Chapter 21: Theodore - Marked By Love

Lying on the kitchen counter, coated in flour, a pool of cum on his stomach with a fountain of slick dripping from his ass, Theodore couldn’t deny it any longer. He was officially a mindless, needy, horny omega in heat.

He could hardly see due to the copious amounts of flour covering his glasses. If he removed them, his vision would be ten times worse, so he made do. But he could feel, and scent, the massive mess he and Royce had spurted all over the kitchen.

It was no secret alphas ejaculated more times during intercourse and in larger amounts when they scented an omega in heat, but surely this was overkill. Maybe there was more when the omega was their mate? What would Theodore know, it’s not like he’d had a mate bond before.

There was a giant puddle covering Theodore and the floor. Nostrils flaring, the thick musk of alpha mixed with oranges and storms hit him all over again. He had the sudden and absurd urge to drop to the floor and lap it up. What was wrong with him?

Everything was sticky and smelled of sex. Right now he didn’t mind the sex smell part, but the sticky part was starting to make him crazy. Then Royce removed his hand from Theodore’s ass.

Theodore flushed, and his skin ignited as he recalled begging Royce to fist him and how amazing it had felt. Theodore hadn’t been filled or fucked that good in, well, ever.

In the past when he went into heat, even the reduced ones while he was on suppressor, Theodore had gravitated toward the ‘jumbo’ sized toys. It was impossible for him to find an alpha he trusted enough to ask to knot him and fill him up properly. Theodore had to bite his tongue to stop himself from asking Royce to do it again. As it was, a needy whimper left his throat when the delicious intrusion left him.

Royce told Theodore to take his shower first. Then, ever so gently, he lifted him from the counter and set him on his feet. Either the alpha had gotten it out of his system and was now in ‘perfect gentleman’ mode, or he was feeling just as embarrassed as Theodore now was.

Locking himself in the bathroom, the first thing he did was attempt to clean off his glasses. Once he was guaranteed sight after his shower, he started the water and got in. It took him longer than anticipated to rinse the copious amounts of flour off his skin. Some of it had mixed with the cum and had made a perverse type of glue. Scrubbing and rinsing, his mind wandered back to Royce.

Thinking about what he’d just done and demanded be done to him—on a kitchen counter, no less—to ease his urges was enough to make him question who he was. Theodore wasn’t the type to give in to his heats or let his guard down. He’d done both in a spectacular display of horny-induced madness.

What was he going to do now?

He’d have to suck it up and go out there and act like everything was normal, that’s what.

Getting out of the shower, he dried off, secured his glasses, then went to the clean basket of sweats in the corner only to discover it was empty. Great. Despite just getting railed by the alpha, Theodore had no desire to prance around the cabin naked. Securing himself in a towel, he darted to the bedroom and his luggage bags to get dressed.

He found a pair of briefs and pants. Yanking them on hastily, he lost his balance and fell over. Fabulous. Now not only was he a horny, needy, mess, he was also acting like a bumbling fool. Righting himself and taking a moment to will his heart rate to slow down, he went out to the kitchen with as much dignity as he could salvage.

Royce was wearing jeans, slung low on his hips so the top of his Adonis belt was exposed. His messy waves had been tied back and the kitchen cleaned. As much as Theodore hadn’t been looking forward to the cleanup, he hadn’t wanted Royce to be saddled with it alone. Due to the lack of flour coating his chest, it appeared that he’d also cleaned himself up in the kitchen sink.

“Lunch?” Royce pulled out a pink pastry box and leftover pasta.

“How long was I in there?”

“Not that long; I was able to get everything cleaned up fairly easily.”

“I’m sad I can’t make pancakes anymore. But this is second best.” Theodore opened the pastry box and shoved a bite into his mouth. He’d forgotten how hungry he’d been when he woke up this morning.

“We can get more flour and make some tomorrow or have them for dinner.”

Theodore nodded. “I’ve had worse breakfasts than reheated pasta.”

“Umm, it’s noon.”

Theodore choked on his pastry. He’d gotten everything ready to make pancakes at what, nine?

“Are you telling me we were—it took—that was three hours?!”

Royce’s cheeks flushed pink, and he rubbed the back of his neck. A gush of slick soaked Theodore’s briefs.

