Chapter 22 Strange Symptoms
STRANGE SYMPTOMS
It didn’t hit Mathlin until much later, that he had slept with his boss.
“Oh gods,” he cried, almost dropping the first aid kit.
Titan came charging through the cabin. He skidded past the bathroom doorway and doubled back, stepping in to look around wildly. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Mathlin stared. Then he laughed awkwardly. “I’m not in danger. I just... realized something.”
Titan’s shoulders lowered slightly. “What did you realize?”
Should Mathlin mention it? Would Titan get angry? The words came tumbling out anyway. “I slept with you!”
The alpha froze, his eyes growing wide. “Yes...?”
“But you’re my boss! I’m not supposed to sleep with my boss, right? Everyone says that’s a bad thing.”
Titan paled. “Did you not want to? Did I force you into something against your will?”
“No! No no.” Mathlin waved his hands hurriedly.
“You did nothing wrong! I just... I don’t know what to think of it.
People are gonna tell me I did a bad thing, right?
The boss/employee romance novels are always all, ‘This goes against HR regulations, you’re gonna be fired.
’ Not that, uh, that was a romance or anything. It’s just sex, right?”
Titan watched him carefully. Slowly, he said, “I didn’t share your heat as your boss. I did it as your friend.”
Relief soaked into Mathlin’s chest, followed by an odd, hissing feeling that he didn’t understand. “Oh. My... friend? Not my alpha?”
He didn’t know where that had come from, either.
Should he even have said it?
“Fuck,” Mathlin blurted. “Was that the wrong thing to say? Maybe we can pretend the past ten seconds didn’t exist? I’ll wash my mouth with soap, I’ll—”
“No, Math, I...” Titan wet his lips, turning to face him fully.
For the first time, hesitation flitted across his face.
“I would love for you to be my omega. It’s just—” His voice cracked.
“You have to know that I’m not able to provide for you like.
.. like my brothers can, or my other friends.
I’m not a lawyer anymore. I’m struggling—I’ve been struggling to get Twin Buns to a place where I can provide for an omega and.
.. and a family. I don’t want to disappoint you. ”
Mathlin’s chest hurt. He stepped closer, wrapping his arms tight around Titan’s waist. “I’ll help. I don’t need much, you know. I’ve spent a lot of time sleeping in holes in the ground.”
Titan shuddered. “But you deserve better. I want to give you better.”
Something in Mathlin’s chest shifted, grew, and ached. “I’ll help you.”
“But as the alpha, I should be the one—”
Mathlin pressed his fingertips over Titan’s mouth. “I’ll help,” he said firmly. “You can’t do much right now, anyway. You need to heal first.”
Titan sagged against him, suddenly heavy. “If I didn’t help that drunk omega—”
“You had to. It’s not in your nature to stand aside and watch someone get hurt.”
Titan sighed.
“I like that about you, though,” Mathlin said.
Those hazel eyes snapped up to him. “You do?”
Titan had said those words hopefully, bright-eyed. Mathlin couldn’t help himself; he hugged Titan more tightly and rubbed his face against Titan’s chest. “Yes. I do.”
Titan’s breath hitched. Carefully, he lowered his head, nuzzling Mathlin’s hair. “Okay. I like you too, Math. You know that, right?”
Mathlin’s heart skipped. He remembered Titan laughing along with him, Titan agreeing to all his insane suggestions at the party. Titan cheering when Mathlin made his first perfect cupcake.
“I like you too,” Mathlin whispered.
Titan shuddered, a low rumble vibrating through his chest. “That’s—That’s good to know.”
When Mathlin leaned away, he found the tips of Titan’s ears red. His heart leaped. “Are you blushing?”
“No!” Titan’s ears grew redder.
Mathlin ducked his head and grinned to himself. “Anyway, I think I have a plan.”
“You do? A plan for what?”
“Well, maybe your bakery,” Mathlin said. “But also your healing.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“During my apprenticeship, I learned a few things. Not just healing magic. The wizard had some books about healing herbs, too.” Mathlin chewed his lip.
“Some herbs have to be cooked before you can eat them, so I was thinking... maybe you could bake those herbs into your bread and cookies? There’s herbs for all kinds of things.
Pain relief, accelerated healing, cures for flu and insomnia. Things like that.”
Titan was quiet for a long while. “You know... That might be really helpful. People already bake brownies with certain weeds in them, but... I don’t see why we can’t make healing brownies and cookies, too.”
