Scarlet
The night air was thick with tension. Every breath I took felt charged, like the atmosphere itself was bracing for something to snap. I stood in the center of the training grounds, the damp earth cool beneath my bare feet, my pulse thrumming with an unfamiliar energy.
"Again," Ronan ordered.
His voice was firm, unwavering, but I could hear the edge of something else beneath it. Not concerned—Ronan didn’t do concern. But watchfulness. Caution.
I exhaled sharply, trying to steady myself.
For the past week, training had been nothing short of brutal. Ronan didn’t believe in half-measures. He pushed me beyond anything I had ever known—beyond the limits I had unknowingly set for myself.
Every morning before dawn, we met in the clearing, the air still thick with mist. The ground was
