Chapter 23: Theodore - Marked By Love

After calling Margarette, Theodore walked to the vet clinic. Omega-owned and operated businesses could put up temporary ‘omega in heat: no unmated alphas allowed’ signs. For the vet clinic, however, they had a disclaimer about medical emergencies. While Theodore appreciated Margarette putting the sign up, he loathed that it was necessary.

Not only did Theodore despise the sign itself—

brandishing his current state for all to see—but the root cause of its necessity. He hated going into heat, he hated not feeling like he was in control of his own body or actions. Most of all, he hated being an omega.

“Dr. Abbott!” Gerald called before Theodore was through the back door. “How are you feeling? You look better. Doesn’t he look better?”

“Monumentally,” Margarette said before placing her hand to his forehead. “No more fever either.”

“What happened?” Gerald demanded.

“Oh, ah …” Theodore hadn’t thought this through. Of course his coworkers would be concerned after seeing him the other day and want to know what was wrong. However, he really didn’t want to tell them the truth.

“Don’t ask him that.” Margarette slapped Gerald upside the head. “Medical issues are personal; Doc doesn’t have to tell us if he doesn’t want to.”

“I’m feeling a lot better,” Theodore said after an awkward pause. “But I feel guilty leaving you high and dry so soon after starting.”

“It’s okay, the only medical emergency we’ve had was the dog that got hit. We officially named her Mutt, by the way,” Gerald said. “But um, wasn’t that the same alpha who …”

“Yeah, it’s a long story,” Theodore said. “He’s a wolf shifter so he swears it was an accident.”

“Shifters take their second animal very seriously,” Margarette said sagely. “They’re also easily distracted once they scent their fated mates.”

“As much as alphas drive me nuts, I sometimes fantasize about finding my own fated mate.” Gerald sighed. “You’re so lucky, you’ve only been in town a week.”

“Why would you want a fated mate?” Theodore asked before he could stop himself.

“They’re just so … devoted.”

Margarette nodded, setting the clinic tablet to Mutt’s medical charts, then handing it to Theodore. “It’s like a fairytale.”

“I thought most betas were happy they don’t have to deal with that crap?” Theodore said.

Margarette arched a brow at him. “It’s true I have a fulfilling life in this community, but there’s something about the magic of fated mates that’s just … so …”

“Magical?” Gerald offered when Margarette couldn’t find the word.

Theodore grumbled to himself while he read the mutt’s chart. “I’m not a fan of having all my choices taken from me.”

“Is Royce not nice to you?” Margarette asked in alarm.

“I don’t know him well enough to say, and that’s exactly my point. I didn’t even know the guy’s name, and he’d already decided he had some sort of magic claim over me and my life.”

Gerald frowned, and Margarette studied him.

“The fairytales usually end after the initial meeting and conveniently leave the rest of the story out.”

“Yes, but wouldn’t it also be hard going through life knowing everyone else has that possibility of being magically special, and the possibility of children, except you?” Margarette asked him pointedly.

Theodore immediately felt like a jerk … It wasn’t a secret only omega females, omega males, and alpha females could get pregnant. In addition to never having the possibility of a fated mate, all betas were infertile.

He’d gotten so caught up with his own misery he hadn’t stopped to consider—now that he thought about it, he’d never had much of a chance to talk with betas about this before. It was just too easy to assume most of his problems would vanish if he weren’t him; a soft and weak omega.

Theodore finished reading Mutt’s chart. “And no one has come to claim Mutt?”

“No,” Gerald said. “We contacted all the local businesses to put up posters. We had it added to the local paper. Nothing.”

“She’s recovering with Big Poppa,” Margarette added. “Since they seem to have bonded, we decided to let Big Poppa stay.”

“We’ve been doing routine blood work and scans,” Gerald said. “She’s not showing any signs of failed surgeries or relapses. She’s starting to try and walk more, but it’s slow going.”

“Any calls or concerns from the other patients?” Theodore asked while walking into the kennel.

Big Poppa meowed dramatically, then stretched his stubby legs in front of his large body, his tail curling up over his raised behind. Mutt lifted her head, sneezed, and tried to wag her tail from where she laid in a pile of blankets on her bed. She had neon bandages wrapped around her mid-section, a cast on the end of one leg, and a cone.

