Page 8 of Wilde Beta

She loved to swim and was very good at it. In college, she had been a lifeguard. The job gave her extra money to spend and let her do something she enjoyed.

Mel never expected she would be going for a swim in Alaska. It felt good to do something she enjoyed that she hadn't been able to do in so long. Her work consumed most of her time. When she stayed at Joey's, she played solitaire and watched television. It was not the best use of her time. Nevertheless, it was what she had done. She had a feeling it was not what she would be doing here.

They had a lot of fun swimming, but their time was over. They were hungry, so they got out of the pool, dried off, and went somewhere to change their clothes.

“We'll meet up in the kitchen," Janie suggested.

“That sounds good," Mel agreed.

It was convenient because her room was close by. Once inside, she took off her swimsuit and hung it on a towel rack in her bathroom, then changed into jeans and a T-shirt.

Mel wondered if she would get any responsibilities while she was here. She would train and continue her usual job but felt she needed to do something to earn her keep. It was something she would ask Janie while they ate.

Heading upstairs, she saw a few people. Most were eating supper, relaxing, or preparing for a good night's sleep. As she cut through the dining room, she saw most were eating. When she entered the kitchen, she saw they were serving Salisbury steak, one of her favorites. Mel grabbed a plate and loaded it up, adding corn mas, heavy potatoes, and gravy to the main course. There were other options, too. She would try something different if she was still hungry after eating what she had.

“There you are. Come sit here.” Janie pointed at the seat next to Adam.

Why not? There was no way to avoid spending time with him here. She sat down and began eating her food. Mel listened as Janie talked about them hiding, and Adam admitted he learned a lot by trying to hunt them. Neither of them had discussed how or where they had hidden, and she suspected that it was something they didn't want to discuss. Next, Adam mentioned the session where he tried to teach her how to defend herself. Surprised, he asked Trev why he hadn't mentioned it earlier.

“I didn't know. The only advice I can give you is that when you're training someone, expect anything because there's no way to know what kind of training they might already have. Many of those in Janie's and Mel’s family have some training. Some might be able to take out a pack alpha if given an opportunity," Trev explained.

“Do you really believe that?” Adam wondered.

“If you met some of their relatives, you would believe it too," Trev observed.

“Does your family have warrior women?” Adam asked.

Mel nodded. “There are legends of such women.”

“Those are the legends that go back to the white wolf. She was a legend among wolves," Trev observed.

Mel knew that was true. She had heard many stories about when their bloodline was discovered. She had also seen Ariel and some of the others battle against wolves who came to take them. It had made her wonder if she could fight like that. She was from the right family to have the skills if she developed them. There was also the need to protect herself and those trying to protect her right now.

When she looked up, she saw that Adam was looking at her. She wondered what he was thinking. She thought she could do the hiding, but the fighting was something different altogether. Tomorrow, she would work with Adam once more and try to learn about the fighting. He told her she needed more strength and resilience to hold off an enemy. She realized he intended for her to exercise, and she hated that. It was difficult for her to keep up with Adam, so he was creating a program she needed to follow using the gym available in Janie's house.

She had never enjoyed working out but knew she had no choice but to do it. To her, exercise was a dirty word. Mel was not a physical person; she was a cerebral one. Now, that would have to change because she would be able to run faster and keep up her strength so that she could escape. Honestly, she resented that. Changing to wolf had given her more stamina and strength, but it was not enough for what she might need to do. Why couldn't they just give her a gun and let her shoot it out? She liked guns, and she could use them. Not many people could say that these days.

One of the problems was that once attacked by multiple wolves, Mel could not shoot fast enough to get them all. She acknowledged that was true but could not fight well enough to hold them all off either.

They were at the gym, doing what Adam called warming up. After thirty minutes on the treadmill and thirty minutes on the bike, she had a different name for it. It was called wearing her out.

“We need to train now," Adam instructed.

Mel was shocked. He had worked out on the heavy equipment, lifting weights and other things while she'd worked out–not just sat there and watched. He had also removed his shirt and sweat ran down his chest. Watching him when he looked like that was not good but touching him when he looked like that was really bad.

“Are you ready?” Adam asked.

Mel had finished exercising, and he gave her time to rest. She drank some water and sat to calm her breathing and be ready for the next step of what he would expect from her. It would be hard. She didn't like to exercise. Her job had her sitting at a desk for long periods. It wasn't that she didn't exercise at all. She went on walks, and she had some small exercise equipment she used in her office. She had one under her desk that allowed her to pretend to be riding a bike. The other was weights she put on her hands and lifted them up and down.

It was clear to her that Adam's exercise program would be much more challenging. They had just begun, and she was already tired. There had been an exercise program that required dancing. She had considered getting it but had decided against it. Now, she was regretting that.

“You are in very poor physical condition," Adam assessed.

“My work is at a desk. I do not walk, run, or exercise much. That is how I make a living," Mel replied.

“How can you make a living that way?” Adam looked confused.

“Do you watch any TV? Listen to the radio? Or get on the computer and scroll?” Mel asked.

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