Alina’s POV
The training room was filled with the smell of hard work and the kind of tiredness that comes from pushing yourself really hard. Jaxon moved with a fierce kind of grace, each punch and kick carefully planned to help me understand my own weaknesses. I could tell I was improving, but that still wasn’t enough. He swept my legs out from under me for the third time in just a few minutes, and I hit the mat hard enough to feel it in my teeth.
“You’re dropping your guard when you turn,” he said, helping me get back on my feet. His chest was heaving, sweat glistening on his skin, and his amber eyes had a sharp focus. “Let’s go again.”
We went again. And again. By the time he had me pinned down—my back pressed against him and his arm around my neck in a way that kept me safe but trapp
