Vivian’s POV

Somehow, I could feel the heat radiating off him as if it were my own skin burning. My fingers moved of their own accord, sliding up his arms, brushing over his solid chest. His body responded beneath my touch, muscles tensing, breathing shifting.

He leaned closer until his mouth brushed against my ear. His voice was thick with desire, a growl just beneath the surface.

"I can’t train you," he whispered slowly, "because seeing you hot and sweaty beneath me would make me want to fuck you right there and then."

My entire body arched up into him. Fire burst under my skin, emotions colliding inside me like a lightning storm. I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself, but his lips were already on my throat, brushing over my skin with maddening tenderness.

He kissed a path up my neck, leaving trails of heat behind, until his lips claimed mine.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t sweet.

It was consuming.

Like our very souls were trying to crawl inside each other. Like the kiss itself was a collision of galaxies blazing, infinite, dangerous.

Kissing Zaliver would never stop feeling like the first time. That thrilling edge of chaos. That bottomless pull. Together, we were like two wildfires feeding off each other, too volatile to contain, too powerful to resist.

His scent, woodsy, fresh, and uniquely his, wrapped around me, embedding itself in my memory like a brand. His lips were soft but bold, teasing me, pulling moans out of me before I even realized they were mine.

This wasn’t just passion. It was madness.

And I welcomed it.

When we finally pulled away, our breaths were heavy and uneven, grins stretching across our faces like two kids who’d gotten away with something. Zaliver was still hovering over me, stealing quick kisses like he couldn’t help himself.

"Wow," I murmured, dazed.

"Indeed," he rumbled, eyes gleaming with amusement and lust.

Somewhere deep inside, I was pretty sure my wolf passed out again. My beast, ever the warrior, was desperately shaking her awake.

I looked at Zaliver, my lips tingling.

I wanted more.

So I kissed him again.

"This is an unholy hour. I don’t care what you say," I groaned, clutching a bottle of orange juice like it was a lifeline as I sat slumped in the passenger seat.

I wasn’t about to admit it out loud, especially not to Zaliver, but waking up this early was doing wonders for my eyes. The sunlight didn’t feel like knives stabbing into them anymore. They were adjusting. Which meant he was right. And if he found out, he’d never let me live it down. His ego would be unbearable.

From behind the wheel, he chuckled. "Vivian, I’m convinced anything before 11 PM counts as ungodly in your book."

He turned the car into the massive training field, where I was instantly greeted by the sight of toned, sweat-slicked warriors mid-drill. They looked like they’d been here for hours already. Seriously, how were they even human?

"That... may be true," I muttered as I unbuckled and stepped out.

The second our feet hit the gravel, it was like someone hit pause on the entire field. Dozens of eyes landed on us at once.

We were absolutely being stared at.

I might’ve brought this on myself. Matching outfits. That’s right, matching.

I told Zaliver that if he wanted me to feel confident training in front of his entire elite force, then he needed to match with me. That, and well... I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to see him in some skin-tight workout gear, glistening with sweat.

So I chose black basketball shorts for him and a skin-tight sleeveless shirt to really show off that god-tier body of his. For myself, I went with black Nike leggings and a simple tank. And to top it all off? I gave him my spare pink sweatband. Yes. Pink.

And somehow, he made it look better than I ever could.

Zaliver nodded at the wolves around us with casual authority. I gave a smile instead. Some smiled back, a few bowed, still not used to that part, but most quickly returned to their routines.

As we moved deeper into the training area, I spotted Venom waiting off to one side on an unused patch of field. A large green mat stretched beneath him, surrounded by various pieces of equipment that looked suspiciously like medieval torture devices. He was dressed in black shorts and a crisp white track jacket, his silver eyes unreadable.

I noticed a few wary glances being tossed his way by other wolves, their unease barely hidden. I didn’t blame them. Venom had that... unshakable aura. Like he’d seen things no one should, and he’d survived every one of them.

The rest of the training field looked like a nightmare-fueled gym. Obstacle courses stretched out in every direction, some with ropes, others with walls that looked taller than my will to live.

"Good morning, Luna Vivian. Alpha Zaliver," Venom greeted us in that deep voice of his, barely above a whisper but still somehow making my spine shiver.

"Morning, Venom," I replied, trying to sound more cheerful than I felt. Zaliver just gave him a nod.

I inhaled deeply. "So, coach... what fresh hell are we diving into today?"

Still nibbling on the rim of my bottle cap as I drained the last of my orange juice, yes, I know it’s weird drinking that after brushing my teeth, but I liked it, Zaliver gave me a side-eye but didn’t comment.

Venom’s lips twitched in the closest thing I’d ever seen to a genuine smile from him before his face fell back into that neutral, unreadable expression.

"We’ll be keeping things light this morning, Luna," he said. "Basic stretching. A short jog. A few standard exercises just so I can gauge your current condition. It’ll give me a starting point. Should take no more than an hour and a half."

I quickly glanced at Zaliver, who had pulled out his phone and was probably reviewing my schedule again. After a second, he nodded approvingly, clearly satisfied with the plan.

I exhaled, already mourning the last ounce of juice in my bottle.

An hour and a half.

Of exercise.

At sunrise.

This better be worth it.

"See? That doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?" Zaliver asked with a grin, turning to look at me like he hadn’t just dragged me out of bed at an hour my soul rejected.

I gave him a half-hearted glare. "Yeah, yeah. Go on, run off or whatever it is people who can’t train without shattering the practice dummies do." I gave him a gentle shove for emphasis.

He chuckled and, before I could blink, swooped in and stole a kiss. Smooth bastard.

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