Too Close to Breathe

Seraphina’s POV The training ground was quieter than I expected. A few wolves lingered at the edges, their conversations low—but the moment I stepped in beside Rowan, everything seemed to… shift. Eyes turned. Whispers followed. I felt it instantly. Curiosity. Suspicion. And something else… Jealousy. I lowered my gaze slightly, suddenly aware of every step I took. “I don’t belong here,” I murmured. Rowan didn’t even look at me. “You’re with me. That’s enough.” My heart skipped. Simple words. But they carried weight. Authority. And something dangerously close to reassurance. We stopped at the center of the open space. The ground beneath us was packed dirt, marked with signs of past training—footprints, claw marks, faint traces of fights. Rowan turned to face me. “You said you feel stronger,” he said. “Let’s see it.” I hesitated. “I don’t know how to fight.” “You don’t need to fight,” he replied calmly. “Just move.” That didn’t help. At all. “I’ll look stupid,” I muttered. For a brief second… his lips almost curved. “Probably,” he said. I stared at him. “Then why are we doing this?” His gaze locked onto mine. “Because you don’t run anymore.” The words hit deeper than I expected. Something inside me shifted. I exhaled slowly… then nodded. “Okay.” I stepped forward, unsure, awkward, trying to remember anything I’d ever seen others do. I moved. Badly. Too slow. Too unsure. Before I could even react— Rowan was behind me. Close. Too close. My breath caught as his hand gently but firmly caught my wrist. “Not like that,” he said, his voice low near my ear. My entire body went still. I could feel him. The heat of him. The steadiness. The control. “Relax,” he murmured. Easy for him to say. His other hand came to my waist, adjusting my stance slightly. My heart slammed against my ribs. This was just training. So why did it feel like something else entirely? “Focus,” he said. “I am,” I whispered. “You’re not.” His grip tightened just slightly—not enough to hurt… just enough to make me aware of it. Of him. “Again.” He guided my arm forward this time, slower… more deliberate. My body followed instinctively. “Better,” he said. But he didn’t let go. Neither of us moved. The air shifted. That same tension from before—thicker now… heavier. My pulse raced uncontrollably. I turned my head slightly— Too close. Our faces were only inches apart. My breath caught. His eyes dropped—just for a second—to my lips. Then back to my eyes. That look again. That dangerous, unreadable look. “Rowan…” I whispered. I didn’t even know what I was trying to say. A warning? A question? Or something else? His jaw tightened. For a moment… I thought he might close the distance. My heart stopped. But instead— He stepped back. Too quickly. Like he was pulling himself away from something he shouldn’t want. “Enough for today,” he said, his voice rough. Just like that—the moment broke. Again. I stood there, slightly breathless, trying to steady myself. “Was I that bad?” I asked softly. He ran a hand through his hair, looking away for a brief second. “You’re not the problem,” he said. That didn’t make sense. “What does that mean?” But he didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and started walking away. Leaving me standing there… confused. Frustrated. And very, very aware of one thing— Whatever this was between us… It wasn’t simple. And it definitely wasn’t safe.