USELESS?

14

It's an hour before dawn, and Archer has decided that now is the time for the two of us to start my strength training. We enter the pack weight room, to find it deserted, which is perfect for our purposes. Archer sits me down on a machine, and sets it up for me.

"Let's start by seeing what you can do," he says, "then work from there. We'll start with 50 pounds. Try not to let your wolf help."

I nod my head, then Archer shows me how to hold the bar. I start to lift it, and it flies off the supports and across the room. I jump as it hits the floor with a loud clang, and rolls towards the mirrored wall. Archer yells a curse, and runs to jump in front of it, stopping it with his foot before it can hit.

"Ok, then," he laughs, "maybe we should have started high, and worked our way down." I shrug my shoulders, and nod again.

"That might have been a good idea," I say.

Archer carries the bar back to me one-handed, and puts it back on the supports. He tells me to close my eyes, and begins adding more weights. After a minute or two, he tells me to try again. Making sure to hold the bar tighter, I lift it with ease.

"Holy shit," I hear Archer whisper. I go to look, and he tells me not to. "We need to call Anthony and Jeremiah down here. Keep your eyes closed."

A few minutes later, the door opens and closes, and I hear two sets of footsteps, one I recognize as Anthony's. "What's wrong?" He asks

"Nothing is wrong." Archer answers, "you two just need to see this. Hunter, lift that again, please."

Shrugging my shoulders, I comply, doing a set of five lifts, just for good measure. "See how easy that was for him?" says Archer, "now, look how much weight is on there."

I open my eyes to look, as Anthony and Jeremiah step closer to study the weights. I gasp. Archer had loaded another 225 pounds to each side. I was lifting 500 pounds, without even trying. Anthony and Jeremiah's eyes go wide, and they curse under their breaths.

"Put another 200 on," Jeremiah suggests. "Keep going until he can't lift, or the bench breaks."

I nod my agreement, and Jeremiah helps Archer add more weights. At 700, I grasp the bar, and try again. I repeat the set of 5 lifts. It's not easy, but not difficult, either. They add another 200. Again, I complete 5 lifts. We're all speechless at this point.

Another 200 is added, and the bench groans under the weight. I lift it 10 times, straining for the last couple of lifts. "Eleven hundred pounds," I whisper.

"Well, now we know why they didn't want him training," says Anthony. "He'd have killed them all WITHOUT it."

"And don't forget, he's still recovering from years of malnutrition." Archer puts in. "Just imagine what he'll be able to do at full power."

"We'll have to get a reinforced bench," says Jeremiah, "and set him up somewhere on the property so no one can see. We can focus on fighting skills until we have it arranged."

We all agree, and leave the weight room. On our way to the training room, we decide that it's best if Jeremiah and Anthony undertake my training, so that I don't hurt Archer or the submissives. We also decide that we will need to keep my training a complete secret from the pack. That will be hard to do with the pack training room in almost constant use by warriors in between their patrol shifts.

When we get to the training room, several warriors are there, so we decide to go to the kitchen for breakfast. Anthony insists that I eat as much as I can, as he does at every meal. After we finish, Anthony and I take a walk in the gardens. I love times like this, when Anthony and I can be together, just the two of us.

As we walk, we discuss ways that I can continue training without disrupting the activities of the pack, or risking the entire pack discovering that I'm a Guardian. I hate that it feels like I have to hide who I am, but I know that it's for the safety of the Pack, and my family's safety as well. We finally agree that we may need to have an abandoned building turned into a private training center. Once I am fully trained, we will be able to open the building up to the rest of the pack.

Archer meets us at the door leading back into the Pack house, and drags me into the library. "Your tutor is coming in three days, but since training is out until we find a better location, we'll get a head start on your studies," he informs me.

I tell him about the plan Anthony and I came up with on our walk, and Archer agrees that it seems to be the best idea. He searches the bookshelves, pulling down a few thick volumes and bringing them to a table in the center of the room. Looking at them, I see a book on human history, one on werewolf history, and one on human-werewolf relations. I have a feeling this is going to be a long day.

Archer opens the book on werewolf history first, and I reveal the depths of my ignorance. Luckily, he picked a book that goes all the way back to the Goddess' creation of our race. I'm fascinated enough with the book that I don't notice time passing until my stomach begins making odd noises. Archer looks at the clock on the wall, and notices that it's well past lunch time, and nearing dinner. Anthony will be upset with me for skipping a meal, so we head to the kitchen for a light snack.

After refreshing ourselves, Archer and I part ways in search of our mates. I find Anthony in his office, and sit in a chair in front of his desk so as not to disturb him. He finishes what he is working on, and looks at me with a smile. I go to him, and place a chaste kiss on his lips, which he immediately deepens.