Chapter Five Matt
Islammed the door behind me as I got back to my room, my heart still pounding in my chest. My mind was racing so fast that I could barely think. All I knew was that some complete stranger had just called me his mate. He’d most likely done it just to get an easy piece of ass. But that wasn’t what concerned me most. I was frankly horrified that I’d been rock-hard since the moment he touched me.
What the fuck?!
But I wasn’t going to stick around to figure it out. Ignoring my dick, I stomped over to the bed, pulling my backpack out from under it. I didn’t have much, but everything I did have went back into it. For a moment, I thought about taking one of the pillows but settled on just taking the toiletries instead. I’d rather have my teeth than a soft place to put my head. The hotel’s cushy bed was a nice treat for a single night, but I had to get out of there.
As I was stuffing the two extra toothbrushes I’d stolen into my bag, there was a knock at the door.
“Matt?” It was Sam’s voice. “I’ve got your lunch.”
“I’m not hungry!” I called back. My stomach growled in protest, but I didn’t care.
There was an audible sigh from the other side of the door. “I’m alone,” Sam added. “I sent Ace away.”
I paused. “What do you want with me?”
“I just want you to eat your lunch.”
Reaching inside my bag, I pulled out the small pocket knife I had and flipped it open. “Nothing else?”
“What could I possibly want from you, Matt? You don’t have anything.”
“I don’t know if you’re running some kind of sex trafficking ring or something!”
Another sigh. “A werewolf sex trafficking ring? Do you know how fucking hard that would be to manage?” He paused a moment. “Look, I will just stand outside your door if that’s what you want, but you need to eat.”
He was right. I did need to eat. And if hearing him out meant a free meal, maybe I could deal with it. Besides, if I didn’t like what he said, I could just sneak out after he left. He’d never know the difference.
“Fine,” I said, heading toward the door with my knife clutched in my hand. “But don’t think I won’t defend myself just because I’m small!”
“I don’t doubt you.”
Getting on my tip-toes, I glanced through the peephole into the hallway. Sam had backed himself to the opposite wall. Just as he said, he was alone and holding a plate in one hand and a bowl in the other. He looked more annoyed than anything, but not like he was about to attack me. Still, I kept the knife in my hand as I pulled the door open slowly.
“Do you want me to come in or just hand it to you?” he asked, his eyes flicking down to the knife in my hand. “I don’t care. I just want you to eat.”
I stared at him for a long moment. “You can bring it in.”
He nodded. “Alright.”
Stepping aside, I let Sam into the room and closed the door behind him, flipping the lock into place. He didn’t flinch. Instead, he took my food over to the small desk in the corner and sat it down. I was still standing near the door when he turned around. His gaze worked over the room, landing on my backpack and the extra toiletries I’d stolen scattered around it.
“There’s more of that stuff in the bottom drawer of the vanity,” he said, gesturing to the toothbrushes and toothpaste. “I think I have some deodorant and stuff, too, if you want it.”
“Are you saying I stink?!”
He sighed. “No. I’m just offering to help you if you’re really going to go through with leaving.” He gave me a good once-over. “Where are you gonna go?”
“Anywhere but here,” I snapped, working my way over to the bed. I made sure never to turn my back to him. “I don’t want to become the victim of a crime.”
“First of all,” Sam replied, his tone much harsher now. “I don’t let things like that happen in my hotel. And I don’t like you insinuating that I put you in danger.”
“You heard that fucking asshole downstairs!”
“You’re right, I did. And you have every right to be upset with him. But I think you need to take a good hard look at your reaction here.”
“Why the hell should I?”
“Because,” Sam said calmly. “He called you his mate. He didn’t touch you without your permission, or try to kidnap you, or anything like that. In fact, he didn’t even say it in a threatening tone.” I opened my mouth to retort, but Sam held up his hand to silence me. “I’ve known Ace for over a decade. The man wouldn’t hurt a fly. I understand that you’re going through the hardest time of your life right now, and your emotions are all over the place. That’s valid, and I get it. But one idiot saying something stupid to you shouldn’t be the reason you end up on the street.”
“Why not?!” I cried, tears forming much quicker than I could stop them. “That’s what got me here in the first place!”
My hands fell to my sides and my shoulders began to shake. I was crying again. I fucking hated that. I tried to wipe them away, but they wouldn’t stop coming. A flash of movement in my periphery sent me into an immediate panic. Without thinking, I lashed out with the pocket knife, the blade sinking into something hard.