Theodore grabbed a pair of gloves and his stethoscope from the hook on the wall, then sat on the ground with the critters. He checked over Mutt’s incisions and listened to her vitals.

Big Poppa continued to meow and headbutt Theodore’s elbows and then resorted to swatting him, incensed he was left out. Theodore gave him a once-over too just because. The cat was purring so loud he couldn’t hear anything through the stethoscope.

Once he was satisfied with Mutt’s progress, Theodore coordinated with Margarette to come back to work part-time. While he was feeling immensely better, he still needed to rest and recover. The guilt he felt from not taking care of Elk Cove’s pets, however, was gnawing at his insides.

When the clerical work was taken care of, Margarette sent announcements to the clinic patients via the new messaging system. Beaming at him and Gerald, she proclaimed it to be the best thing she’d invested in for the clinic in a long time.

Theodore got up and stretched. Mutt was watching him excitedly despite her slowed movement. Theodore decided to hook her up to a lead and let her outside for some fresh air. Mutt limped alongside him, her ears perked up and her tongue lulling out. Once the crisp autumn air hit her nose, she lifted her head and did a happy wiggle. Or at least as much of a wiggle as she could manage.

Mutt couldn’t go far which was fine by Theodore. He was enjoying just standing outside. He’d been so frantic and ill when he first arrived in Elk Cove, he hadn’t had time to properly appreciate the town.

Set in a forest of evergreen and deciduous trees, the brilliant autumn colors were the perfect setting for the quaint town. The main strip looked like something out of a history book with vintage architecture and hand-carved signs.

The backdrop of Mount Rainier to the south was the cherry on top of the whole scene. The snowcapped summit could be seen from most anywhere in town. It was surreal, and Theodore was still trying to get used to it.

A light breeze moved through the trees, kicking up fallen leaves and bringing fresh air to Theodore and Mutt. She sat on the grass and lifted her head; closing her eyes, her nose snuffled and snorted. He smiled, appreciating the dog’s sweet temperament.

Footsteps padded down the sidewalk, pulling Theodore’s attention from the mountain and making him stiffen. It was an omega with thick glasses and a bow tie. He’d met this man a while ago when he brought his cat in for a checkup.

Theodore automatically recalled the pet’s information: Stardust, age eleven, weighed sixteen pounds, a tall cat not overfed, and had slightly elevated thyroid levels most likely due to age, no medication needed yet. He was hurrying down the sidewalk, holding a pink box.

“Doc!” he exclaimed. “I’m glad I caught you.”

“Was there something the matter with Stardust?”

“Oh no, she’s doing great. I heard through the grapevine you weren’t doing well, and then I got the automated message from the clinic that you were working part-time, and I was hoping to catch you before you left for the day so I could give you this.”

The omega handed the pink box to Theodore. He took it. “Oh, thank you …”

“Don’t mention it! We’re all happy to have you here and hope you get better soon.”

With that, the omega waved and went back the way he’d come. Perplexed, Theodore opened the pink box and peered inside. It was full of cookies and some type of pastry. What an odd occurrence.

Utterly puzzled, Theodore walked Mutt around the little patch of green between the cabin and the clinic before bringing her back inside. He bid farewell to Gerald and Margarette, then went to the cabin. He didn’t have long alone before Royce returned.

His stomach did a little flip, and he felt warm and comforted when the alpha walked in the door. He might have enjoyed that except it was immediately followed by a heated flush of his skin and an excretion of slick. Unbidden, his thoughts turned to Royce’s hand inside him; drooling, he had to stop himself from leaping on the alpha.

Shaking it from his thoughts, Theodore curled up in his couch blanket nest and crossed his arms and legs. He refused to let his heat turn him into a madman—again. He listened as Royce explained there was to be a security detail on the clinic and cabin. He mentioned a few other topics about trying to get omegas out of the territories and to safety as he unloaded groceries.

“That’s not going to work,” Theodore said. “You honestly think these places won’t notice if droves of omegas suddenly pick up and leave?”

“It’s only one part of the plan. Argus is working on getting other things in motion,” Royce said.

“You really think he can be trusted?” Theodore wrinkled his nose.

“Why not?”

