Chapter 84
Chapter Eighty-Four
Todd
Scrubbed
“What do I do?” I ask Mike and Jax.
It’s killing me Mal’s so upset about this. I know there’s nothing I can do to fix it, either.
Mike smiles. “Kid, right now his hormones and emotions are all over the place. Is Kylen still nursing?”
“Yeah. She’s got a tooth coming in, though. Dr. Williamson said we could start her on a bottle and offer soft foods.”
“Nursing makes it take longer for his hormones to straighten out. Not,” Mike quickly adds, “that I’m saying you put her on a bottle just because of that.
” He looks at Jax. “You explained to Mal that since he smells like pack already, and that he’s Todd’s mate, initiation is just a formality and not a necessity, right? ”
“’Til we’re all blue in the face,” Jax says.
“I mean,” Mike continues, “let’s be honest. Probably half of the omegas can barely smell shit if they’re standing in it. If they think he smells like pack, then initiation isn’t necessary.”
“Please don’t tell him that, Mike,” I say. “He’s been looking forward to it.”
He scratches the back of his neck. “He hasn’t had a natural heat yet, has he?”
“No,” I say. “So we still have that to deal with.”
He pulls out his phone and checks something. “Do you think Kylen might be on a bottle or even eating soft foods in two months?”
“At the rate she’s going? Most likely.”
He shows us his phone, a moon phases calendar. “Two full moons from now, falls on a Saturday night.” He looks at Jax. “Want my suggestion?”
“I’m all ears, Pops.”
“Schedule an official initiation ceremony and run for that night. Meanwhile, Todd, if you can get Alphas to fuck him, do so.”
Jax holds up a finger. “What about me fucking him?”
“He blow you yet?”
Jax and I exchange a glance. “We’ve played in the fun room,” Jax says. “Shawn and I’ve spit-roasted him, and he took loads from me while Shawn fucked him. Couple of time. That was before the babies were born, though.”
“Well, there you go,” Mike says. “Problem solved. And considering the gallons of cum you and Todd and Shawn have swapped over the years, in addition to Todd, you know, making Mal his mate and having Todd’s baby, you already did it.
Which is another reason he likely smells like pack to the omegas.
Get the Alphas together who want to do him before then.
If anyone else wants to, let them. Saturday, on the full moon, hold the public celebration.
Give the kid a firm date to look forward to, and by then I bet the omegas will at least be able to jerk off on him and Mal should be happy he ‘went through initiation.’” Mike uses finger quotes on that last part.
“Do you think he’ll buy it?” Jax asks me.
“Maybe. Part of it is that he didn’t have experiences like we did when we were his age. He didn’t get to throw down whenever he felt like it. He missed out on a lot of fun.”
Mike puts his phone away. “Here’s the thing,” he says. “I think that pup is cute, and I don’t think I could fuck him right now. No offense, Todd.”
“None taken,” I say, resigned.
This would be amusing if Mal’s mental health weren’t on the line.
“Want me to tell him?” Mike asks me. “I mean, Pavin and I are the ones who started the pack.”
“Can’t hurt. I just hate seeing him upset.”
We return to the house. My heart breaks that Mal’s still crying.
Pavin slides out of the way so I can take his place and stroke Mal’s hair. “We have an answer, baby,” I tell him.
“Yeah?”
Mike crouches next to the couch. “Two full moons from now is a Saturday. We’ll hold your initiation ceremony and pack run. How’s that sound?”
“Really? What about the omegas and…everyone?”
“If you don’t end up fucked by anyone else before then, you can get your freak on that night.
Here’s why you already smell like pack: Todd claimed you, and of anyone in this pack, he and Jax and Shawn probably smell most alike because of their frequent playtimes together and their participation in initiation.
And you played with Jax and Shawn, yeah? ”
Mal nods. “But it wasn’t like what Jax said would happen for initiation.”
Mike shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. The mechanics are all that matters.
If you weren’t mated to Todd, I’d agree with you.
Part of the reason why we set up initiation that way is to make sure someone’s ego was a good fit.
That’s not an issue for you. And we already alter things for claimed mates, or people who are born into one of the affiliated packs, or pregnant people. ”
Mike ticks points off on his fingers. “You were mated and claimed by Todd, with a mate bond. You caught with his baby. You’ve taken loads from Jax and Shawn. You smell like pack already.”
He drops his hand. “Initiations don’t have to follow exact specifications. I should know—I made the friggin’ rules.” He smiles, but Mal still isn’t smiling. “Is the issue that you wanted to play around with the guys, or is the issue that you feel rejected?”
Mal sniffles, then starts crying again, and I think that effectively answers the question.
“Okay, kid,” Mike gently says, rubbing Mal’s shoulder.
“You are not rejected. I started this pack, and I say you’re pack.
What’s going on with you right now is hormones from giving birth, and that’s all.
They are not rejecting you. It’s like the reverse of a mate bond—they’re instinctively respecting your new-parent status, and it’s temporary.
Yes, the timing is inconvenient, and I’m sorry.
But now you have a firm date for your initiation. Does that help?”
Mal finally nods. “Thank you.”
He’s asleep an hour later when I carry him out to the truck and drive him home. He’s so wiped out he doesn’t wake up when we arrive. Alizée’s curled up watching TV on the couch when I carry him inside. She scowls, immediately walking over.
I motion for her not to wake him and I carry him to bed. Then I close the door behind me and return to the living room.
“What the fuck did you do or let happen to him?” she hisses, sparks swirling around her.
I hold up a hand. “Please, let me tell the story.”
By the time I do, she’s calm again and looks almost as forlorn as Mal did. “Poor kid. Want me to talk to him in the morning?”
“It can’t hurt.”
“Mike’s right—I’ve seen this happen plenty of times before.
Worse, I’ve seen it happen in polycules where only two of the people have actual mate bonds.
Despite the others loving the omega, after having a baby, there’s absolutely zero physical desire for the omega by the others at first, except the one with the mate bond.
Even if one of the others was the father of the baby. ”
“Wow. That sucks.”
“Yeah, it does. I mean, they still love their omega partner, and their physical desire for the omega returns as the baby gets older, usually when it stops nursing. It’s biology.”
“I wish I’d had you there tonight. He’ll listen to you.”
“It’s not that he doesn’t listen to you guys. He believes me because he kind of adopted me mom before you rescued Freya. But absolutely, I will talk to him.”
“Thanks. Maybe come over for breakfast?”
“Sounds good.”
I see her out, check on the baby, and head to bed.
Mal’s sound asleep, curled up in a fetal position, still dressed. I carefully remove his shoes but nothing else, because I don’t want to wake him.
I strip and climb into bed. He instinctively snuggles against me, like I’m a magnet.
Times like these, even though I absolutely know I’m not the cause and I cannot “fix” it, I feel utterly helpless. Like the world’s worst mate.
I didn’t lie to Mal tonight. Not exactly. I wasn’t in the mood to fuck around with the omegas. Fuck around with Mal? Absolutely. I would’ve bounced him on my dick all night.
But I didn’t want to share that time with the omegas. The silly thing is, I didn’t feel jealous that Mal was going to do something with them. I wanted to watch him have fun.
But I wanted him all to myself for my fun, and I didn’t want to hurt the feelings of the omegas because I had no interest in them tonight.
In the back of my mind, I also think maybe it’s a good thing tonight abruptly ended. Because if Mal had gotten busy with the omegas and he realized he couldn’t get it up…
Yeah. And despite his eager anticipation, my gut tells me that’s what would’ve happened.
Hopefully, Alizée’s talk with him tomorrow will help. And maybe, now that he has a concrete date, he’ll be able to relax.
I hope.