Chapter 196

• I pushed myself harder in training over the next few days, only stopping when my body gave out and I
• collapsed from exhaustion. The burning pain in my muscles was a welcome distraction, each ache a constant reminder of the turmoil I was running from. As I sat there, breathless and sore, I embraced the agony.
• My private training sessions with Carlo had become more strained. The feelings between us were like an invisible barrier—bright, blazing, and impossible to ignore with every glance, every touch. Carlo knew I couldn't love him like his mate should, yet the emotions lingered. He had become my refuge in the midst of the storm brewing inside me. The chaos felt like an ocean pulling me under, ready to swallow me whole, but Carlo kept me afloat. What lay beneath the surface, waiting to pull me down, was beyond comprehension. I was walking a tightrope, dangerously close to losing my balance.