“Let’s head up, big guy.” Getting up off the floor, he stood over me. “Can’t lift you up. Bear is coming to help.” I could hear Bear walking down the hall.

  “Eddie, what the fuck, man? How much did you drink?” Nope, Bear wasn’t allowed to be annoyed with me.

  “Nuff to not hurt cuz I lost my mate. It hurt Nate, it hurt real bad, man.” I wrapped my arms around Bear’s neck and tried to pull him into a hug.

  “Goddess, Eddie, you’re piss drunk man. Been a long time since I’ve seen you like this.” Slowly shaking his head, he pulled my arms from around him and wrapped an arm around my chest to hold me up. “Think you can walk? Do I need to get the guys to help carry you?”

  “I can walk. Feo coming?” I looked around, trying to find my mate.

  “I’m here, alpha, right behind you.” I loved his voice. It was like the prettiest song in my head. “Bear, is he gonna remember this?”

  Bear huffed a laugh. “Yeah, Theo, he’s gonna remember it all. Eddie’s never been able to get blackout drunk, no matter how hard he tried. Not even when…” He let the unspoken words hang in the air for a moment.

  “I know about it. He told me everything. Let’s just get him to bed. I need to hold him.” Nodding his head once to acknowledge what neither one of them needed to say. “I’ll walk behind and help with balance.”

  My brain was going in so many directions at once. I know it wasn’t just the alcohol that had my thoughts turn to mush but drunk me would never admit fear or defeat. Trying to change the subject, I blurted something about Theo checking out my ass and Bear answered it was a nice ass. Wait… who’s ass? Mine or Theo’s?

  I’m pretty sure I was passed out before we got to my rooms. I don’t remember getting into bed.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mako

  Before I even opened my eyes, every sound in my room seemed amplified. I could hear the wind from the ceiling fan and birds from outside the closed window. Loudest of all was the deep rhythmic breathing. The tightness in my chest loosened because I knew it wasn’t coming from me. It was my mate. I recognized the slight wheeze with every inhale and tiny shuddered exhale. He stayed with me. I lay beside him without moving so I could savor the quiet moment.

  Before long, I noticed his breathing changed. “I know you’re awake, Eddie. How do you feel?” his voice was muffled by the pillow.

  “OK, I feel OK.?” I ran my hand over his hip.

  “You drank a lot last night. Want some coffee or some juice?” his slight body rolled into my side.

  “Yeah. I’ll get it though. I need to brush my teeth. My mouth tastes like ass.” I lay still without opening my eyes. Bear was right. I never blacked out or forgot anything when I drank. For the life of me, I didn’t remember getting into bed last night. “How did we get into bed?”

  “Bear helped get you to the bed after you passed out on the stairs. I got you undressed and covered up. I spent half the night watching you to make sure you didn’t get sick.” Regret clenched my gut. He lost sleep because of me.

  “I’m sorry. Bear should have told you I’ve never gotten sick from drinking. Fuck, I should have told you.”

  He brushed his hand gently along my jaw, scratching his nails through my beard. “It’s OK. He text me a few hours after we were in bed to let me know. That’s when I knew I could fall asleep. When would that conversation come up between us? It was kinda unexpected.” My breathing sped up. “Mako, please look at me. Open your eyes.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t, because this might be a dream.” My voice was rougher than normal.

  “A dream?” He rolled on top of me, and I could feel him looking into my face.

  “Yeah, a dream. You left me. You’re gone. As long as I don’t open my eyes, I can pretend you’re still here with me. You still want to be my mate.” I felt the wetness slide down the side of my face towards my temple.

  Placing kisses along my jaw and down my neck, “Do my lips feel like I’m gone?” He pressed his hips tighter against my groin, and I felt his hard cock against mine. “Does that feel like I don’t want to be your mate?” One little thrust. My cock hardened instantly. “Ooh, it feels like someone’s awake now.” He bit down on the claiming scar he left on my neck and sucked the flesh into his mouth.

  I grunted and thrust my hips upward. “Baby, my breath. Teeth. Brush.” I managed between panting.

