Chapter 17
I was wandering aimlessly around the cabin while Asher was out tending to the garden. Calling this place a cabin was somewhat of an understatement. It was more like an estate, or even a compound. There was so much space. Sure, it felt cozy and warm, but there were so many rooms. There was even a workshop out back that was actually connected to the building. They’d mentioned that Carter’s workshop was there, where he tended to work on their vehicles and quad bikes.
I had an itch to get out and about and explore, so I decided to be a little nosy. Padding down the corridor, I peeked through the workshop door, trying to figure out what lay ahead. There was a metallic clinking noise coming from the workshop area. Was Carter working on one of the vehicles? The guys had said I could go anywhere I wanted, and I knew which rooms were their bedrooms, so it wasn’t like I was going to walk in on one of them naked .
Without a second thought, I opened the door and wandered in. My steps faltered when I saw what was making the metallic clinking noise—it wasn’t Carter. It was Dylan. And he was lifting weights. A very topless Dylan, doing weights.
This area was clearly a gym. There were treadmills, weight benches, and other gym equipment I couldn’t even name. And there, in the middle of the room, was a sweaty, shirtless Dylan, lying on a piece of gym equipment, lifting a massive set of weights. Each rep made his chest muscles bulge, the sweat glistening on his skin. My mouth went dry as I stumbled to a stop. He was only wearing a small pair of gym shorts, and every muscle of his body was on display—even the bulky muscles of his thighs, which were bigger than my head. Now I understood why he needed so many protein shakes and was the size of a house.
At the sound of my approach, he stopped and turned to face me, setting the weights down and sitting up, giving me an even better view of his muscular neck with sweat running down it. The entire room was so thick with his scent, it was almost suffocating. But if that was how I died, then so be it—because I didn’t want to leave that room.
My inner omega, who had been quiet for so long, was being very belligerent now, and she didn’t want to move for anything .
“Oh, I’m sorry, I, um, didn’t mean to disturb you,” I quickly stuttered.
Dylan shook his head, standing up. “You’re allowed to go anywhere you want.”
“I didn’t know all this was here,” I said as I wandered around the room slowly, taking shallow breaths, trying not to get too lost in his scent. I’d had crushes before, small infatuations with other alphas, but I’d never had a visceral reaction like this. Is this what being a normal omega is like?
“This place is so well kitted out,” I said, wandering up to a weight bench. I picked up one of the medium-sized weights, bit it quickly fell to the floor. “Oh crap, sorry!” I hissed.
Dylan rushed forward, picking up the weight and placing it back, his very naked chest inches from my face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—chest—oh, hi, yeah, no, sorry,” I stammered, running a hand through my hair, desperately trying to regain my composure. If Dylan noticed my erratic state, he didn’t comment.
He picked up the smallest weight and handed it to me. “This is one pound. This is what you need to start with.”
I looked at the weight, offended. “That’s tiny! I can do better than that,” I assured him.
He raised an eyebrow. “A few reps with this, and your arms will be sore as anything. You’ve been through the wringer. You’re underfed, you’re malnourished—you need to build strength slowly.”
I pouted. “I am strong,” I whined, though it came out more like a petulant grumble.
Dylan nodded, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You are very strong—mentally. Physically, on the other hand…I’m pretty sure I could knock you over with a feather.”
“It would have to be a pretty strong feather,” I muttered.
“Do you want me to show you?” he asked.
I nodded. Even though he was the crankiest of all the alphas, he was offering to help me. And I really did need to build some strength. If I was honest with myself, I was a mess physically, and it wouldn’t hurt to get stronger. Plus, he didn’t seem all that grumpy with me.
“Okay,” he said, grabbing the other one-pound weight. “Come join me at the weight bench.” He led me over, and I sat down. “Hold both of these,” he said.
The weights felt tiny in my hands, and I gave him a disbelieving look. “This isn’t going to do anything.”
“Just wait and see,” he replied. “Now, I’m going to show you how to do a rep, and you’re going to copy me.”
He walked over and grabbed one of the heavier weights. “We’re going to start with bicep curls and then move on to some other movements.”
While I didn’t believe it was going to do anything, I would to listen to the alpha who had more muscle than brain cells. He was gigantic. How that man had so much muscle was beyond me. But he clearly understood how to gain muscle, so surely I should listen to him. That was my logic, anyway.
Only a few minutes in, and my arms were starting to burn. I had to bite my lip to keep from saying anything as I continued following his movements. How was I already in so much pain? Just how weak and pathetic had I become?
“Do you need a break?” Dylan asked.
I shook my head emphatically. “No way.”
He nodded and continued talking me through the movements. I lasted another two minutes before I gave in. “Oh God, this is torture.” I sighed, putting the weights down. “How can they hurt so much?” I cried, glaring at the weights in anger.
Dylan chuckled. “You’ve gotta start small. You’re starting from scratch. If you want, I’d be happy to talk you through what to do every day a little bit at a time to gain your strength, okay?”
I nodded. “I’d appreciate that. I know you don’t really like having me here, but you’re being nice to me. I do really appreciate it.”
“It’s the least I can do. You didn’t deserve to be in this situation.” Though his tone was gentle, his jaw tightened and his eyes hardened. “Now, you’re going to need a lot more protein in your diet, like protein shakes and chicken?—”
“I had one of your protein shakes,” I cut in. “Carter made it for me. I think it was the caramel-flavoured one.” I beamed.
Dylan shook his head with a chuckle. “Of course, he gave you that. Did you like it?”
I nodded enthusiastically.
“Okay, then keep drinking lots of them, and I’ll talk you through a daily routine to help you gain some real strength. Have you been able to do any cardio in the last few years?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Does getting out of bed count as cardio?” I asked with a smile.
Dylan closed his eyes and groaned. “Oh, this is going to be fun.” With a resigned sigh, he added, “How about we start slow? Twenty minutes walking on the treadmill. Then, when it’s not raining, you can do walks around the property. How does that sound?”
I nodded. “That sounds perfect. Walking is easy. I can walk.”
He chuckled, an ominous sound that made me wonder if I was going to regret what I was about to do.
Oh my God, I regret everything.
How could my body be so sore? I hadn’t felt this sore when I had escaped a psychopath and clambered through the woods for two days in the freezing cold on my own. So, why were my muscles screaming at me now?
The morning after Dylan walked me through my first workout, my entire body felt like it was on fire. My arms were useless; they hung limply by my sides, protesting any sort of movement. My legs ached from the minimal walking.
As we sat at the breakfast bar, Dylan stirred up a protein shake for me, grinning as I groaned.
“Why do you do this to yourself, you sadist? There’s gotta be something wrong with you. Anyone who enjoys going to the gym has something wrong with them,” I grumbled.
“It’ll get easier,” Dylan assured me, handing me the protein shake.
“Just think,” Carter called from the living room, craning his head to grin at me. “When you get stronger, you can punch Dylan when he’s annoying you. Just don’t do that now—you’ll break your hand,” he said with a serious face.
I looked between him and Dylan. “Huh, that is a better fit,” I said.
Dylan chuckled. “So, that’s the mission, is it? Get strong enough to punch me and actually make it hurt?”
I nodded. “That sounds like a good benchmark, I think.”
“You know what? I actually agree with you there,” he said. “It’ll be good to get some of your strength up. Now, finish your protein shake. You need to do your morning walk.”
I groaned. “I’m going to regret asking you to help me with this, aren’t I?”
He beamed. “You’re not regretting it already?”