Chapter Three

Shane

Since there was a competition in three days, my wake-up schedule shifted a bit, giving me more time to sleep. Recovery was sometimes more important than the lifting in my sport. While putting down some coffee and heating up the meal prepped for me, the letter from Franklin haunted my mind. I wanted to ask some people at the gym what it was and if they'd ever heard of the inn.

The letter said I was invited to an all-expenses paid weekend at an inn across the country. A quick online check told me some wild stories about the reputation of the place and Franklin, but they seemed too outlandish to be true.

My phone buzzed on the counter and I picked it up, already knowing what the text was. James, my coach and father, texted me a picture of my schedule every morning, both the all-day schedule and the workout routine. He insisted I call him James after I began to deadlift his weight and more. I called him Dad when we were by ourselves, but he preferred James in training. Maybe to separate the two things he was to me.

I sighed, looking at the play-by-play while stuffing another bite of omelet into my mouth. My dad had been coaching me since I was a teenager and picked up a rusty weight plate in the garage. I hadn't wanted to be scrawny anymore. No more jeering in the locker room from guys who had biceps and liked to push me around once in a while when they were bored or questioning whose dick was bigger than the others.

After coming home from school sick to death of being the stick man, I decided to take the summer to transform. My dad had done some bodybuilding, and while he had never entered competitions, he was certainly the strongest dad on the block, maybe in the city. He asked me what I was doing and, with tears in my eyes, I told him everything.

My training started that day. By the time I went back to school in the fall, I was a damned boulder.

It was time for my dad to retire, and I had saved up enough to make that happen for him, setting several things in place, but telling him took the chance of breaking his heart.

Shaking the notion from my head for the day, I washed my dishes and packed up for the day. Hydration. Shakes. Gym bag. And the letter from Franklin. There was no one else I trusted above my team. They would give me the truth about this place and whether or not I would go.

I had to admit, my lion was pushing for me to go. I had no idea why, but he tended to have a sense for things that I didn't.

I walked into the gym and sighed. I'd purposefully created an atmosphere of positivity. At any given time, a person could find a variety of levels of athleticism found here. The full spectrum of body types and ages. We welcomed all here and prided ourselves on encouraging physical fitness. Movement was movement. No matter how little. No matter how much.

"Morning, Shane," Chad said, as I put my bags and water bottle in the office.

"Good morning. Any fires to put out?" I asked.

"Not really. We had a dryer go out this morning, but the repairman is already here. We had the change in janitorial staff last night. New crew did an excellent job. Everything is stocked."

I grunted. "None of those things are really in your job description, Chad."

He shrugged. I had an amazing team. Everyone owned stock in our gym, so they knew that when they worked hard, it was only more money in all of our pockets. It was the way I thought would make loyal employees, more loyal. "We're a team. I saw the need, I took care of it. I'm amazing, what can I say?"

"Shut the door. I want to show you something."

He tipped his chin and looked down his nose at me. "You know I'm your cousin, right? And mated. Plus, you're not my type." He proceeded to bark out a laugh at his own joke.

"Shut up. I got a letter."

Chad shut the door and sat across from my desk, reaching for the blue envelope. He flipped it around and then saw the broken wax seal on the back and gasped. "No fucking way."

"What? Is it a scam?" I asked, eager to hear from someone who knew what this was.

"This is that famous place." He read the letter and, while I tried to remain patient and calm, I eventually cleared my throat. "Oh yeah. This is it. You don't know about the Bearclaw Inn?"

"Clearly, I don't." I gruffed back. "Well, I searched it online and it said something about no one leaves unmated. Something like that. Tell me what you know. That can't be the truth, right?"

Chad scooted forward. "Shane, you have to go to this. All that stuff online is true. Erik had an obsession with the place at one time, when he was still single. He researched it at length and even tried to go there and beg for an invitation. Everything they say is right. Franklin has some kind of gift. He picks out an alpha and an omega and matches them with this weekend at his B&B. Please tell me you're going to go."

"What makes you think I want a mate?" I asked, placing my palms on my thighs. I'd stopped being able to cross my arms over my chest about a hundred pounds ago.

"Because I know you, Shane. My lion can sense your lion's want for a mate. I know you don't have time like others to date and seek one out. This is your shot."