Page 1 of All Packed Up

Chapter 1

NIC

The offensive chemical scent of lemon cleaner burned his nostrils, making every inhale a little bit like hell. Nic held his breath for a few more seconds as he wiped down the last sink and countertop. Finally, with a dramatic lunge, he escaped the shiny, spotless bathroom in a cloud of disinfectant and sucked in a breath of fresh air.

Yeah, stale sweat and staler determination was so much better.

It seemed that no matter how much he cleaned his gym, the scents remained.

But that just meant it had character, right?

Rolling his eyes, he jogged down the short hallway, which contained the bathroom, changing rooms, utility closet, and his office. The closet was his final destination, and he hung the citrus-scented spray bottle on its hook and tossed the cloth in the laundry pile.

“Finally,” he murmured to himself.

Locking the closet behind him, he grabbed his bag, coat, and scarf from his office before heading toward the main room.

The sun had long set, and with it, the heat. He bundled himself in his coat and scarf, glaring at the swaying, naked tree limbs beyond the glass doors of his gym.

He hated the long, cold months more than the lemon-scented cleaner he used each evening.

Tightening his scarf, he pulled out his keys. He looked forward to his couch and blankets—where it was warm, thank you very much—and the soup he’d made the other day and a dumb show he’d find on TV. Maybe he’d jerk off if the mood struck him, but maybe not because he was feeling kind of tired.

“I could go out,” he said to himself, voice echoing off the glass doors and the empty gym.

He huffed out a laugh.

Nic hated the club scene more than he hated the cleaner and winter. And that was saying a lot.

Thankfully he wasn’t an omega, so he didn’t have to worry about heats or trying to find someone to share them with. Or the pressure to find a pack.

Or even a partner for that matter.

Betas fell somewhere in the middle between alphas and omegas. They were… average.

And Nic was fine with that.

One day, he’d find another beta and settle down. The alpha thing…

That hadn’t worked out.

But for now, he was happy just taking care of his gym, and on lucky days, himself.

Some days were harder than others.

Nic slid his key in the lock, already imagining the deliciousness of the soup he’d spent all weekend working on just so he could eat it through the week. They called it meal prep, but that was just a fancy word for leftovers.

Just as he tilted his key to the side, a shattering sound echoed through the gym.

Nic froze. Took a breath.

It seemed today was going to be one of those days.

Quietly, he dropped his bag, pocketed his keys, and grabbed the baseball bat from behind the welcome counter. It had been left by his dad to use for emergencies.

Wooden but solid, the damned thing sure helped him a time or two when testosterone-ridden alphas had gotten a little too aggressive in the gym. He’d never had to use it, but it looked like he meant business, and that was the image Nic was going for. His height didn’t hurt either.

Tension lined his shoulders as he made his way across the gym, in the direction of the noise. It seemed like it came from the changing rooms.