Mathlin nodded. “Besides, not everyone has access to an apothecary. Sometimes they might be too sick to cook. If they had brownies on hand, that might help.”
“I’m liking that idea a lot more than selling myself on the internet, to be honest.” Titan stood straighter, looking almost... hopeful? “Would you like to help with the research and product testing?”
“You’ll be the lab rat,” Mathlin said. “Since you’re the one with the injuries.”
“I’m game,” Titan said. “Lay it on me.”
Over the next week, Titan and Mathlin worked together in the bakery. In the early mornings, Mathlin would make large batches of things, such as bread dough or pie crusts. These could easily be tweaked into a variety of pies and loaves without Mathlin having to put in a lot more work.
Titan was the brains behind the operation; he would tell Mathlin what to do next, so there was no time wasted while they waited for something to proof or bake.
Twin Buns still wasn’t operating at full capacity. At least the regulars were coming back in; when they did, Mathlin handed out samples of their new brownies. Right now, they were experimenting with brownies for pain relief.
“I think these might be working,” Titan said, leaning against the counter.
At the start of their experiment, he had eaten the herbs by themselves to see if they worked for his pain.
Then he had come up with a list of herb combinations and doses that Mathlin could add to small batches of brownie batter.
“We’ll have someone take them back to the pack,” Mathlin said, wrapping up the brownie squares and labeling them with the batch number. “It’s great that this is helping you.”
Titan’s smile sent warmth blooming through his chest.
“I’m thankful that you know all this about herbs and healing, you know,” the alpha said thoughtfully. “I don’t like the circumstances that made you learn them, but... you’ve been helping a lot.”
Mathlin had been healing Titan’s arm—the one with the broken bones. It was coming along well, and if Mathlin kept it up, Titan might even regain the use of his left arm by the end of next week.
“I’ve been thinking, though,” Titan said. “Your... master. Your captor. How likely is it that he’ll come looking for you?”
Mathlin’s stomach twisted. “I try not to think about it,” he mumbled, shuffling his feet. “It’s been years. He’s probably found someone else to enslave, right?”
Titan narrowed his eyes. “I’ll talk to Uriel about setting up some protections for you. Does he have a name?”
“Valberdon,” Mathlin mumbled. “Like someone decided to mash some names together.”
The fact that Titan thought it necessary to protect against Valberdon... That was enough to make his stomach squirm. Mathlin remembered the beatings the wizard had given him, the snide looks and cruel words—when Mathlin wasn’t fast enough, when he didn’t do things correctly enough.
It had been years. Surely Valberdon had forgotten about him.
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” Titan stepped closer, crowding Mathlin against the counter. He wrapped his bandaged arm around Mathlin and pulled Mathlin flush against his chest.
“You shouldn’t be using that arm,” Mathlin mumbled, even as he rubbed his face against Titan’s pecs.
“I don’t see you protesting too hard,” Titan said dryly, petting Mathlin’s back. “Besides, I want you to feel safe. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
Mathlin drew a shaky breath. “Is it okay if I hide for a while?”
Jannie was napping in her playpen; Twin Buns’ baked goods were all out of the ovens and in the display cases. No one needed Mathlin right now.
“Of course,” Titan murmured. “How can I help?”
Mathlin shook his head. He reached inward, to the part of him that was lazy afternoons spent in puddles of sunlight. The shift stole over his body. Black fur sprouted across his skin; his limbs shrank, and his sense of smell grew sharper.
He fumbled blindly against the clothes trapping him, yowling when he couldn’t find his way out.
The shirt lifted away. When Mathlin looked up, he found Titan crouched over him, huge and friendly-looking.
Titan inhaled slowly, his gaze raking over Mathlin from head to tail. “You’re gorgeous, sweetheart. Can I pet you?”
“Yeah,” Mathlin said, purring when one large hand scritched behind his ears and stroked down his back. It felt amazing. “You’re still not supposed to use that arm.”
Titan huffed. He swept Mathlin onto his generous lap and kept up the petting; his hand was so big that it spanned both sides of Mathlin’s body, reaching everything all at once.
“This is so good,” Mathlin said with a shiver. “It’s like a full body massage.”
“Hmm,” Titan rumbled. “We could try that sometime, when my arms are healed.”
