Ember Frost's POV
By the time I completed my second lap around the training ground, my breath came in ragged gasps. My legs felt like lead, my stomach twisted into painful knots, and I bent over, clutching my knees, convinced I might collapse then and there.
I hated to admit it, but Orion was an exceptional trainer. He seemed to know exactly where my limits lay and had no qualms about pushing me to the edge, as if my survival didn’t matter. Each moment of training felt like a battle with death itself, yet even when my body screamed for mercy, I forced myself to rise again.
“This won’t do. You’re too weak.” He studied me with a critical gaze. I had no rebuttal; he was right.
Yes, I was out of shape, painfully so. Back when I trained with my peers, they always went easy on me, carefully