  He reached into my boxer briefs and grabbed my cock. Letting my neck go with a loud pop, he whispered, “Wasn’t planning on you using your mouth. I get to taste you now.” As he kissed down my chest and licking across my nipple.

  It took a few seconds for my mind to catch up with what he was doing. I’ll blame it on how good it felt having him touching me like that. Reality crashed into me like a freight train. “Theo, NO!” I sat up, jerking so hard he flew off my body and landed at the foot of the bed. I jumped to him and pulled him into my lap. “Are you OK? Did I hurt you? Baby, I’m sorry.” Everything was a jumbled mess in my head. All I could see was that sick fuck forcing my mate to take him into his mouth.

  His eyes grew wide, and unshed tears pooled at the bottom. “Y-you know?” I just nodded my head. There was nothing for me to say. He crawled from my lap and began putting on a pair of sweats. “I suppose Owen told you.” His voice was too calm. “Now you know that I’m damaged goods. Definitely not good enough for you. I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you.” He walked out of the bedroom before I could say anything. I thought it best to leave him with his thoughts long enough for me to head into the bathroom to piss, brush my teeth and wash last night from my skin.

  As I towel dried my hair, I heard Theo mumbling. Simple single words, nothing more, nothing less. A quick pass with a brush to slick my hair back as I walked into the kitchen area proved Theo had been on the phone. My phone. He lay it face down on the table while wiping at tears on his cheeks. After I poured myself a cup of coffee, I sat at the table directly across from him and reached for his hand. He pulled it away and placed it in his lap. With his other hand, he fingered the sides and lip of his cup nervously. “Baby?” He visibly tensed from that single word. “Who was on the phone?”

  Without looking up from his cup, “Nobody.”

  “Theo, if someone called my phone, it’s usually something important. What was it about?” I racked my mind trying to figure out how to get him to talk to me.

  “It seemed important yesterday, but it’s not important now.” His voice was barely above a whisper and shoulders moving with silent sobs. I let the phone call go for the moment and got up. I walked over to him and pulled his chair away from the table and picked him up. A sob wracked his entire body as I pulled him to my chest. “Mako, please…”

  “Wrong time and place for begging, baby. We’re gonna talk and I’m gonna hold you while we do.” There weren’t many times I would pull the alpha bossy attitude on him, but this time, I needed to. Settling onto the sofa, I put him on my lap and pulled him tighter to me. “My turn to talk and your turn to listen.” I wiped the tears from his face. “There are things about Owen you don’t know, and it’s not my place to tell you. If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you. That said, the morning he ran up my ass about you, he told Bear and I about some things that fuck nut did to you. He told me so I could know something that might trigger and upset you. He was hurting and angry for you and it came out in a rant. I’m sure he regrets Bear being there, but that can’t be changed. I would have to ask you to tell Bear, anyway. It’s information we needed to make the vote last night.” He sighed and leaned into my shoulder. I took that as a small win. “I want you to remember something, baby. Can you do that for me?” A gentle nod against my shoulder. At least he stopped sobbing. “Timeline, baby. Remember it? I knew BEFORE I mated with you. It didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now.”

  Theo raised his head and looked me in the eye. “You still love me? Still want to be my mate?”

  I laughed. “I’m pretty sure want went out the window a while ago baby. I need you. You’re my mate and I don’t give a shit what some damn test says.” A small smile brightened his face.

  “About that.” He climbed off my lap and went to his knees between my legs.

  “As much as I like you in that position, I think you might wanna explain.” I ran my hand along his jaw. He nuzzled my fingers like a cat needing attention.

  “The phone call. It was Doc.” I stopped breathing. “It’s positive we’re fated. He already sent the results into the government. And Mako…” he turned his head to look out the window.

  “And?” I put my fingers on his jaw, pulling him to face me.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Theo

  “And… I’m pregnant.” I cast my eyes down and waited for the inevitable tirade about to ensue.

  “Y-you? ME? BABY!” Suddenly, I was yanked from the floor and into my mate’s chest. “Oh, goddess baby. We’re gonna be a family. You’ve given me more than I ever hoped for!” His excitement was a complete surprise.

