Chapter 24: Theodore - Marked By Love

Now he had to admit it, Royce was a decent cook. The zucchini chili was superb and paired well with the loaf of crusty bread he’d picked up from the store. After Theodore polished off two bowls and took his stomach medicine, he snagged his cookies and was curled up on the sofa in his nest of blankets.

What he really wanted was to beg Royce to manhandle him again. But Theodore didn’t think he could take the embarrassment for a second time that day.

After hours of talking about anything but Theodore’s heat, they both ended up where they had been the previous night. Royce lying on the floor in front of the sofa while Theodore was hunkered in his nest.

“Royce, what do you do?” Theodore asked.

“I’m an enforcer.”

“No, I know that, I mean what do you do when you aren’t being an enforcer.”

“Not much … I sometimes volunteer at the firehouse or the conservation center.”

“Oh come on, you’ve gotta have more than that. Friends, hobbies, anything.”

“Not really.”

“What? You’ve lived in Elk Cove for how long and you expect me to believe you don’t have any friends?”

“I don’t have friends.”

Theodore scoffed. “You’ve had no less than three alphas drop off food and clean laundry while you were here, and you’re trying to tell me you don’t have friends?”

“Well, maybe for their part they think we’re friends. But I prefer to keep everyone at an arm’s length. It’s just easier that way.”

“You don’t seem to want to keep me at arm’s length.”

“That’s different,” Royce said. “You, your presence in my life, are a gift from the fates. Why would I want to ignore that?”

Theodore blushed. Royce hardly knew him, and yet the alpha was ready and willing to place Theodore’s existence on a pedestal and worship him.

“It’s not that I hate them. I just tend to avoid gatherings and my neighbors.”

“Why?” Theodore asked.

“I don’t really see the point. I’ve tried in the past. I’d go on trail hikes or cookouts or whatever it was, but everyone else around me always seemed so happy, so fulfilled. And I wasn’t. I just didn’t fit in. Besides, everyone leaves eventually, so what’s the point of getting close to them.”

Theodore scowled at the ceiling. He was sure this attitude was the result of Royce losing his family and then being in the system for years. How many different homes had he been to before he aged out? It had to have been quite a few for him to have this outlook.

“What about the military? Do you keep in contact with any of your old service buddies? Isn’t that a thing?”

“Most of them are dead.”

“Is that why you left? You mentioned you left the military the second your contract was up.”

“No, I left because nothing shows you how corrupt your government is like working for them.” Royce rolled to his side so he was facing Theodore’s profile. “Pay wouldn’t come through, or at the correct amount, you’d get these terrible orders that everyone knew were bad, either logistically, structurally, or plain suicide missions, and we’d have no choice but to follow because some bureaucrat somewhere decided it was a good idea. You’d have politicians pitting people after each other because of their parties and using our deaths as leverage, when in reality behind closed doors, they’re all working the same angle. I was just sick of being a pawn. Most of my buddies died after they got out.”

“Why?”

“They couldn’t adjust. Fell into liquor, bad habits, there’s a litany of problems that come with leaving the service. Of course the military and government always promise help and all that, but when you need it, you find no one’s actually there because alphas are supposed to be strong and resilient. Nothing’s supposed to bother us, so we aren’t supposed to need help or ask for it.”

“That’s … not right.” Theodore felt like an idiot for saying that, but he didn’t know what else there was for him to do. Imagining Royce, alone, terrified, while everyone expected him to be a stoic alpha regardless; he didn’t like it.

“Kinda like how I don’t agree with how omegas are treated.” Royce sighed. “I appreciate the sentiment, Theo, but that isn’t exactly something that’s going to change anytime soon. That’s one of the reasons I left the larger settlements and sought out small towns. Most of them have their issues, but others are … nice, almost. Happy little communities.”

“Sounds like a greeting card.”

“Yeah, sometimes,” Royce said. “Hey, Theo, why don’t you want a mate bond?”

“Well, living in perpetual fear for my life while moving from town to town every three months isn’t exactly an ideal way to live.”

“So once this gets resolved, you’ll want one? And you know I’ll keep you safe, no matter what.”

