Tiana’s POV
The next morning, I woke up early, eager yet anxious about the day's training session. After dressing in my training clothes, I headed to the training grounds. The sky was a pale blue, and the early morning sun cast long shadows on the dewy grass.
When I arrived, Peter was already there with Amara. He was holding her waist and rubbing small circles on it. Amara's face was on his chest. I could not help but admire the two of them, especially the height difference. I hope that one day, I'll find my mate.
"Morning, Tiana," he greeted me with a friendly smile.
"Good morning, Peter," I replied, trying to hide my nerves.
Amara turned as soon as she heard my voice. Her eyes lit up with excitement, and she bounded towards me, holding her pregnant belly with one hand.
"Careful," I said, jogging to meet her halfway and then pulling her into a hug. "How are you?"
"Doing great," she yawned. "A bit of pain here and there, but nothing I can't handle."
"Oops," I said, wincing a bit. "So sorry about that."
"Nah, it's fine," I shrugged.
"So..." She said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "How did the dinner with Theo go?"
"Good," I shrugged.
"Tell me about it!" She giggled excitedly.
"Amara!" Peter warned in a teasing voice. "This is a training session and not a gossip session."
"Stop being a spoilsport," Amara rolled her eyes.
"We'll talk after I'm done," I said with a smile. "You should get some rest because of the baby."
"Fine," she drawled, rolling her eyes playfully.
"You ready?" Peter asked.
"Yes, I am!" I said excitedly.
"Let's start with some warm-ups. Two laps around the field please!" he said.
I started jogging immediately and was surprised to see how easy it was for me to jog two laps compared to before. When I was done, I was not out of breath like the previous days.
The laps around the field seemed to be of shorter distance than the first time, and I was grateful for that.
"You're building up endurance," Peter commented with a warm smile. He seemed proud. "I'm really happy with your progress." We'll be moving into defence positions for today. “You'll need to practice your stance with a sword as well."
As I was practicing, I spotted Fiona approaching the side of the training grounds we were on. She was dressed in training attire as well, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Sweat beads gathered around her forehead and she squinted in the sun, which was gradually getting hotter.
"Mind if I join you?" Fiona asked, her tone overly sweet.
Peter glanced at her and then at me. "Aren't you done for the day?" he asked. "You already know these positions well."
Fiona's eyes twinkled with what looked like mischief. "Oh, I'm just trying to bond with Tiana, and make her feel more welcome."
A part of me was grateful. Maybe Fiona was genuinely trying to be nice and I had misjudged her.
We started practicing together, and at first, everything seemed fine. Fiona was mirroring Peter's movements with ease, while I struggled to keep up. She was good, and I couldn't deny it. But then the comments started.
"Your stance is off, Tiana," she said, her voice dripping with false concern. "Here, let me show you."
She corrected my posture, but her touch was rough, and her eyes held a challenge. I adjusted myself, trying to match her form.
"You're still too stiff," she commented again. "Are you sure you're cut out for this?"
I bit my lip and focused on my movements, refusing to let her get to me.
As we continued, Fiona's remarks became more pointed. "Is it because you don't have a wolf that you're too weak to learn these defensive positions?"
Her words stung, and I felt a lump forming in my throat. I tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill. I didn't say anything, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing she had gotten to me.
"Maybe it's just in your nature," she continued, her tone mockingly thoughtful. "Some people are born to be warriors, and some... well, they're just not."
I took a deep breath and focused on the instructions that Peter was giving and trying to block out Fiona's voice. But her words echoed in my mind, each one chipping away at my confidence.
Peter, who had been watching in silence, finally stepped in. "That's enough, Fiona," he said firmly. He gave her a hard and condescending stare. "We're here to train, not to belittle each other."
Fiona shrugged, an innocent look on her face. "I was just trying to help."
"Help by being constructive, not by putting others down," Peter said. "We all start somewhere. Tiana is doing her best, and that's what matters. You've been training since you were a child, so this is not a matter of whether Tiana has a wolf or not. If you want to put this to the test, get a male servant who has never trained before and start teaching him from scratch. You'll see that she is doing better than most who just started. Just a few days ago, she could barely take one lap around the field. Look at her now. Taking two laps without breaking a sweat."
Fiona rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else. She continued to train beside me, but her presence felt like a constant weight on my shoulders. I pushed through, determined to prove to myself that I could do this, even if I didn't have my wolf yet.
By the end of the session, I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. As I made my way back to the main house, Peter caught up with me.
"Don't let her get to you," he said quietly. "You're doing great, Tiana. It takes time to learn these things."
I nodded, grateful for his support. "Thanks, Peter. I'll keep trying."
"You've got this," he said with a reassuring smile.
I smiled back.