Too Late To Regret, My Alphas

Chapter 70: A Tough Morning

Rosalie:

When I agreed to train, I had imagined something completely different.

I thought there would be some stretching. Maybe a few exercises. Perhaps Eiden would teach me some combat moves or explain werewolf physiology while I sat comfortably somewhere with a notebook in hand.

What I absolutely had not imagined was waking up at five in the morning before the sun had even properly risen, dragging myself out of bed while questioning every life decision that had brought me to this point, and then taking a fifteen-minute drive to Eiden’s house only to spend the next hour running through the woods surrounding his property.

The first morning was a disaster.

At least for me.

Not for Eiden and definitely not for Zaiden. The two of them looked completely unaffected by the experience.

As for me?

I was convinced my legs were plotting revenge.

The forest trail itself was beautiful. Under different circumstances I would have loved it. Tall trees stretched toward the sky, birds greeted the morning from hidden branches, and the air carried that crisp freshness unique to early mornings. The sunlight gradually filtered through the leaves as dawn arrived, painting everything in shades of gold and green.

It should have been peaceful. Instead, all I could focus on was the fact that my lungs felt like they were on fire.

At some point I stopped caring about the scenery. Then I stopped caring about my dignity. And then I stopped caring about anything except survival.

Several times I considered collapsing dramatically and informing Eiden that his future training student had passed away. Unfortunately, neither he nor Zaiden appeared willing to accept such excuses.

Every time I slowed down too much, Eiden would remind me to keep moving. Every time I thought I was about to die, Zaiden would glance at me with an expression that clearly said he had seen people survive much worse.

Neither was particularly sympathetic.

The traitors.

By the time Eiden finally announced that the running portion of training was over, I genuinely thought I might cry from relief.

I somehow managed to make it back to the front porch before my legs officially gave up on life. The second I reached the steps, I collapsed onto them without a shred of elegance.

My chest rose and fell rapidly. My entire body ached. My legs were shaking. And meanwhile both Alphas looked as though they had just enjoyed a relaxing morning walk.

I glared at them.

Neither looked guilty, not even a little. Eiden crouched in front of me and handed me a water bottle and I immediately reached for it. However, the moment I twisted the cap open, Eiden spoke.

"Slowly."

I froze.

He pointed at the bottle.

"Small sips."

My eyes narrowed.

He raised an eyebrow.

I sighed dramatically. Then did exactly what he instructed. Small sips, like a civilized person. Even though every instinct inside me wanted to empty the entire bottle in one go.

Eiden looked satisfied when I obeyed.

The cool water helped almost immediately. Slowly, my breathing started returning to normal. The shaking in my legs became less noticeable. My heartbeat gradually settled from complete panic to merely exhausted.

As I sat there recovering, my gaze drifted toward the horizon.

The sun was beginning its ascent into the sky. Soft golden light spilled across the distant landscape, painting everything in warm colors. The woods surrounding the property looked almost magical beneath the morning light. A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers and fresh earth.

I couldn’t deny it.

Eiden had somehow found the perfect place to live. Everything about this area felt peaceful, safe, and beautiful. The house itself sat far enough away from the rest of the world that silence came naturally here. There were no crowds. No pack politics. No judgmental stares. No memories hiding around every corner waiting to ambush me.

Just nature.

Just peace.

And for a little while, I let myself enjoy it.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t immediately notice someone approaching. Not until I felt a familiar presence settle beside me.

I turned my head and immediately found Zaiden sitting on the step next to me. My heart stumbled. Not enough to be obvious, but enough to be annoying.

The Rogue Alpha sat casually beside me, one arm resting on his raised knee as he looked out toward the same sunrise. Meanwhile, Eiden had wandered into his garden and was now occupied watering plants that somehow looked healthier than most people.

My attention returned to Zaiden, which was a mistake. A very big one. Because now that I actually thought about it, I had spent surprisingly little time this close to him.

There had been moments, of course. Brief accidental encounters. A few charged situations that my brain absolutely refused to revisit.

But compared to Eiden? Compared to the number of times Eiden had carried me, hugged me, patched me up, or simply invaded my personal space without warning?

Zaiden felt... different. Unexplored. Dangerous.

And suddenly I became very aware of exactly how close he was sitting. If either of us moved even slightly, our shoulders might touch. The realization immediately made me thirsty all over again.

I quickly took another sip from my water bottle. Then another. But neither helped, because the problem wasn’t thirst.

The problem was the bond. It chose the worst possible moments to remind me of its existence.mI could feel it stirring lazily beneath my skin, warm, alive, and aware.

My wolf seemed equally interested.

I focused very hard on the sunrise.mThen on the trees. Then on literally anything except the man sitting beside me. Unfortunately, avoiding him became difficult when I could practically feel his presence.

I still didn’t understand how this happened.

How was it possible for me to lose all common sense whenever either Eiden or Zaiden got too close?

I used to be capable of forming coherent thoughts. Now a glance from either of them seemed enough to send my brain into retirement.

I was still questioning my life choices when movement beside me caught my attention. My thoughts stopped and my breath caught as Zaiden turned toward me.

And then, without saying a single word, he reached for my hand.