Chapter 34
Iris
My hand stretched subconsciously to the other part of the bed and found it empty, and cold. The sleep I'd earlier enjoyed cleared from my eyes as I stretched and glanced at the window.
It was still dark but the day was close to breaking and I wondered why Gradel left the bed so early.
I took it as a reminder that he didn't want to be with me and I was trying my best not to care. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, I headed to the bathroom and washed my face.
The training session would begin this morning and if I guessed correctly, Gradel would be at the training ground waiting for me.
After relieving myself in the toilet, I selected a two-piece set that would offer me some flexibility while throwing kicks and punches. A giggle erupted from my chest while imagined myself throwing a punch.
Satisfied with my outfit, I raced through the hallway and ended up at the training ground, pumped and excited.
"Good morning, teacher," I greeted enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear.
His soulful blue eyes took in my outfit with glints of lust blaring from them. My heart stirred while my stomach fluttered in pleasure.
And then he collected himself and cleared his throat. "Shouldn't you be resting? You don't have to come this early," He chided gently and I knew why.
The black sports bra I'd worn didn't fulfill its purpose as it pushed breasts upward, making it a bit more visible than I'd have preferred, but it didn't matter because it was messing with his control.
I had no intention of making him do what he didn't want, or throw myself at him when he clearly didn't want me in his life.
I was for training and that was what I would do.
"After stirring restlessly on the bed, I realized that I was done sleeping for the morning and then I thought, why don't I make good use of my restlessness? And boom! I'm here," I chuckled.
He nodded and strolled towards me, his gaze still trained on my bosom. Then he leaned closer and lowered his face so his lips were close to my neck.
"Don't you think it's inappropriate to wear such an outfit that barely covers your body in public?" He growled and I could swear that I heard his wolf talking through him.
Was it that bad?
I cleared my throat and rolled my eyes with my hands behind me. "That shouldn't bother you, Prince, after all, I'm with my mate and I can't wear a party dress to learn how to throw punches," I drawled, ensuring that my voice was sultry enough.
He pulled back, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. He inhaled deeply and raised his hands in surrender.
"I'm sorry for crossing my boundaries. Let's begin, shall we?"
"We should," I agreed and stepped forward.
He threw a pair of boxing gloves at me and flashed him a questioning stare. "It's just for protection. Nothing more, but along the line, you'll stop using it. You aren't expected to be wearing a boxing glove while fighting an enemy,"
"Got it, Teacher," I smirked and he averted his gaze from me.
I quickly put on the gloves and then he began dishing out precautionary measures which I managed to save at the back of my head.
Truthfully, it was hard concentrating when his manly scent had a streak of mint and woodiness this morning. My body burst with different hormones, the most dominant of them all being oxytocin made me shiver each time he fixed his glassy blue eyes on me.
"Are you listening?" He asked gently.
"Sure, I am," I assured him.
"We are done with the precautions. Now let's move to the main reason we are here. I want you to throw a punch into the air. Ensure it's hard and well-aimed,"
I shrugged, smiling confidently. "Oh, that's easy,"
My first trial caused him to slump onto the ground as his body convulsed in peals of laughter. I schooled my face into a deep frown, glaring at his explicit mockery.
He shouldn't be doing that when he knew that I was doing as he asked.
"If that's how you teach then it's bad. Stop laughing," I scolded loudly, my voice resonating in the air while he struggled to keep himself from laughing further.
He slowly got up to his feet and clasped his palms. "I apologize for the brief moment of unprofessionality and I promise it won't happen again. And for your punch, you'll have to do better. You can't attack your enemy like that or you'll be dead before you know it."
"How do I achieve a perfect strike then?" I asked curiously.
"Watch me!"
His fist went straight into the air and even though the blow wasn't aimed it am, I could tell how strong and effective it was.
"To throw a powerful straight punch, you have to use every part of your body. After establishing a strong stance, use your leg to initiate movement." He explained.
"Like this?" I replicated his pose.
"Yes," He nodded, "Turn your hips to continue the motion and build momentum. And make sure that you close your hand tightly with your thumb on top of your other four fingers."
I did as he said and then threw a punch at him. It landed on his jaw and he flinched backward in surprise while I massaged my tendons which hurt painfully at the impact of our connection.
"What was that?" He gasped, pressing his jaw.
"I'm a fast learner," I grinned, bouncing with delight and then I halted when I saw a faint red mark on the spot I'd punched. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, sure. Don't be worried about me, just imagine that I'm an enemy whom you'll do anything to defeat, how will you go about it?"
My index finger stroked my chin as I pondered on his words. Taking him unaware seemed like the safest option since it worked the first time so I acted on impulse, but I regretted it since I'd leaped without calculating.
My stance was weak and when I jumped, he tried to dodge, causing me to land on the hard floor.
"Arghhh!" A scream tore out of my lips while I massaged my ass in pain.
Gradel rushed toward me, carried me from the floor in a bridal style and headed towards an empty bench. "Are you alright?" His voice was softer than I'd ever heard it, holding a kind of tenderness that numbed the pain emanating from my back.
"No, I'm not alright! I think I've broken a bone," I confessed.
"You can't break a bone just like that, Iris. It's a slight injury. Wait here, let me get a balm to massage you."
Without waiting to get a response from me, he dropped me gently on the bench and dashed towards a drawer. He returned with a little container in his hand and helped me lay on my back.
"Ummm, what are you doing?" My voice trembled in confusion.
He peeled off the lid of the container and shrugged. "What does it look like?"
I sprang off from the bench as several images of what could result from the message poured into my brain.
"It's fine... I think... I think I feel better now." I stuttered and swallowed with beads of sweat pouring down my skin in torrents.
"Are you sure?" He asked penitently.
I gulped and nodded vigorously. "Can we conclude today's lesson right now? I think I need to rest,"
"Sure. I don't think you'll be able to grab any more lessons until tomorrow. Take all the time you need to rest and please get ready in the evening, I have something important to show you." His lips held a small smile.
"What could that be?"
He closed the distance and planted a lingering kiss on my forehead and then he whispered in my ear. "You'll know when it's time,"