad habit of keeping the gym scorching hot and refusing to turn on the air conditioner, so none of the pack is ever caught in anything more than a t-shirt and shorts when training. Maybe it's because of his cold blood, but the rest of us cannot handle the heat. So, I'm clad in a pair of athletic shorts, tank-top and sports bra, and tennis shoes. My hair is swept up in a high pony tail, and the sports bra just so happens to be a push-up one. Did I know I would be training with Hunter?

...Yes, but that's aside the point and did not factor into what I wore to train.

I roll my eyes and repeat the stretch with my right leg. "If you would turn on the AC for once, I wouldn't have to wear thin clothes to keep from suffering a heat stroke. Besides, Hunter doesn't look at me like that, so you don't have to worry, dad."

"He's a man," Dad scoffs. "Trust me, he's looking at you like that and has been for a while."

My face instantly burns and I quickly switch to stretching as far as I can in front of me. Leave it to my dad to embarrass me any chance he gets, especially about Hunter. If anybody knew we were something more, they wouldn't miss the opportunity to do the same.

"Whatever. Can we do the rest of the stretches in silence? I need to concentrate."

"Yeah, sure. I know you'll really focus on stretching and not on Hunter."

"Dad!"

"I was young once too, Alaska," He smirks before laughing. "And your mom was irresistible."

I gag. "Please stop."

Dad laughs again, and I completely avoid his gaze as we move through the rest of the stretches. He helps me through my warm-up which consists of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and running a good many laps. By the time we finish, I'm completely exhausted, but I still have to get through the actual training. While I'm taking a break and gulping down water, Hunter walks into the room, his shirt stretching so tight across his torso that I can clearly see every ridge and crevice of each muscle. I choke on my water as he sashays into the room, looking everywhere but him as my cheeks flood with heat yet again. I don't even have to look at him to know he's smirking.