Theodore wanted to believe Royce’s words. In a way he did. Alphas were fiercely protective of their fated mates, but that didn’t always get displayed in a healthy way. He’d known of one too many omegas who lived under house arrest and the constant eye of their wrathful alphas. He didn’t think Royce would be like that per se, but he didn’t know him well enough to be certain.

“Not necessarily,” Theodore said after deliberating. “I’ve noticed a lot of people seem to view fated mates as a fairytale. My best friend in veterinary school was forced to drop out in our last year because her fated mate was so controlling. She’d been dating a beta, they were happy. The alpha almost killed the beta in a fit of rage, ended up paralyzed, and the alpha never faced consequences because it was the ‘mating frenzy.’

“It’s more than that though. It’s the uncertainty coupled with the knowledge that I have no choice in the matter. I don’t like it. I don’t like not having a say in my own life, control over my own body. It makes me feel like I’m not a person … It’s nothing personal against anyone specific. It’s the whole concept.”

“If that’s how you view it, then yeah, it sucks. Your poor friend, her alpha sounds like a dick.”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

“Yeah …” Royce was quiet for a long time. “My neighbors, did I mention Evea and Sandy, they’re both alphas. They met working on forest conservation. They didn’t choose to fall in love, but they did. But after that, they did choose: to put each other first, to show up for each other every day, to be there no matter what. That’s the way my parents were too. Even though they were fated mates, they chose to make room and be there for each other.

“That’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s the way it should be—always. Besides, you might feel like you’re not a person, but you have a career, a calling, you have a purpose in life. That’s gotta count for something.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“No.”

“Do you?”

“No.”

The more Theodore learned about Royce, the more his heart bled for him. This alpha was chasms of sorrow and loneliness after decades of being forced to put on a front. Theodore wondered what Royce would be if he hadn’t had the expectations of strength and stoicism thrust upon him at a young age.

And his parents had been fated mates, happy ones at that; it’s no wonder the guy was so eager to mate mark Theodore. He saw it at the beginning of forever. Theodore saw it as the end.

It was the middle of the night, and Theodore couldn’t sleep. His joints were aching to the point of agony, his skin was sticky and cold with sweat, his body trembling and needy.

Heat symptoms were unbearable. Dr. Shera had been over after dinner to take blood samples and check on his progress. She mentioned this heat was going to last longer than normal because he’d been on the alpha birth control for so long. Instead of twenty-four to forty-eight hours, he was looking at close to four days, maybe longer. She couldn’t say for sure.

He was doing his best to keep it to himself, not touching Royce at all that evening, lest he lose control of himself again. Theodore had resorted to holding his breath when in close proximity to Royce to avoid scenting his alpha musk while they were cleaning up the kitchen and putting away the zucchini chili.

Shifting positions on the sofa, a fresh wave of slick squirted out, coating his skin and soaking his pajamas. His efforts were clearly not working.

He hated this, and he couldn’t take it anymore. Not bothering to grab his glasses, it was too dark to see regardless, he slipped from his nest of blankets on the sofa and padded around Royce sleeping on the ground to the main bedroom. Royce was sleeping, wasn’t he? Theodore wasn’t positive and didn’t bother to check, he was too frazzled. If he were to survive, he needed his duffle bag. They were all in here. Opening one after the other, his fingers searched blindly.

He was positive he still had it … there!

His fingers touched the weird soft-hard texture of silicon. He removed the teal colored, jumbo, knotted dildo. Yanking his pants to his knees, he abandoned all decorum and sanitary practices and shoved it inside. Heat making him utterly frantic; he got at least three inches in with that first thrust with no prep.

Muscles unwinding, he could breathe again. The relief, however, was not only minimal but temporary. Theodore was in the middle of wiggling himself just right to force more of the toy inside when a blurry shadow appeared in the door.

His heart stopped, and his mouth went dry. The scent of oranges and storm clouds engulfed him, and he was almost knocked over. In the darkness, he saw a flash of gold.

Darn it! Was Theodore’s scent that strong that it alerted Royce to what was happening? The answer was staring down at him, taking in grinding breaths. Yes, yes, it was.

“Wa-what are you doing?” Royce rasped.

All Theodore could do was let out a pitiful whimper.

“Your heat is getting bad, isn’t it?”

Theodore nodded.

