Kael closed the door with a clenched jaw. He had been proud of his own control but within half a month, this girl was already testing his limits. He leaned against the wall for a moment and shut his eyes briefly.
He heard the faint sound of water splashing inside, and unbidden the picture of the way she had gasped when the cold poured over her, hair plastered to her cheeks, defiance burning even when her body trembled from exhaustion, appeared before him...
He exhaled slowly, forcing his jaw tight. Training her to throw a punch. That was all this was supposed to be. He knew she wanted to learn combat. And when she'd knelt there in front of the entire pack, and 'almost' fearlessly asked that he train her, he'd accepted. But now, he was regretting it.
Because the images flooding his mind had nothing to do with training. At all.
He saw her kneeling again, arms lifted high, the bowl trembling in her hands as water threatened to spill. She looked fragile and stubborn at the same time.
