Chapter One

Shane

"I think I found the one," an alpha on the hack squat machine told his coach. If he was able to talk in depth about an omega, then he probably wasn't lifting enough. Lifting wasn't like running. If you could carry on a conversation, then you were doing something wrong.

Besides, while I was happy enough for my friends and clients finding their mates, it only stabbed me with the reminder that I hadn't found mine. And with the way I trained and worked, I might never find him.

I completed my finisher set and wiped the rivers of sweat from my brow. I let out a long breath, listening to my heart recover as more trails of salty sweat poured down my back.

Why did I do this again? Oh yeah. Because I fucking loved it. I loved the cause and effect of it all. If I put in the work, I saw results. Period. My niche was being a strongman, meaning being as strong as possible in every event in the contest both globally and nationally.

The thing was, it took up all my time. Every ounce of it.

I showered in my private shower, the full bathroom next to my office. In addition to my contests, I had sponsors and all kinds of social media platforms. Lines of protein shakes and supplements and apparel. So many side hustles, I had a team to run them for me.

Sometimes, it was hard to breathe.

"Good workout?" My cousin and part-time trainer and social media manager strolled into my office and took a seat while I read emails, or pretended to. I spent a good amount of time daydreaming lately, even in the middle of sets. I should've been concentrating on my form, on setting new personal records, but instead, the other side of me, the mountain lion side, was demanding I go out and find a mate.

"Very." I shrugged off the half-truth.

"You're not eating," he said, glancing up at the calendar on the wall. It took up almost the entire space and, while it stayed mostly the same, there were some variants to keep things fresh. Fresh as in, I would have my meals at different times and maybe a meeting with a new sponsor—try out a new protein shake flavor.

But basically every day was eat, sleep, workout, work on my business. Rinse and repeat.

While building up my body and being strong had been a priority since high school, I had to admit that things had changed inside me.

Yes, I still wanted to be the strongest man in the world, but I also wanted more. I wanted an omega. To have a family. Children. A fucking hour to myself.

Sure, I had days off but they were few and far between. They were spent alone, watching TV, eating my meal-prepped food.

Some would look at my life and see a dream. And they were right. The way I lived was a dream.

But, curse me, I craved more.

"Right. I got a little off track." I almost stood from my office chair, but Chad pulled one of my meal-prep containers from his lap. Hadn't even noticed he had it.

"One step ahead of you." He passed me the container. Bison burgers, green beans, and sweet potato, one of my favorite combos.

"Thanks."

Chad nodded, but there was more he wanted to say. I popped the lid on the container and began to eat. "Is there something you need to talk about, Shane?" he asked.

"Why?" I asked another question avoiding his. He had an omega. Three sweet little girls as well. He went home at night to a warm bed and people who loved him.

I went home to…me.

He shrugged. "You seem like you're in another world lately."

I sighed. "Just some things on my mind."

He nodded. "I'm here if you ever want to talk, you know. Not just about the workouts or the business. When's the last time you went out, Shane? I can see if we can schedule you some free time."

"Look at the schedule for next weekend," I said, knowing that I'd demanded the time off. Didn't know what I was going to do or how I would spend the time, but I needed a break from the walls of the gym, the weight on my shoulders. All the weight on my body both physically and mentally had begun to strangle me while simultaneously building me up.

Chad rose from his seat and grabbed his tablet from his office, coming back in with a whistle on his lips. "Didn't know the strongest man in the world got a day off, much less a weekend," he chuckled.

"I need it."

After a few meetings, I went home and collapsed on the couch with a recommended book on self-discipline from one of my friends and a meal of chicken breast and broccoli. I stuck to their meal plans most of the time but lately found myself sneaking a bit of ice cream at night.

A little pleasure for myself.

Before I started in on the reading, I took a look at my personal mail. There was a blue envelope I didn't recognize. As I turned it, I saw it was from a Franklin from a place called the Bearclaw Inn.

I'd never stayed at a place called the Bearclaw, and I knew no one named Franklin.

The letter inside surprised me even more.

A weekend at his inn, free of charge, and on the exact dates I'd taken off.

Tingles slid down my spine at the coincidence.

What in the hell was the Bearclaw Inn?