“You’ve been trying to ignore it, haven’t you?”

Theodore nodded again, too embarrassed to speak.

Royce disappeared and returned a moment later with Theodore’s blanket nest in his giant arms. He laid everything on the bed, arranging the blankets and pillows, trying to mimic how it was on the sofa. Then he knelt in front of Theodore, his nostrils flaring and eyes glowing, but to his credit, when he spoke, his voice was calm and even.

“I think there’s something that can help. Dr. Shera mentioned direct contact with alpha ejaculation.”

Theodore grumbled. Of course he knew Royce was right. One sure way to help ease an omega heat along was for the omega to have direct contact with alpha sex goo. Bonus points for it being your mate. The very thought of it was making him leak slick like a broken fire hose as he rocked on the dildo half-seated inside him.

“You need help, Theo, this isn’t good for you.” Royce sighed. “Do you trust me?”

In Theodore’s opinion, that was a ridiculous question to ask someone whom you’ve already fisted on the kitchen counter, but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless. He nodded, and Royce scooped him into his arms. Ever so gently, he placed Theodore on the bed. He eased the toy out of him, then let out a little huff.

“No wonder you didn’t mind me using my fist,” he mused before setting the toy aside. Next, he fully removed Theodore’s pajamas, not ripping anything this time.

“What if you get bitey again?” Theodore asked, grinding his empty ass against the bed, desperate for friction. “I don’t have a bag of flour in here.”

“I scolded my wolf and told the furry bastard if he tried it again, I’d leave you be—indefinitely. That got his attention. But, just in case, I think having something I can shove in my mouth will keep him sated. A little.” He brandished a throw pillow. “If I feel it coming, I’ll chew on this.”

Theodore laughed, and before he knew it, they were both naked. Royce’s bare skin pressed against his own as the alpha ran his hands over Theodore’s body. The contact soothed something inside Theodore, making a groan reverberate through his chest while simultaneously setting his breast ablaze, his body desperate for more.

Theodore was rolled over, two pillows cushioned under his stomach and a third shoved under his shoulders. Royce easily bent Theodore’s legs and propped his butt in the air. Royce swore as he massaged the swells of Theodore’s ass and spread him open. Hot wet breath met Theodore’s exposed and slick-filled hole. His body shivered.

Something warm and wet moved up and down Theodore’s center, pausing to circle his entrance.

“Fuck, it’s even better from the source,” Royce groaned.

“Wha-what do you mean?”

“After our little excursion on the kitchen counter this morning, the second you locked yourself in the bathroom, I licked my hand clean, like a wild fucking animal. I could taste my own sweat mixed with your slick, and it was still the best damned thing that’d ever touched my tongue. Now I’ve had it straight from the source, I can’t say that.”

Before Theodore could register his words, Royce buried his face in his ass. Plunging his tongue forward, the breach made Theodore cry out. Not from pain or discomfort, but the unique and new sensation of it. It was warm, and wet against his aching hole.

Long, thick paths were rolled over every part of him. Languidly lapping up the slick shamelessly pouring out, Royce drank it all with a satisfied rumble rolling through his chest.

When Theodore thought the alpha had his fill, he flexed his fingers into Theodore’s flesh and plunged his tongue in again and again. What started as simple teasing soon resolved into full-on fucking with his mouth. At some point Theodore’s legs gave out, and he collapsed against the pillows supporting him. He whimpered and mewled while his needy body was given what it craved.

When at long last Royce had drank his fill, he pulled back in a mess of slick and saliva. He watched over his shoulder as Royce stroked himself, considering Theodore. His knot was swollen at the base of his throbbing erection, a steady dribble of pre-cum making a mess over his hand.

“Has it gotten bigger?” Theodore had only seen Royce fully erect once previously, but he was certain it hadn’t been that big.

“Yes, after the kitchen. Anatomical Manifestation.”

“Oh!” Theodore was flabbergasted.

Anatomical Manifestation was a rumored phenomenon that sometimes happened with fated mates. The alpha’s body, sensing their omega’s needs, could change. Most often this meant their knot would change in size for the omega’s comfort or preference.

In this instance, Royce’s body had picked up on the fact Theodore liked to be stretched and stuffed past his limit. Royce was sporting an absolute behemoth of an erection, the knot at the base throbbed larger than the jumbo toys available commercially.