  “You’re not upset? It’s not too early?” I don’t think a scrubber could have wiped the grin from this man’s face. I had to smile back. Maybe it was OK for me to be excited too. We were gonna be daddies.

  “Early? Fuck NO! I’d hoped your heat took. I know it sounds selfish, but I want nothing more than to see you swelled with my child.” The punishing grip he held me in was nothing compared to the possessive kiss he pushed into my lips. There was nothing I could do but melt into it.

  “Now, as for the other thing brought up this morning.” I rested my palms on his cheeks to hold his head still so he could look into my eyes. “I want you to think and feel everything I’m going to say to you. Understand?” Mako nodded his head, never losing eye contact. Hell, I don’t even think the man blinked. “I told you about the books that I read?” again, he nodded. “The things Gavin and his friends did to me started before I started reading those stories. I didn’t like it at all. I felt used, abused and degraded.” I watched as tears pooled and run down his cheeks as his eyes slid closed. “Once I started reading, I discovered it wasn’t supposed to be like that. It should be loving and beautiful. A gift between mates. That’s when I knew for sure that it wasn’t just something an omega was expected to do for an alpha. Any alpha.” Mako shook his head. I wasn’t sure if he agreed with me or acknowledged my revelation. “You are MY alpha. My mate. I want to share that beauty with you.” I reached down and popped the button on his jeans. “I need you to replace the memories of the pain, anger and disgusting taste. I need to do this for me as much as I need to do this for you. Let me show you how much I love you. Show me how to make it as beautiful and loving as I know it can be.” I wrapped my hand as far around his hardening cock as I could reach and began to slowly stroke it.

  “Your pace, baby. If it feels wrong or off, then you stop.” He ran his hand over the soft curls of my hair. The love in his eyes gave me all the courage I needed to lean forward and softly lick over the head. I moaned at the taste of his pre-cum as it coated my tongue.

  “How do you taste so good?” It wasn’t a question I expected an answer to. His cock hardened to full mass, and I opened my mouth as wide as possible and enveloped the head with my lips. I held still for a moment so my jaw could get used to the girth while Mako moaned and wrapped his fingers in my hair. He kept his grip loose so I could pull away if I needed to. I moved tentatively, savoring the taste, heat, and weight on my tongue. A cross between a moan and a growl erupted in my chest and I moved my tongue and hollowed my cheeks. It was as if I was trying to suck his love for me through his cock.

  Mako moaned and I felt it through his entire body. I released the grip on his cock and grabbed his thighs. Goddess, my mate was bigger than any 2 of Gavin or his friends’ cocks combined, but I took it easier, and that knowledge bolstered my confidence. My alpha knew this was for and about me. I could feel the tension in his body wasn’t letting up. He was prepared for anything. I tightened my grip on his thighs and sank further down. As his head hit the back of my throat, I felt his grip tighten, like he was going to pull away. Instead of gagging, I quickly swallowed and took him further. His tension melted away, his fingers began rubbing circles over my head and he started groaning my name. “Theo, baby?” I just hummed. “Baby, if you keep that up, I’m gonna explode?” I growled. “That want you want, baby? Want your alpha to fill your throat?” I pulled back a bit and nodded while digging my nails into his thighs with one hand and rolling his balls in the other.

  “That’s it, baby. Take your alpha’s cock. Such a good boy. Oh goddess, Theo. You gonna swallow for me, baby? Drink me down?” His hips thrust. I no longer had to bob my head up and down. He was fucking my throat. I’d never felt so powerful in my life. I could bring this big alpha to his knees and bend him to my will. ME! I could do that. His hands moved to the side of my head, cradling it while he thrust his cock in and out. He was so careful not to go so deep as to choke, but deep enough that I could swallow each time he tapped the back. “You ready Theo? You want to taste all of me?” I gripped his thigh tighter as I felt his balls pull up against his body. “Back off, baby, don’t catch my knot.” I pulled back so just the head rested on my tongue and sealed my lips tight. Not wanting to lose a drop of his seed. His entire body trembled, and he folded himself over me, holding my head tighter. I felt his cock swell on my tongue as the first spurts erupted. He let out a roar like the one he let out the first time he knotted me during my heat. I swallowed as fast as I could, but some of his cum still escaped and ran down my chin. I dipped my tongue into his slit and scooped the last like it was my only sustenance.