“There are several of these brothels and clinics that are owned by head alphas. He stank of at least three different omegas’ fluids when I first met him. If that’s not a bad sign, I don’t know what is.”

“Argus was in a relationship with an omega when he came across his fated mate, who was also in a relationship with another omega. They all live together.”

“Beg pardon?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how, but they somehow made it work.”

“That’s … extremely unusual.”

“You’re telling me. I thought it was odd before I found my fated mate, now I’m even more confused.”

Theodore sniffed derisively. “That aside, this plan still isn’t going to work, and you were in no position to decide what I’m doing with that flash drive.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Theodore glowered. “Just because you’re an alpha doesn’t give you the right to make these decisions. Did you even consider that you should ask someone who’s lived through this before you decided?”

“I don’t—What’s that supposed to mean? I’m trying to help!”

“Because you know best. Because you’re the big strong alpha and I’m the hapless omega. Fuck you.”

Royce stared at Theodore, his face impassive.

“No, because this is my job. Because I’m an enforcer, because this is what my boss and head alpha think is best.”

“Of course they do. Never mind you have someone right here you could ask about how these traffickers operate or what they would expect. Someone who’s lived through it.”

“Two.”

“What?”

“Freddy, he lived through it too. He’s the mate to one of our enforcers. He came to Elk Cove after leaving a breeding center. He’s an omega shifter.”

“Oh fate …” Theodore’s voice cracked. Omega shifters were rare, and when something was rare, it was considered a ‘hot commodity.’

“Listen. You had the opportunity to come with me, and you said no.” Royce pinched the bridge of his nose. “We don’t have to decide anything right now, we’re still in the early stages of setting up an op to take them down. We can talk about it more, and I can call Argus and Lucy with anything you may have that would help. Does that work for you?”

“I didn’t come with you because I’m in heat, because most alphas use that to coerce or force themselves onto omegas!” Theodore said. “I’m not going to just hand over that flash drive to someone I don’t know.”

“Fine, I won’t take it without your say-so, even though I’m telling you my office wants to shut them down.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Theodore considered the alpha, then his stomach rumbled.

“Here, I brought some of these bars home. My neighbor, Buford, he’s a bear shifter, and he’s always making stuff with berries and honey for his various offices.”

“Various offices?”

“He has like six jobs around town.”

Theodore quirked a brow at him.

“He’s unmated, likes to keep busy.”

“I see.” Theodore took an experimental bite. “This is delicious. Oh my—I’m starving.” He finished the bar in two bites and seized a second. Apparently, his body was trying to make up for all the missed meals in one day.

“If you were so hungry, why didn’t you eat the pastries?” Royce looked at the fresh pink box sitting on the counter next to the grease-stained one.

“I wasn’t sure about them … I didn’t know what was in them, and I didn’t want to be rude by asking. Also if they were poisoned, the poisoner wouldn’t tell you that.”

“Who gave you the box?” Royce asked in alarm. “Was it someone from outside Elk Cove? What did they look like?”

“It’s an omega that’s been to the clinic before. Shorter than me, a little gangly, dark black complexion, smiles way too much.”

“Does he wear bow ties and have an evil cat named Stardust?” Royce deadpanned.

“I wouldn’t call her evil.”

“That’s Hershal,” Royce sat in the living room with the pastry box, handing it to Theodore. “He owns the bakery in town and made the other pastries you ate. His mate, Amelia, works with me.”

“Oh …” Theodore took the box.

“Theo, why would you automatically assume one of our citizens would try to poison you?”

“I don’t know, why would he give me free pastries?”

“Some people are just nice.”

“Sounds suspicious, if you ask me.” Theodore plucked a cookie from the box. It was small and covered in powdered sugar. He sniffed it—lemon.

Royce chuckled and shook his head. “And I thought I was anti-social.”

“I’m distrusting, there’s a difference.” Theodore stuck his tongue out, then shoved the little cookie in his mouth. “Why did you call Stardust evil?”

“I’ve met her more than once, she’s not nice.”

Theodore narrowed his eyes, studying the alpha’s face. “Oh no, you don’t like cats, do you?”

Royce pursed his lips.

“Oh, come on, you’ve got to be kidding me. What’s wrong with cats?”

