AllFreeNovel
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It wasn’t as amazing as it sounded. I’d retired months ago, and sometimes I wanted to have a day or a week where I was just me and not the Olympic swimmer. Just Sheppard—even though I didn’t know who I was without being on a constant training cycle.
An omega rabbit who didn’t remember anything other than working out and stuffing my face with calories in order to meet the demands of said training.
But I was destined for more.
And while I cringed when someone recognized me in public, I was emptier than ever in my apartment. Lonely.
Hopping out of the pool, I was satisfied with my swim. I hadn’t pushed myself to the limit like I used to and, slowly, I had taken to enjoying the exercise again. It had been a while.
My brother and I met at the door. Me exhausted from the water and him from his run. While I excelled in the pool, Jenson was lightning on two legs. Our dads always laughed and said that if they had a son who could fly, they would have the triad of super-athletes.
“I’m starving,” Jenson said. He paused, stretching, while I unlocked the front door.
“We’re always starving. It’s my turn to make breakfast, so come on in.”
“Carbs. All the carbs!” he called out on his way to the shower. I took one at the gym after my session. Jenson was about a month out from his first Ironman marathon and was training day and night.
I went straight to the kitchen and mixed batter for blueberry waffles. They were his favorite. Jenson couldn’t boil eggs so, unless I cooked for him, he ate the frozen ones.
“I’m starting laundry. You need anything washed?” he called from down the hallway.
“No. I’m good.”
“Damn, that smells good.” He came in and stole the first waffle, stuffing it into his mouth piping hot. I knew how that was, to be starving all the time. I didn’t miss it.
“Sit down and eat.”
“Yeah, okay.” While he gobbled up his waffles and mandatory veggie, egg-white omelet that our dads insisted we eat every morning, we talked about his plan. Damn, I envied him in that moment. He had a goal and was on the journey to meet it.
Jenson cleaned up, and I answered my emails. As always, I had received opportunities for sponsorships but, once I researched the companies, I usually realized I wanted nothing to do with them. Certainly didn’t want to put my face to a brand with shady intentions. I’d worked damned hard to keep myself tabloid unworthy.
That’s what my dads called it.
“Hey, I forgot to tell you. There’s some mail on the table by the TV. Any of your friends getting married?” Jenson said around a mouthful of waffle. There had been one left…
“Not that I know of, why?”
Jenson shrugged. “One of them looks like a mating or maybe wedding invitation.” We both had human and shifter friends since our careers made us exist in both worlds. As rabbits, we were easily able to find places to run, not that my brother longed to run any more than he already did. But he still needed to let his rabbit out from time to time.
“Huh.” After checking my social media, which someone else managed for me, I went to the table and scooped up the mail. I was already thinking of excuses to RSVP no because ceremonies like these reminded me of what I was missing in my life. A mate couldn’t complete me as a person, but I would welcome someone who didn’t see the athlete or the gold medal but saw me.
I turned the thick envelope around to reveal a wax seal stamped with a bear claw. Interesting. The return address was some B&B a couple of states over. I’d never heard of it but I was intrigued. If it was an invitation to a wedding or a mating ceremony, the return address would be from the couple.
I was careful with the wax seal. Kind of felt like I was in a novel and, if I disrespected the seal, some magical villain would come to tell me I’d ruined the prophecy.
“Is it an invite?” Jenson plopped down next to me on the couch.
“It’s a letter,” I said as he inspected the enveloped and peeled the wax seal off with audacity. “Hey!”
“What? You were gonna wear it on a necklace or something?”
Brat.
“No. I just…”
He sat up. “What’s the Bearclaw Inn? Did you stay there? They wanna put a cardboard cutout of you in the lobby or some shit?”
“No. They…well, he. It’s an invitation to stay there. All expenses paid except for the flight there. A free vacation.”
