Nevara
I was still trying to catch my breath.
My legs trembled, lungs burning like I’d swallowed fire. Sweat soaked my back and stung my eyes, and my pulse refused to calm. Every inch of me throbbed with overuse.
Kael stood over me, arms crossed, expression carved from granite. Not smug. Not proud. Just… waiting.
I looked up through strands of hair that had escaped my bun. “Forty-five seconds,” I muttered.
“Forty-five seconds,” he confirmed, voice dry.
I braced myself. No excuses. No bargaining.
He let the silence stretch for a few heartbeats longer. Then finally said, “You started five minutes late. Came in only forty-five seconds behind the others.”
I nodded once, unsure if that was an observation or a preamble to doom.
“I’m not punishing you for the finish,” he continued. “You