Mathlin settled in and purred. It was a long while before he got tired of the petting, but when he did, he scampered up Titan’s chest and perched on his shoulder, sinking his claws through Titan’s shirt to help keep his balance. “Oops. I might be ruining your shirt.”
Titan laughed quietly and stood. He was tall. From his shoulder, Mathlin could see everything, more than what he could with his own human height.
“Walk around the bakery,” Mathlin said excitedly. “This is amazing. It’s like I’m a giant!”
Titan obliged, taking him through every single room. His alpha brothers had come in earlier this week and removed the pink satin curtains covering the walls, providing so much hilarious commentary that Mathlin had rolled around the floor with laughter.
“I’m glad Twin Buns no longer looks like the inside of an ass,” Mathlin said. “That was really bad.”
“You say that, but I’m sure Hamilton will find every chance to put those curtains back up.”
Mathlin groaned. He kneaded Titan’s shoulder with his paws, then because Titan was so broad, he curled into a ball next to Titan’s neck, watching the world from his perch.
Titan rumbled, pressing his cheek against Mathlin. “I like having you on my shoulder.”
Mathlin flicked his tail in delight. “Someday, you will shift too, and I will have my piggyback ride. Wolfyback ride?”
“Sure. I can’t wait for that.”
Titan stopped by Jannie’s playpen, watching as she slept.
“She’s adorable,” he murmured, so quietly that Mathlin wasn’t sure if Titan had been talking to himself.
“She is,” Mathlin agreed. “She’s a handful, though.”
Titan glanced at Mathlin from the corner of his eye. “You know that I’ve had the bakery and cabin fireproofed, right? Hamilton got some spells from Uriel.”
“You did?” Mathlin’s heart swelled.
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
Titan kept surprising Mathlin with how nice he was. Mathlin swallowed. “Do you... know what she is?”
Titan huffed. “Math, there are precious few fire-breathing species out there. And only a couple you would go out of your way to hide.”
Mathlin covered his face with his paws. “I suck at hiding.”
Titan laughed quietly. “You know I can hear her, right? Sometimes she makes these little growls. I don’t even have to be in the same building to catch that.
And I know she’s not a phoenix, because I’ve heard the sounds a phoenix chick makes.
One of my friends stopped by with his omega—Fang and Wren. They have a chick.”
“Oh.” Mathlin groaned. “Now I just feel silly.”
“Naw. Don’t be. You were trying to keep her safe.” Titan nuzzled him. “But I really enjoyed it when you laid Jannie on my chest. If you don’t mind... I’d love to do that again.”
Mathlin’s heart skipped. “Okay.”
Titan sat behind the checkout stand, awkwardly thumbing his phone with his left hand. “Hey, look at these cookies. They’re cat-shaped.”
“Aww!” Mathlin craned his neck for a better look. The cookies on Titan’s phone had chocolate chips for eyes, and they were all kinds of colors. “We can make that too! Different colors for different herb effects.”
Titan rumbled. “I like that idea.”
Mathlin settled back on Titan’s shoulder, content to watch his alpha scroll through pages of pictures for inspiration.
He began to feel strange. His teeth itched. He grew hungry, but for something bloody. “Titan?”
“Hmm?” Titan turned and nuzzled him.
“I feel weird.” Mathlin uncurled from his perch and hopped onto Titan’s lap, shifting back into his human shape. This left him naked; Titan raked his gaze shamelessly over Mathlin’s body. Mathlin flushed. “Hey! My eyes are up here.”
“I know.” Titan’s grin was wolfish. He met Mathlin’s gaze after a few more seconds, growing serious. “How weird are you feeling?”
“I don’t know.” Mathlin rubbed his belly. “I want... raw meat.”
“Raw meat?”
“Uh huh.”
“That’s not what you usually eat.”
Mathlin shook his head. His favorites were eggs and chicken, so this was puzzling. “I want raw meat anyway.”
Titan blinked. “Huh.”
He pressed his nose to Mathlin’s neck and sniffed. “You smell different. Sweeter.” Then he flicked his tongue against Mathlin’s skin. “You feel fuzzier, too.”
Now that Mathlin was looking more closely, his skin did look... slightly furry. Fine hairs had sprouted all over his arms and body—grey hairs? “That’s so weird.”
Titan frowned, pressing his cheek to Mathlin’s forehead. “No fever. No sickness that I can smell.”
They stared at each other.
“What do you think is wrong?” Mathlin blurted.
“I don’t know,” Titan said.