Chapter 1: Theodore - Marked By Love

He parked his car, filled with all his worldly possessions, at the Town Hall of yet another nondescript small town where he would once more hide out under a false name. Then he’d pack up and do it all again. If he was being honest, Theodore was getting weary of this life: always looking over his shoulder, not sleeping, moving every six months, having to remember new names. Well, in reality, it wasn’t always every six months, sometimes it was three.

Theodore adjusted his neck guard and put his bottle of suppressor in his hip bag. This suppressor was witch-made, which meant it was stronger than the over-the-counter crap and it was also illegally obtained. But he didn’t care. Getting caught with suppressor from the witch black market was the least of his worries right now.

Once out of his little yellow sedan, he popped a peppermint in his mouth. He clanked it against his teeth as he walked into the Town Hall and introduced himself to the omega working the front desk. A nervous habit he’d always had that had gotten worse lately; he knew it was bad for his teeth, but right now he had bigger problems than hitting his teeth with hard candies.

“Dr. James Abbott. I’m here for a meeting with Argus.”

“Yes, of course.” The omega beamed at him. Her name tag read ‘Heather,’ and she had bright red ringlets surrounding a full face with cat-eyed glasses. “Right this way, Dr. Abbott. And let me just say, we all here at Elk Cove are mighty glad you’re here.”

Heather smiled and opened a door for him to enter. The room behind it was lavishly furnished in dark woods and plush velvet cushions, the walls lined with bookshelves. Theodore reckoned the alpha who inhabited this office hadn’t read a single one. They were all for show.

The alpha in question got up from his desk and walked round to greet him. The top of Theodore’s head hardly reached the man’s chest.

“I’m Argus. Nice to finally meet you, Dr. Abbott.”

The older man held out his hand for Theodore to shake. Argus’s hand dwarfed Theodore’s and was rough, calloused, and felt about ten degrees warmer than his own. Theodore rolled his eyes internally, typical alpha. When Argus released him, Theodore sat in one of the chairs facing the desk.

“Sorry to have put this off till the last minute,” Argus said. “I usually like to introduce myself and welcome new townsfolk before the moving vans get here, but what with the previous vet passing away so suddenly during the end of backpacking season, we’ve had our hands full.”

“Not at all,” Theodore lied. He rather wished Argus wasn’t the type to insist upon a formal meeting.

“Since the clinic manager already hired you, this is more of a formality.” Argus smiled. He was graying at the temples and had laugh lines with a scattering of stubble. He stank of alpha musk and sex. If Theodore wasn’t mistaken, there was one omega stench embedded in Argus’s clothes, and two others’ fluids on him. Most likely an omega mate and their playthings. “So, Dr. Abbott, what made you want to move to our little neck of the woods in Elk Cove?”

It was only customary to meet the local alpha in charge of each region when you moved into tiny hodunk towns like this one. Most of the larger settlements gave up the practice years ago after social media became popular and you could look anyone up at the drop of a hat. But in the past three and a half years, Theodore learned small towns clung to older traditions; no matter what Theodore thought, these towns were safe. And safe is what he needed more than anything.

“Please, just call me Doc.” Theodore smiled and adjusted the glasses on his nose. “I find it’s easier to remember, and it sets the little ones at ease when they come in with their beloved, furry family members.”

Argus smiled wider.

Theodore knew how to play his part, the meek little omega whose only desire was to tend the pets of this backwoods town. His round wire glasses, coupled with neatly combed hair, helped his outward appearance of being a nerdy and easy to underestimate doctor. Using a cutesy nickname to ‘put the patients at ease’ was also peak omega behavior, but mostly it helped Theodore not mess up his current pseudonym.

“I chose Elk Cove for a number of reasons,” Theodore said. “I’ve always loved the mountains, and the Rainier Mountain Range has been on my list since I was a boy. That and after so long in larger settlements, I find myself drawn to the slower, peaceful life small towns offer.”

“You got your degree at Desert Ridge University.”

It wasn’t a question; the alpha in charge of the town would have every record of their new veterinarian memorized, or fake record in this instance.

“Yes, I completed both my bachelor’s and DVM at the omega college in the southern territories.” Theodore did go to veterinary school, that wasn’t a lie, just the name on the degree he’d ordered from the witch black market.

“Hot down there, ain’t it?”

“The saying ‘fry an egg on the sidewalk’ isn’t just an expression. One of my dormmates used to bake bread in our mailbox.”

Argus whistled. “No wonder you want to move north.”

“Well, it was one way to get around the ‘microwave only’ rule in the dorms.”

They laughed companionably. Theodore started to shift in his seat. He didn’t like sitting in a room alone with an alpha for too long. It was different when there were other omegas present; their scents got muddled, and it was easier to blend into a crowd. But here in this tiny office, one-on-one? He worried the suppressor wouldn’t last. He’d been using it for so long the results were starting to dampen.

Logically, Theodore knew the witch guaranteed the spray for three hours. And coupled with the alpha birth control he was taking, it would be impossible for him to recognize Theodore’s specific scent. That is if he happened to wander into the Town Hall at Elk Cove, which logically was highly unlikely.

Still, Theodore would be on edge until … well, he had no clue when, or if, his situation would change. He didn’t like to think about that too much. So instead of spiraling into an ugly-cry meltdown, he made polite small talk with the alpha in charge of his new town.

“The previous vet was an alpha, and he lived in the house at the clinic.” Argus rubbed the scruff on his chin. “I can understand if that arrangement isn’t preferred for you. We do have an omega house; it’s a few blocks away from the clinic but not too bad. I’m not sure how much room they have. You’ll need to talk to Michelle ’bout that. She’s got final say over that place.”

“Yes, I was planning on staying there. It’s on the corner of Spruce and Maine, right?”

“I see you did your homework.” Argus looked pleased. “Well, I won’t keep you, Doc. I’m sure with moving and getting settled in at the clinic, you’ve got your hands full.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Theodore lied, clanking the peppermint against his teeth.

Argus insisted on walking Theodore out of the building and to his car. Theodore would have preferred to turn tail and run, but he didn’t want to set off alarm bells before he’d been here for a day. So, he complied like a good, meek omega.

“Is the moving van coming later? Or did you get one of them fancy pods they drop off at your new location?” Argus eyed Theodore’s sedan from the front window.

“Nope, this is everything.”

“Travel light, huh?” Argus was about to ask Theodore something else when Heather interrupted.

“Excuse me, Argus. But Royce and Nick phoned during your meeting with Dr. Abbott. They found the missing hikers; his team will be here any second.”

“I can see myself out,” Theodore interjected. “You’re busy running the town, it’s no insult.”

Argus smiled at him like he was the cutest little omega he’d ever seen. Theodore had to suppress the urge to vomit on Argus’s shoes before he fled the building. Meeting a pack of enforcers was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

He opened his car door as a group of alphas filed out of a large, navy blue SUV. Theodore’s stomach clenched as he made eye contact with one.

Naturally, he was a brute, but there was something about his face … and his hair fell in caramel waves around his shoulders. The man nodded in greeting, and Theodore’s stomach flipped as a fresh wave of heat ran over his skin. He jumped into his car and locked the doors.

That was odd.

What the heck just happened?

Was that oranges he smelled?