I’m drenched in sweat but damn I feel good. I look down at the mocha skinned Adonis under me, his bare chest heaving with exertion.

He was like sex on a stick.

Too bad neither of us was attracted to the other.

“Good work out man.” I smile down at him as I help guide the heavily weighted bar he was gripping back to its holder.

Carson grunts as he sits up and flexes his shoulders, clearly tense from the bench press. I look at him closer as he stood up. We had always been the same in height, but I had been slightly more muscular, until now.

“Damn, bro,” I slap him on the back and hand him a water, “how much have you been training? You were huge before but now you’re getting close to over the top.”

“Twice a day. Training with the pack, then here for at least an hour. It’s not easy man. My Mate won’t let me near him, he doesn’t talk, I don’t think he even looks at me. Then I train in the same group and he’s there, sweating. He’s so pale, his skin glows when he sweats. I come here after that to keep my wolf in check, so I don’t go rabid, mark him and start shouting mine while beating my chest.”

I snort, “That’s an image. Who knows, maybe he’d like that.”

“Trust me, he wouldn’t” Carson still hasn’t told me much about his Mate but this was a not that big of a town and gossip spread quickly here, especially after something as big as the wolf pack taking down a gang of rouge Mages.

“Sorry Car, you know I make terrible jokes.”

“No worries Mags, I’ll have my fun when you finally met your Mate and settle down.” He smiles slightly at me.

“That is not looking likely my friend. I’ve been here my whole life and nothing. It’s not like I’m not meeting people. I own the best gym in town, I go out to eat, I go to the bar. It’s not like I’m anti-social.”

“You’re a little too social if you ask me.” Carson mutters.

“Low blow man. I don’t sleep around anymore.”

Carson laughs loudly and slaps me on the back hard. If I was a smaller man I would have been knocked down. I just grunted and started walking towards the locker room.

“What are your plans now Mags?”

“Shower, change, then I managed to get an appointment with Cecilia. You?”

“Think I’ll come chill with you. If I go back to the pack house, I might not be able to give Steffan space. My wolf is extremely clingy today. So, if I try to hump your leg don’t get offended.”

“Alight you lovesick pup.” I laugh, “Maybe after my appointment we go on a run. I’m sure I can keep you in check.”

Carson nods and goes shower. I won’t lie, I was worried about him. Carson and I have been friends almost our entire lives, ever since we met in daycare. He was one of the few kids who wasn’t afraid to play with me due to my large size. I was happy to have him back in town. He had left for a few years due to some issues in the pack but now he was back but struggling with having found his Mate.

I was making my way out of the shower, a towel around my waist when a pair of thin arms wrapped around me from behind.

“Hey Big Guy.”

Damn, it wasn’t hard to recognize the voice purring into my back or the arms around me. Shit, not who I wanted to deal with today or ever again. I pull her arms off me and turn around to face one of Carson’s pack mates.

“Jasmine. I’ve asked you not to touch me.” I looked down at the woman in front of me. She wasn’t overly short, 5’9 maybe, but I’m 6’5, almost everyone is short to me. She had a curvy but fit frame and in only a sports bra and tight shorts she knew how to show it off. She was a beautiful woman with a clear Hispanic heritage.

Too bad for her I’m VERY gay.

Not that she’s taken the hint yet.

“Ah, don’t be like that Magnus. I promise you’ll enjoy yourself. No one’s complained yet.”

I shiver in disgust.

Damn, is this how I came off when I was sleeping around.

Definitely time to be a little less social. I really just want to find my Mate.

“JASMINE!”

Carson’s loud voice jolted me back into the moment.

“Gamma!” She seems surprised to see Carson, now cleaned and dressed in jeans and a hoodie. She glared at him slightly, a hint of defiance in her gaze. A rumbling growl reverberated through the room and she quickly looked down, baring her throat slightly.

“Go about your business before I think you have too much free time. I’d hate to have to rearrange the border patrol schedule.”

She scrambles away quickly out of the locker rooms.

“Stupid, lazy slut.” Carson growled, “Slept with any man in the pack who’ll have her. She’d be a petri dish of STD’s if we could get them.”

He looks over at me, still standing dripping wet, in a towel.

“Get your ass dressed Magnus. Not that I don’t love the view but I need a drink and I know where the Alpha hides her booze.”

Laughing I go to pull on my clothes, pushing Jasmine and everything else out of my mind.