Chapter 0436


    Abby


    | wake up early the next morning, determined to start my training with Karl.


    As | make my way to the home gym, a mixture of excitement and nerves courses through me. Karl is already there when | walk


    in, and the sight of him stretching leaves me momentarily breathless.


    His shirt clings to his muscr frame, and the way he moves is both graceful and powerful as he stretches. | try not to stare, but |


    can’t help it. He catches my gaze in the mirror, his eyes meeting mine, and a small smirk ys on his lips.


    “What are you waiting for?” he asks, his voice low and inviting. “Come on in and start stretching. We''ve got work to do.”


    | blink, realizing I''ve been standing there like a deer caught in headlights. Gathering myposure, | step into the gym and


    begin to stretch over on a mat.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    “So,” Karl says as he approaches, “are you ready for your first day of training?”


    “Sort of,” | say with a slight chuckle. “It’s been a while. Honestly, | can’t even remember thest time | trained like this.”


    Karl smirks and sits down beside me. Our knees touch as we stretch alongside each other. “I''ll only go a little hard on you,” he


    teases. “Oh, and by the way, you’re not gonna stretch your hamstrings properly if you keep doing that.”


    | frown as | look down at myself. “What''s wrong with the way I’m doing it?”


    Karl sighs, and without a word, he gets up and puts his hands on me. “It’s like this...”


    My heart pounds in my chest as his hands guide me, his touch gentle yet firm. | can’t help but wonder if he’s ying up our


    attraction to distract me from the fact that he announced a fake rtionship at the party without ever discussing it with me.


    It''s a thought that lingers in the back of my mind as | try to focus on my training, but | also can’t deny the fact that I’m horribly,


    undeniably attracted to him right now.


    When we''re finished stretching, Karl stands up, cing his hands on his hips.


    “Alright, now that that’s done,” he says, “let''s do some warmups before we officially get started.”


    | nod, grateful for the chance to shift our focus away from the charged atmosphere that has just unwittingly developed between


    us. “Sounds good,” | reply, trying to sound more confident than | really feel at the moment.


    Karl demonstrates the first exercise, a set of burpees. He moves with ease, his body a well-oiled machine. “Start with these,” he


    says. “It''ll get your heart rate up and your muscles warm.”


    | follow his lead, but | can’t help but feel self-conscious. | always hated burpees. My movements are stiff and awkwardpared


    to his fluid motions. | can see the hint of a smile on his face as he watches me, and it gives me a pang of annoyance.


    “Is something funny?” | ask, trying to hide my irritation.


    Karl shakes his head, his smile widening. “Not at all,” he replies. “I’m just impressed with your dedication, that’s all. You’re doing


    great.”


    His praise makes me blush, and | start pushing myself to keep up with the exercises a little bit better. We move on to high knees,


    and | struggle to lift my knees as high as Karl does. He doesn’t say anything, but his encouraging nods keep me going.


    Next, Karl introduces mountain climbers, and I’m relieved that this exercise allows me to catch my breath. As | follow his lead, |


    notice the way his muscles ripple with each movement. It’s hard not to be distracted by his physique, but | force myself to focus


    on the task at hand.


    Once we finish the warm-up exercises, Karl looks satisfied. “Good job, Abby,” he says. “You''re not nearly as out of shape as you


    seem to think.”


    Thanks to our exertion inbination with hispliments, my earlier annoyance is almost forgotten. “Thanks,” | say. “l guess


    I''m not totally hopeless after all.”


    Karl chuckles, and the sound of it sends a warm jolt down my spine. “You''re far from hopeless,” he says. “You''ve got a lot of


    potential, and with some more training, you might actually be able to take me on in a fight.”


    His words make me blush. “Who''s to say | can’t take you on now?” | tease.


    He smirks. “Let''s put that to the test, shall we?”


    We take off our shoes and step onto the mat.


    Over the next half hour, Karl shows me the basics of hand-to-handbat, and he’s a tough instructor. He pushes me hard,


    making me sweat and pushing me to my limits. At times, | get frustrated with myself for not picking up the techniques quickly


    enough.


    “Come on, Abby,” he says, his voice firm. “You’ve got to focus. Keep your guard up.”


    I nod. I’m determined to do better, to push myself, to get the movements down. But as we continue, | can’t help but notice the


    intensity of our close proximity. Our bodies brush against each other, and | be acutely aware of his presence.


    My wolf stirs. The tension between us is palpable.


    Thanks to my momentary distraction,


    Karl manages to pin me to the floor.


    His weight presses dowonGe) Bhd


    isypg tobreeK Tree Our faces are


    inches apart, and | can feel his breath


    on my skin. My heart races as |


    realize how vulnerable | am in this


    position. Please read the original


    content at NovelDrama.Org.


    “You left yourself wide open,” he says, his voice low and dangerously seductive. “I could kill you right now if | wanted to.”


    I stare up at him, breathless, and our eyes lock. The desire in his gaze mirrors my own, and it’s almost unbearable. Our lips are


    mere inches apart, and | can feel the maic pull between us.


    But just as our lips are about to touch, | gather every ounce of strength | have left and flip him onto his back, pinning him down.


    My chest heaves as | catch my breath, and I’m once again made acutely aware of our bodies pressed together.


    “Now you''re the one who got distracted,” | whisper, my voice a little shaky. “You let your guard down.”


    Karl smirks, his eyes still locked on mine. “Huh. | guess you got me,” he admits, his voice low and filled with desire.


    The tension in the room is thick, and |


    can feel the heat between us. But we


    both know that now igaittheine ot


    ge forithis. Wave training to do,


    and we can''t spend all day rolling


    around on the floor and ying mind


    games with each other. Please read


    the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    “Alright,” Karl says with a grin, tapping the floor with his hand. “I tap out. You win this round, Abby.”


    With a reluctant sigh, | push myself


    up off of the floor and offer Ka


    hand to help him to NS eSe Hetakés


    ape stasa Here our eyes


    dale , | can''t keep myself from


    noticing how close our bodies are to


    one another, and how neither of us


    lets go of the other''s hand right away.


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    Or maybe it’s just me who’s reluctant to let go, because Karl’s smirk and his teasing voice breaks the silence.


    “You gonna let me go, Abby?”