  His hands disappeared from my head and gripped my under my arms. He pulled my up and away from my treat. His lips found mine as I landed in his lap. He continued to growl as he licked into his mouth, tasting himself on me. “Was that OK?” I knew he could feel my hesitation and doubt.

  “OK? I don’t know what to say. I’ve had no one do that to me. I mean, I never knew it could be like that.” His words felt so sincere.

  “I know you’re exaggerating Mako. I know you’ve gotten head before. I was just asking if it was good enough. I’ll keep practicing. I’ll get better for you.” I knew he enjoyed it. A lot. But there wasn’t a need to boost my nonexistent ego.

  “Baby, listen to me. Yes, I’ve gotten head before. If I’m being honest, a lot, but I’ve never had someone make me cum that fast or bring forth an alpha roar before. Now I don’t know if it’s a mate thing or you’re just a fuckin natural at it, but I’ve never. And I mean NEVER had it that good.” The last part of that was said between hot wet kisses placed on my neck. “No need for you to get better, but if you want to keep practicing, I’m here for it. Just remember, you only practice with me.” There was my growly alpha.

  “Only you Eddie. Only you. I’m glad you liked it. Thank you.” I giggled as he held me tighter. “That felt like what I read in my books. It was everything it should have been.” I leaned forward to place kisses along his neck up to his ear and whispered. “By the way, alpha. I love the way you taste. Just know, I’ll want to do that as much as you’ll let me.” He growled and pulled me tighter against his chest.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Mako

  If there was ever a time in my life that I was possessive and protective of another person, this was it. There was no way I was going to let my mate out of my sight for even a moment, as long as his family was around. “Time for us to go find out how the vote went. I need coffee too.” Theo just giggled. Goddess, I love that sound.

  “OK, alpha.” Theo said, as he grinned and wiggled his butt in my direction. I growled at him. Again.

  As we made it to the bottom of the stairs into the main room of the club, Theo giggled. “Sup baby?” I slipped my arm around his waist, and he leaned into me.

  “Nothing. But I’m gonna let you make the announcement. I’ll hide behind you. I think Owen might rush me as soon as you say it. It’ll be funny to watch him dodge you to get to me.” His shoulders started shaking.

  “I think you might be right, baby. This is gonna be fun.” I stood tall as I stepped in front of my mate. I exaggerated a cough to get the attention of the room. Once all eyes were on me, I spoke. “Listen up, you heathens. As your KING…” Bear was the first one to laugh out loud. “I declare that there shall be no more public sexy times. I don’t want my son looking at anyone’s cock and balls in this clubhouse.” Bear was bent over laughing and suddenly stopped. Everyone else’s laughter stopped at the same time.

  “Your… SON? You son of a bitch, you done gone and made me an uncle!” Bear rushed over to hug me. I held him at arms length, staring at Owen. “Congrats brother.” He leaned over and kissed Theo, who was grinning, on the cheek. “You too, sweetie.” I heard Theo eek out a small ‘Thanks’, but our eyes were on Owen, who never even looked up from his drink on his table.

  “Something’s wrong Eddie.” The concern in Theo’s voice was palpable.

  “Yeah, something’s not right.” Both Bear and I walked over to the small table where Owen sat alone, nursing a glass of something pink. Theo followed closely, clinging to the back of my cut.

  The three of us sat at the table. Theo placed his hand over Owen’s. “Owen, did you hear? We’re having a baby. You’re gonna be an uncle.” His voice was gentle, and his fingers squeezed Owen’s hand over and over as he spoke.

  “Yeah, I heard. Congratulations, guys. I’m thrilled for you.” He stood to rise from the table and bear grabbed his arm.

  “Baby boy?” Bear pulled him towards his lap and Owen tried to pull away and escape. Bear reached up and gripped his chin, forcing him to look at us. Theo gasp at the same time Bear and I growled. Owen’s eyes were rimmed deep red, and his cheeks were soaked. It was obvious he was crying.