I looked up, my hands going to my lips as I realized I’d driven the pocket knife to the hilt in Sam’s deltoid. But he didn’t flinch. Instead, he just wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close.
“I understand now,” he said softly, patting the back of my head. “You poor boy.”
And that was the final straw. The floodgates burst open as I leaned into Sam, sobbing against his chest. It wasn’t one of those sorts of cries that let people know you’re hurt or upset. This was the kind of unhinged sobbing that made people wonder if you’d survive. Everything I’d been holding back for the past week suddenly rushed out of me all at once. My body shook and ached while Sam held onto me tightly. At one point, he led me over to the bed, continuing to hug me as my body emptied itself of every single emotion I had.
How long it lasted, I wasn’t sure. I just knew by the time I could finally breathe normally again, the sun outside definitely looked a bit lower in the sky. That and the knife in Sam’s shoulder was gone. There was a small bloodstain on his shirt, but the wound had already closed up.
“I’m… I’m so sorry,” I said, wiping my eyes as I pulled away from Sam. “I shouldn’t have–”
“Stabbed me?” he asked, cutting me off. “No, you probably didn’t need to do that. But you obviously needed to get all those emotions out. You’ve been holding that in for a while, haven’t you?”
I nodded silently.
“It’s important to get that stuff out. Especially when you’ve gone through so much so quickly.” He got up from the bed and went into the bathroom. The water turned on for a moment, and when he came back, he was holding a small plastic cup. “Drink this, or you’re gonna get dehydrated.”
“Are you always this nice to your guests?” I asked, taking the cup.
“Yep,” he replied nonchalantly. “Had to turn more than a few of them down too. People in situations like what you and I have been through tend to mistake nurturing for romance.” He gave me a pointed look. “So don’t get any ideas.”
I shook my head. “I won’t. I’m never dating again.”
“Because that’s what got you into this mess?”
“We… We weren’t even dating…” I sighed, feeling the familiar pang of heartache in my chest. “It was just a one-time thing.”
“Can I ask who it was?”
I shrank down into myself, feeling the heat of shame rush to my cheeks. “It was… the Alpha’s son.”
“Ah.” Sam nodded. “He got what he wanted and turned you in, didn’t he?”
I shook my head. “No. His dad caught us. And he… well, he said I forced him into it.”
“And did you?”
My brows furrowed as I looked up at Sam. “Do you think I could?!” I gestured at all five foot five of me and my massive hundred and thirty pounds of pure skin and bone. “Besides, he was the one that fucked me.”
“You aren’t the first person that’s told me a story like that,” Sam replied. “In fact, Ace had one similar.”
“I don’t want to hear about him,” I scoffed. “I don’t ever want to see him again either.”
Sam’s voice took on a parental tone. “Well, then I would suggest you avoid the kitchen on Tuesdays. Ace is my friend. He’s also the reason I can help wolves like you and feed them. Without his produce, I wouldn’t be able to offer as many meals as I do.”
I hung my head. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he replied. “Just be aware. You might not like him or what he said, but I can promise you he won’t hurt you. So you have nothing to worry about. All I ask is that you be respectful of him if you do happen to run across him.”
“Why did he say that?” I asked. “I don’t understand why he called me his mate. Does he do that to everyone?”
“No, he doesn’t. In fact, he hardly talks to anyone at all. It caught me by surprise as much as it did you.” Sam glanced over at my backpack. “So, are you going to stay?”
I nodded sheepishly. “Yeah.”
“Good. Put those supplies back in the drawer then and eat your lunch.” He pushed himself up from the bed and headed for the door. “Take your dishes down to the kitchen and wash them when you’re done, alright? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to take care of.”
“More wolves coming in?” I asked.
“No.” He pulled open the door. “I’m gonna go yell at Ace for freaking you out.”
Sam was gone in a flash, the door shutting behind him. I sat there for a long moment, processing everything that had happened. For some reason, I felt a small pang of guilt. There was a part of me, however small, that didn’t think Ace deserved to be yelled at. Then again, it was nice to know Sam had my back.
The moment I pictured Ace in my mind, my cock twitched and began to lengthen once more. There was something about those blue eyes and that cowboy hat that did something for me. I let out a long sigh.
My dick was just never going to learn its lesson.