Theodore must have lost his mind, because instead of being intimidated by this new development, he wiggled himself backward, trying to impale himself onto Royce. He gripped Theodore to stop him and chuckled.

“I’ve been trying very hard not to be crude about it, it seems my worries were unfounded. You might be the neediest little omega in existence.”

“Are you going to use that thing properly, or do I need my toy back?”

That wiped the smile from Royce’s face. A low growl echoing in his chest. His eyes went solid gold, and he held Theodore’s hips in a crushing grip. Good, Theodore thought. Maybe that got Royce riled up enough to properly pound him into the mattress.

Theodore was too ecstatic to be appalled at his train of thought. Another reason he despised his heats. Instead of being practical and rationally cautious of releasing his inhibitions, he was delightedly anticipating an alpha pounding him within an inch of his life.

Theodore had to bite his lip to keep himself from yelping in delight when the alpha lifted his hips into the air, making his head fall to the pillows in a huff. The tip of Royce’s erection rested against Theodore’s wanton, slick-filled hole and pushed.

Simultaneously pulling Theodore into him and thrusting his hips forward, Royce moved until he was seated to the top of his knot inside Theodore. A brief pause to catch his breath before Royce pulled out. Holding Theodore steady, he set a brutal pace.

Theodore let himself go limp in the alpha’s hands. The top of his knot pushing, teasing, against his already stretched hole. He loved it. The burn and heavy intrusion as his insides were rearranged and his body pushed to its limits.

Theodore’s eyes rolled as he panted and drooled into the pillows. His body jostled and sweated with every thrust; he was certain he’d already jizzed into the bed twice.

He didn’t know how long Royce fucked him without his knot. It could have been hours for all Theodore cared. Normally he would have complained, getting filled past comfort was the fun part of the knot, but Royce’s erection had grown so that it alone satisfied Theodore’s need to be stuffed.

Royce’s grip on his hips flexed as his body stiffened and he shouted, his first release spilling inside. Theodore cried out with him; the thick, hot alpha cum hitting his system made his senses go haywire. True to alpha fashion, when his mate was in heat he could go without end, and Royce’s thrusts picked up seamlessly as cum and slick squelched out of Theodore’s ass.

If he was in his right mind, the copious amounts of sticky sex would have made Theodore wrinkle his nose and recoil. Right now he loved it. When Royce unloaded into him a second time, Theodore’s own release followed.

“I’m gonna use the knot.”

“Please!” was all Theodore managed to choke out.

Thrusting forward, Theodore was filled with more of Royce as his knot pushed against his opening. Royce pulled back, then forward, again and again until the knot was getting halfway inside, then he pulled out.

Theodore yelled and squirmed, trying to force himself fully onto Royce. But Royce held him steady, teasing and taunting his needy hole until Theodore was pushed to the edge. Only when he was crying with want did Royce deliver. With a tight grip and single, forceful thrust and a hard pop, it was in.

The back of Theodore’s legs were flush with Royce’s powerful thighs. Clawing the bedding, Theodore bucked himself back further, rocking his body against the enormous intrusion. Theodore was more stuffed than he’d ever imagined possible, and it thrilled him to his core.

“You want more?” Royce asked, dubious.

Theodore was well aware that once you got to this point, most omegas wanted to just lay there, interconnected with their partners by the knot. Not Theodore. He needed to feel every millimeter of the knot as he writhed and rocked atop it.

Royce’s hands moved from his hips to wrap around Theodore’s abdomen. He lifted Theodore up so his back was flush against his chest. The change in angle was exactly what Theodore needed. Bracing his feet against the bed, he had full control over how he moved Royce’s knot inside of him.

Though the movements were small, the sensations were extraordinary. Every throbbing inch of Royce’s behemoth, pulsating and releasing inside of him, was enhanced. Their testicles brushed against one another as their bodies jolted with their releases. Royce’s hand slipping around Theodore’s sweat-drenched body down to his erection, lazily working it.

Just like last time they’d come together to ease Theodore’s heat, he’d cum multiple times in a row, as had Royce. At long last they fell together and lay cuddled on the bed as Royce’s knot stayed put.