Too Late Alpha The Mate He Never Wanted (Iris and Eric) novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118

A MONTH LATER

My arms felt heavy as I punched the dummy before me. Each punch was weaker and slower than the previous. Sweat ran down my spine, soaking my shirt.

“Again.”.

Lucas’s voice cut through the air sharply.

I forced my aching muscles to obey. My fist connected with the dummy again, but the hit barely made a sound.

Lucas raised a brow. “Is that supposed to be a punch or a tap?”

I sucked in a breath and tried again. The punch was weak again.

He folded his arms. “Pathetic,” he said flatly. “You’re getting sloppy.”

I bit back a groan and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. “I’m trying.”

“You’re getting worse,” he said flatly. “And you were late to warm-up. It’s the second time this week.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Lately, every morning I woke up feeling heavy, like someone had chained me to a large truck.

I struggled to sleep, and I had lost appetite to eat anything.

I bent forward, placing my hands on my knees, as I panted for air. “I know,” I admitted. “I just… haven’t had much energy”

Lucas studied me for a long moment with an unreadable expression on his face.” Energy doesn’t just vanish without reason. Are you eating?”

I shrugged. “Not really hungry.’

“That’s not an answer,” he said with a frown. “You need fuel to train. Without fuel there would be no progress.”

I couldn’t argue with him. He was right, but food had lost its appeal. Even when I tried to eat, it tasted like sand.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I glanced around the training hall before

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Chapter 118

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Rain had fallen the night before. A faint breeze carried the scent of fresh rain through my nose.

It reminded me of Rowan, and my chest tightened before I could stop it.

I shook the thought away quickly. I had spent the past month trying to bury every memory of that night. We hadn’t spoken since our argument the next morning.

Rowan had kept his distance, totally avoiding me as much as possible.

At first I told myself the ache in my chest was only guilt. But it was different. It was very heavy and it made food taste like paper.

Lucas’s voice broke through my thoughts. “You’re distracted. Again.”

“I know,” I muttered.

He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing slightly in anger. “I don’t know what’s going on in your mind, but make sure you leave it outside the yard. If you want to get stronger, you have to focus.”

I clenched my fists. He was right again. But focus felt impossible when the past month replayed in my head every night.

I forced myself to strike again. The dummy moved back slightly. It was still weak.

Lucas sighed and tilted his head with disappointment in his eyes. “That’s enough.”

I straightened slowly, breathing heavily.

“You’re supposed to be getting better during training, not worse” he said coldly.

I swallowed, my throat dry. “I know.”

“Then fix it.” His gaze sharpened. “Whatever’s eating you alive, make sure you deal with it. Because right now, you’re wasting my time.”

His words hit me hard. I nodded, unable to meet his eyes.

Lucas gave me a long, disappointed look before turning away.

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