My Hockey Alpha by Eve Above Story PDF

Chapter 0735

Nina

The morning mist settled over the lawn, cool and refreshing against my warm skin. With a yawn, I watched as the others lined up on the grass, and I listened as my father's commanding voice called out today's orders.

"This morning, we're going to start with circuits instead of a run," he said, his voice loud and clear. "This will test your explosive energy rather than your endurance. I want you to do twenty pushups, thirty jumping jacks, fifteen burpees; then start over. Do this five times."

An audible groan spread across the group at the intense circuit. My father's eyes flashed.

"If anyone has an issue with our regimen, you may leave," he said coolly, clasping his hands behind his back as he regarded the group. "I simply won't train you, and therefore I won't choose you for the job. Is that clear?" "Yes, sir."

I watched, then, as my friends began their circuits. As I watched, I placed my hand over my belly and paced back and forth in the wet grass. My father glanced at me from where he stood in front of them, but he didn't invite me to join.

"Faster!" he barked out. "I don't want to see any slacking!"

Part of me expected at least Lori to walk away, but none of them did; after all, it was only day two of their training. They still had just a little under two weeks left to go, and it seemed as though they were all vying to be named as one of my father's assassins.

It was impressive to watch them try so hard, especially Enzo-who, despite everything, was at the forefront of the group.

I watched Enzo intently as he worked. Soon, his shirt became soaked through from a combination of sweat and dew from the grass. The way that his muscles buckled and flexed was almost hypnotic in the cool light of the morning sun. He was working hard, maybe even two or three times harder than the rest.

It was clear that he wanted to be one of my father's assassins. I could see it in his eyes, not that I even needed to; he had always laid his goal out on the table for me, and he was determined not to fail.

But my father was hardly paying him any mind.

"Matt, don't skip the pushup at the end of those burpees," he said. "Jessica, don't slack on the jumping jacks."

tightly-coiled nerves all the way from where I stood. He wanted the attention, the recognition, and he

still went just as hard, if not harder. My father's lack of attention wasn't

fact, that I wound up wanting to join in. The circuit was likely too intense for my condition, but when they eventually moved to dynamic stretching a little while later, I knew that I could

I walked over to join the group and began stretching along with them. It felt good to lower myself down

my hands over my head along with the others and bending left and right. I then closed my eyes against the warming sun

are you

and I cracked my eyes open through my legs to see him standing right

"That's not an issue,

father sighed. I stood and turned to face him, placing my hands on my

the

"What?" I asked.

once again and shook his head, then gently took my arm and led me away while the others kept going. Once we were out of earshot, he lowered his voice. "Honey, I don't think it's a good

just stretching. Even the doctor told me I should be doing

and nodded with a somewhat defeated look in his

maybe join in on some of the

stared at each other for a few moments before his shoulder slumped a bit. "I mean it, Nina. You can stretch, but I won't let you get

a pregnant princess; I won't have it." There was that word again:

shoulder sagged of their own accord. "Nevermind," I said softly. "I'm

called after me. "But it's for

where I poured myself a cup of tea. My mother, who was seated at the kitchen table with a book

your father?" she

in my hands, and managed a slight smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Just

with a

my lip. "I just... I feel