Free Web NovelChapter 253: The Gym New Members
Faye’s POV
It was Sunday, and as usual, I was spending time at the gym with my friends.
Today, I did not bring the pups because Princess was at home. She has a game battle to play and will probably take the entire day, so I left them there with their mama. I knew she would be fine balancing all four babies on her lap while her fingers mashed the controller buttons, but my mommy instincts were still giving me a slight, restless itch under my skin.
We got new members in the gym, actually, just two. One happens to be a veteran martial arts sensei whom we hired and who also happens to be the caretaker of the gym. He was a homeless man, abandoned by his kids on the street. He lives near Malo’s house, so Malo brought him in so he could have a roof over his head and be our self-defense teacher. He had a gray beard and a quiet demeanor, but his eyes were sharp enough to track every single movement in the room.
Obviously, my self-defense is punishing, so I happened to be sparring with one of my Betas, who also happens to be the second member.
Peamah Frost.
"Okay, give me all you got... let it all out," I said to him. We both had gloves on. I kept my feet moving, bouncing lightly on the balls of my toes as I tried to look completely ready for whatever he was going to throw at me.
"Are you sure about this?" he said, staring at me as I bounced around, waiting for his jab so I could dodge it. He lifted his heavy leather gloves up to his chin, his massive chest rising with a slow, hesitant breath as he sized me up.
Before I could defend myself, Peamah’s jab was so hard that it sent me flying to the ground. The wind was completely knocked out of my chest, my back hitting the padded floor with a heavy, painful thud that made the entire room spin.
Fuck, that was so fucking painful.
I swear I could see stars above my face. Small glowing dots danced across my vision under the bright ceiling lights. Then Peamah’s face appeared, staring at me and shaking his head. He looked down at me with a mixture of worry and absolute confusion.
"I thought Alphas were supposed to be stronger than us," he said, lending me a hand. His deep voice rumbled across the canvas as he extended a massive, glove-covered hand toward me.
And he still had that big build of his that made him look like some hedge-wolf. His broad shoulders completely blocked out the light from the back window, his muscles bursting out from under his gray gym tank top.
"For the 15th time, Peamah, I am not an Alpha. I am an Omega who happens to be the Moon Wolf, and you happen to be my Beta because I made you..." I said, removing my glove. That punch made me lose my morale. I yanked the strap loose with my teeth, spitting the leather glove onto the floor as I nursed my aching jaw.
"You said I shouldn’t call you Moon Wolf because some people are not supposed to know. So what am I supposed to call you?" He asked, pulling his own gloves off and tucking them under his armpit.
"Maybe Faye or.... Sensei," I said. I stood up, wiping a small smear of sweat from my forehead as I tried to regain my dignity.
"Really?" he said, giving me a look, trying to remind me of what happened minutes ago and also for the last few months. He raised an eyebrow, letting out a dry snort that completely mocked my suggestion after I had just been leveled by a single punch.
I can’t believe my own Betas are stronger than me.
After giving birth, it felt like the strength I had vanished. It turned out that the Alpha pups were the strength I had. Carrying those four little wolves inside me had given me a massive surge of energy, but now that they were out in the world, my body felt entirely normal and exhausted again.
"Well, call me Faye then," I muttered. I kicked my fallen glove toward the bench, my shoulders slumping as I walked away from the sparring arena.
"Or Sire. According to the research I made, the Moon Betas of the past used to call their Moon Wolf Sire," Malo said, handing me a cup of matcha.
I collected it from his hand with a thank you. The warm green liquid smelled slightly bitter, but the heat felt good against my cold fingers.
"Do you need a donut with that?" he suggested. He pointed a thumb back toward the small glass display case near the entry doors.
"Really? Junk food in a place for workouts doesn’t really go together," Sasha muttered, pinning Haley to the ground. She was leaning all her weight into Haley’s shoulder blade, her face flushed red from the exertion.
Both of them were doing judo wrestling, and Mr. Sensei, that’s what we all call him... was the one teaching them. The man stood right beside them, his arms crossed over his chest as he gave small, silent nods whenever they executed a proper technique.
"Just so you know, Miss Purple Hair, donuts are carbs, and it’s good to consume them because one needs carbohydrates..." Malo defended himself. He crossed his arms, his shirt creasing as he threw an annoyed look across the gym floor.
"Say that to the lady who signed up at our gym to lose weight and ended up buying and eating all the donuts from your stand," Sasha said. She shifted her grip, trying to lock Haley’s arm behind her back, but her attention was still completely on mocking Malo.
Then Haley saw an opening and tackled her, pinning her to the ground. With a sudden twist of her hips, Haley reversed the position, sending Sasha down to the mat with a loud slap.
"Okay, no need to argue. Let’s just respect our choices. Nobody told Fat Mrs. Coleman to eat all the donuts. Also, Malo was sold out that day... which means she has stopped coming because of that," I said. I took a slow sip of my matcha, watching the two girls scramble back to their feet.
"You all are dummies, and I can’t believe why I am working here," Peamah muttered, going to sit on the bench and work on the dumbbells. He picked up a heavy pair of iron weights, his biceps bulging as he started his repetitions.
"Because you are my Beta, and I have to watch after you so you won’t kill people," I shot back at him. I gave him a sharp glare, reminding him of his volatile nature before he had joined our little circle. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Whatever," he muttered. He kept his eyes locked on the mirror, counting his lifts under his breath.
He also happened to be the gym instructor. Without all his bodybuilder looks, people actually registered at our gym, which was a success, and they all wanted Peamah to instruct them. The members loved his intense training style, even if he spent half the time scowling at them.
He even does home service.
Which he was about to leave for because he had a client. He dropped the dumbbells back onto the rack with a loud clang, grabbing his gym bag from the floor and throwing the strap over his shoulder.
After Peamah left for work, we had an encounter.
Some bikers happened to be trespassing. The sudden roar of heavy engines outside shook the glass panes of the front doors, a loud, grating rattle that instantly ruined the quiet mood inside.
Malo’s donut stand was at the entrance by the door, so people who didn’t want to use the gym could just buy snacks. Through the clear glass, I could see a row of dark, greasy motorcycles parked completely sideways across our walkway.
Those bikers were buying more than snacks. They were crowding around the counter, their leather jackets smelling like stale oil and old exhaust.
They never left the stand, ended up littering around our premises, and they also happened to be our next-door neighbors who ran a garage, using their engine noises to disturb the boy. They kept dropping plastic wrappers and paper cups right onto our clean pavement, their loud laughter cutting through the sound of our gym music.
And their leader happened to be a girl named Bambi.