Darn it all, he needed to go to the store and get a pack of the extra absorbent briefs for omegas. He didn’t have any because, of course, he hadn’t gone into heat in years. Based on how Royce’s nostrils flared, he knew exactly what was sticking to, and flooding, Theodore’s skin right now. Fabulous. Theodore wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Betas never had this issue.

“If we stay in this cabin together all day, we’re going to end up doing something stupid,” Theodore proclaimed before shoving a second pastry into his mouth. To his utter horror, Royce’s face fell, the smile on his face going from carefree to tight in an instant, the gold draining from his eyes.

Crap! The alpha would have interpreted that as Theodore rejecting him and the mate bond. But of course, he had to remember Theodore saying he didn’t want a bond. He was being hunted by traffickers. A mate bond was the last thing on his mind.

Before he could deduce what to say to make Royce feel better, he spoke up.

“I was thinking of going to see Argus and Lucy today,” Royce said. “I need to report to him what’s been going on and why I haven’t gone into work. Would you want to come with me? Maybe if you’re up to it, you could explain to him why you’re hiding, and he can get the enforcers a plan of action to keep you safe.”

Theodore didn’t miss the tight edge to Royce’s voice, or how his eyes were fixed on the counter, his fists clenched. Oh yeah, Royce was feeling some kind of way about Theodore calling this situation ‘doing something stupid.’ He had to know Theodore meant the mate bond was stupid, giving in to their primal desires was stupid, not Royce. Then again, why did Theodore care?

He and Royce didn’t know each other.

Yes, they’d bonded over Royce caring for Theodore while he was sick, but that was nothing compared to the foundation of trust needed to accept a mate bond. Royce had to recognize that.

Theodore thought all this over while shoveling pasta into his mouth. When had he gotten so ravenous? He pouted at his empty bowl.

“Here, you can have mine.” Royce slid his pasta in front of Theodore, then took the empty one to the sink.

“It’s okay, you can eat.”

“Just eat the damn pasta, Theo. I can hear your stomach. Besides, the enforcer office is typically stocked with food.”

“I’m not going.”

“What?”

“To the enforcer office or Argus’s office at the Town Hall. I don’t … feel comfortable being around that many alphas right now. I’m a little … pungent.”

“If anyone ever calls you ‘pungent,’ I’ll break their damn nose, but I get what you mean.” Royce sat down at the kitchen table; any trace of hurt that’d been there prior was gone. “Are you— how are you feeling? I mean … I didn’t hurt you, did I? My wolf knew he wasn’t supposed to bite you. I’m sorry if he got carried away. I had a stern talking with the furry bastard while you were in the shower.”

Theodore was taken aback. Was it possible Royce was the most considerate alpha in existence? Or was that his dirty hormones talking?

“I’m fine, I promise I’m not just saying that. My body is designed to take knots, remember?” He tried to smile, but his face was on fire. “It craves it right now, actually. If it can’t have that, well, what we did is the next best thing.”

Royce nodded seriously. Theodore appreciated that he didn’t try to make a crude joke or comment.

“If I’m going out alone, do you need me to pick anything up?”

A package of slick-absorbing briefs? Theodore thought it but didn’t voice it. He knew Royce would get them from the pharmacy for him, no questions asked, but Theodore could only handle so much embarrassment in one day.

“Unless there’s something specific you wanted for dinner, I can’t think of anything.”

“Do you want me to call one of my neighbors to sit with you so you aren’t alone, in case something happens?”

“No. I’ve actually been wanting to get back to the vet clinic. Gerald can do some stuff by himself for the patients, but there’s a lot they still need me for. And there are a few patients I’ve been wanting to check up on.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in a few hours. I wrote some phone numbers down on the fridge pad, local offices and whatnot.”

“Thank you.” Theodore meant it as a thank you for so much more than the phone numbers. But his mouth had gone dry. He was finally able to swallow the lump in his throat when Royce was pulling a shirt over his head and opening the door to leave.

“Royce,” he called out. He turned. “Gage Prescot, that’s the name of the alpha from Seerinoga that killed my father and mother and …”

“Gage Prescot,” Royce repeated the name. “Consider him dead.”

With that, the alpha left the cabin.