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."

I could practically feel Enzo's tightly-coiled nerves all the way from where I stood. He wanted the attention, the recognition, and he clearly wasn't getting it.noveldrama

And yet, he still went just as hard, if not harder. My father's lack of attention wasn't going to stop him. He was, after all, our Alpha; he was leading by example.

He was leading so well, in 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 at least do that.

With a slight smile, I walked over to join the group and began stretching along with them. It felt good to lower myself down into a lunge, then stretch out my inner thighs.

I stood again, lifting my hands over my head along with the others and bending left and right. I then closed my eyes against the warming sun as I began touching my toes.

"Nina. What are you doing?"

My father's voice pulled me out of my pleasant reverie, and I cracked my eyes open through my legs to see him standing right behind me.

"I'm stretching," I said deliberately, "That's not an issue, is it?"

My father sighed. I stood and turned to face him, placing my hands on my hips. His gaze wasn't angry, but it was

concerned at the very least.

"What?" I asked.

"Nina, I just..." He sighed 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 "

"Dad, it's just stretching. Even the doctor told me I should be doing this."

My father opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again and nodded with a somewhat defeated look in his eyes. Alright," he said softly. "You can stretch."

"And maybe join in on some of the exercises?" I asked.

"No." That seemed to be where he drew the line. We 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 involved with the other training." "But-"

"Let's not do this two days in a row, Nina," my father insisted. "You're a pregnant princess; I won't have it." There was that word again: princess. Tack 'pregnant' onto it and it almost felt like an insult, even though I knew it wasn't. And my father certainly wasn't budging.

My shoulder sagged of their own accord. "Nevermind," I said softly. "I'm just gonna go inside."

"I'm sorry, Nina," he called after me. "But it's for the best."

When I returned to the kitchen, I kicked off my dew-damp shoes with a huff and wandered over to the counter, where I poured myself a cup of tea. My mother, who was seated at the kitchen table with a book in front of her, shot me a look of worry.

"Still arguing with your father?" she asked.

"Not arguing." I turned, holding my tea in my hands, and managed a slight smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Just ... annoyed."

"You're like two rams butting horns," she said with a shake of her head. "What happened now?"

"Nothing," I said, chewing my lip. "I just... I feel so weak and useless."

My mother's eyebrows raised. "Why?"

"Because of this," I said as I gestured to my pregnant belly. "And the fact that I'm a princess, as Dad likes to remind me so often."

"You're his only living daughter, honey," she said. "He feels protective over you, that's all."

I let out a sigh. "I know. But I'm still capable of doing more than just sitting around, and I wish he would see that."

"Nina, you aren't just sitting around," my mother said gently, rising from her chair. "You're helpful in other ways. Like when your friend, Matt, needed you to tend to his bloody nose yesterday. You're still their team doctor, at the end of the day. And besides..."

She paused, licking her lips for a moment before continuing. "I know how it feels, to be suddenly thrust into this life that you're not used to. But sometimes you just have to make the most out of it."

"That's easier said than done," I said with a slight laugh. "I don't even know where I would start trying to make the best out of being a pretty princess."

My mother let out a chuckle, causing her eyes to crinkle at the corners in that way I always liked. "You know, queens and princesses often have held all of the behind-the-scenes power throughout history," she said. " Especially your history."

I quirked an eyebrow. "My history?"

She nodded her head toward the door and took my hand. "Come; let's make a visit to the library. I want to show

you some things."

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