“I’m literally a dog.”

“Don’t give me that bull. If Mutt and Big Poppa can be besties, then you’re just blowing smoke.”

“Who?”

“Mutt is the dog you ran over with your car,” Theodore said, making Royce wince. “She’s still at the vet clinic, and one of the stray cats has bonded with her. They’re living at the clinic together until Mutt is better. They’ll probably need to be adopted together at this point.”

“How is the dog? It was an accident, I swear!”

Royce added that last part when Theodore gave him a scathing look.

“She needed a lot of stitches, a lot. She’s wearing a cone while her incisions heal. She had three broken ribs that punctured the skin but thankfully missed her lung, and a nasty cut on her forehead. That’s what was causing all the blood. Bruised ribs on her other side, strained tail, and a fracture in her radius and ulna. However, they’re hairline fractures, and I’m hopeful she’ll recover without needing an amputation.”

“So much damage … I wasn’t even going that fast.” To Theodore’s horror, Royce’s voice cracked, and his eyes became wet.

Theodore was mostly giving Royce a hard time about what’d happened to needle him. If he harbored any lingering doubts the alpha hurt the dog on purpose, they’d dissipated on the spot.

“It doesn’t matter how fast you were going; it’s a whole car against soft tissue and bone. But, all things considered, her injuries could have been worse, and she’s making a swift recovery. I saw her today and took her for a little stroll.”

“You went for a walk, outside, alone?”

“I wasn’t alone, Mutt was with me. Besides, I stayed in the greenery between the cabin and the clinic. She can’t walk very far. That’s how overly happy Hershal found me.”

Royce pinched the bridge of his nose. “From now on, I’m going on all pet walks with you, got it?”

Theodore was about to argue when he noticed purple splotches across Royce’s wrists and forearms.

“What happened to your arms?”

“Amelia and Scott, I’m guessing.” Royce looked down, then frowned as if he’d also just noticed them.

“I need some explanation.”

Royce pursed his lips. “One of my jobs is training young alphas to be enforcers. You’ve probably noticed, but young alphas aren’t exactly pleasant company.”

“If you’re referring to their tendency to try and hump anything and everything, yes, I’m aware.”

“Well, they were … talking, and your name came up.”

“I’m failing to understand what this has to do with your extensive arm bruising.”

“I kinda … tried to kill one of them.”

“Beg pardon?”

“His neck, my hands, squeezing,” Royce growled. “If you’d heard the context, you wouldn’t be complaining.”

“My own personal, deranged knight in shining armor. Yay me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“I’m aware.”

Royce smirked, and for a moment, Theodore was caught off guard by how charming he looked. Maybe charming wasn’t the right word, but Royce’s entire face transformed when he was being playful or cheeky. Which was more frequently now Theodore was up and about on his own.

The small wrinkles around Royce’s eyes and mouth deepened, and his sun-tanned skin flushed pink. Coupled with his wavy blonde locks falling to his shoulders, it was a powerful effect.

He found he actually, sort of, maybe a little, liked looking at Royce. He was also fun to snip at. Either that or Theodore’s extended absence from other people’s company had skewed his expectations and social skills. Honestly, Theodore wouldn’t be shocked if it was the last one.

“Come on,” Royce stood and took the pastry box from Theodore, who protested. “You’re about to eat your weight in cookies and spoil your dinner.”

“Hmpf, the level of my complaints will depend on what you plan on cooking for dinner.”

“Oh, I’m cooking?” Royce laughed.

“You took my cookies.”

“I got more flour, we could do pancakes.”

The reaction was instantaneous. Hot and furious, his skin went feverish, his mouth dry, his hands fisted the blankets, and he whimpered as fresh slick spurted from him. Royce went rigid, his breath labored, and his eyes flashed gold.

“Right, maybe not … do you like zucchini chili? With cannellini beans?” His voice was hoarse and full of gravel, which was absolutely not helping Theodore with his present predicament. Forget the food and his rumbling stomach, the tall, blonde alpha would suffice as a snack.

Theodore nodded, gripping the sofa for dear life in an attempt to prevent himself from launching at the alpha and climbing him like a tree.

“Okay,” Royce said. “I’ll get it cooking so we can eat before Dr. Shera comes for your checkup.”