Chapter 5
Chapter Five
ROWAN
He woke up cold and grumpy.
Lifting his head, Rowan peered around his bright bedroom, the sun piercing through his eyeballs from the open blinds. The space wasn’t that big, and there definitely wasn’t anywhere for his giant mate to hide.
Holding still, he closed his eyes and listened, his heart dropping when all he picked up was his upstairs neighbor singing along to Bad Bunny. He slumped back down on his rumpled bed, the scent of their mating mocking him.
Why had Theo left? He’d let Rowan bite him! Did that mean nothing to him? And if he had to leave, why hadn’t he woken Rowan to say goodbye and let him know when he’d be back?
He tried not to assume the worst, reminding himself he didn’t know what sort of job or pack duties Theo might have. Maybe he’d been trying to be nice by letting him sleep…
It didn’t make him feel better.
Neither did the fact that when he poked his head outside, he found the deer gone too.
Showering made him feel even worse. Without a matching bonding bite, his mate’s scent disappeared down the drain with the water, leaving him smelling like just himself.
He was moodily making toast, the sheets in the washing machine, when he heard a noise. A sort of thump against his door. He took a bite of his food, then marched over and threw the door open.
“Hey,” Theo said, smiling and gently pushing past him with a duffel over one shoulder and several reusable grocery bags in his hands. “Thanks. I couldn’t get to my phone to text you.”
There were so many things wrong with that statement. “Do you even have my number?”
Theo glanced back at him, eyebrows arched. “What kind of stalker would I be if I didn’t?”
He pressed his lips together, determined not to find that answer cute. Crossing his arms over his chest, he pointedly glanced back outside. “Where did my deer go?”
“The hunter barracks. I’ll process it later, but we’ll need to get a freezer for all the meat.
” He set his grocery bags on the counter and then walked across the apartment toward the bedroom.
He disappeared inside and then reappeared a second later without the duffel.
“We can put it in the living room until we get a bigger place.”
Some of his annoyance began to thaw, and he shut the door finally, his bare feet freezing. “That’s a lot of we talk for someone who snuck out of my bed this morning…”
Theo stopped, one hand buried in a bag. He withdrew it and turned to face him, thick brows furrowed. “I didn’t sneak out.”
“You left without saying anything! That is by definition—”
“I tried to wake you, and you said, and I quote, ‘Leave me the fuck alone.’”
Rowan snapped his mouth shut. Yeah, that sounded like him. “Oh.”
“Oh,” Theo repeated, crossing his own arms. “Do you maybe want to try greeting your mate again?”
His mate.
Slinking forward, he pressed against Theo’s front, relieved when his arms dropped around him and gave him a squeeze. “Good morning, Daddy.”
Theo snorted, threaded his fingers into Rowan’s hair, and tugged his head back. “Good morning, mate. I’m sorry I wasn’t back by the time you woke up. I stopped by Morde’s and apologized for last night.”
“You did?” Rowan’s heart swelled with admiration. “That was nice of you.”
Theo hummed, then grabbed his waist and lifted him off the floor, depositing him on the counter next to his bags.
Gently, he cupped Rowan’s face and sealed their mouths together.
The kiss started soft and sweet, but Rowan wanted his mate’s scent back on him, the desire driving him to deepen it quickly.
Theo chuckled against his lips. “You forgive me?”
“Of course,” Rowan whispered, gripping the edges of his coat and blinking back tears. “I didn’t like it, but I’m the one who should apologize. I should have known you’d be right back.”
“We’ll get there.” Theo wrapped his arms around him again and tugged him forward into a warm hug that settled the last of Rowan’s nerves. “I brought you something.”
“Another courting gift?”
“I don’t think it counts as courting anymore,” Theo said, separating and moving closer to the bags. He looked in the first and then moved to the second, nodding to himself and reaching inside. “Close your eyes.”
Smiling, Rowan did as he was told, holding his hands out in front of him for good measure. A box was set on them, and it had a little heft to it. He inhaled, and his mouth started to water, the rich scents of chocolate and cream making his stomach growl.
“Cheater,” Theo said, chuckling. “Go ahead and open them.”
A white pastry box rested on his open palms, unsurprisingly. What did surprise him was the thick pair of fluffy socks on top of the box. They were black with yellow moons and stars decorating them.
“Since you can’t seem to remember to put some on despite it being winter,” Theo said, voice soft.
Rowan looked up at him, heart in his throat. “Thank you. I love them.”
His mate smiled, looking a little sheepish but pleased nonetheless.
“What’s in the box?” He had a feeling…
“Yule log cake from Sugar Kane.”
His lip wobbled, and he quickly set the gifts next to him, being careful not to let the socks slip off the top. Once his hands were free, he leapt at his mate, wrapping himself around him and burying his face in his neck.
“What’s wrong?” Theo asked, holding him tightly and brushing a hand down his back. “If you don’t like chocolate—”
“I love chocolate. Thank you.”
“Why the tears—”
“Thank you for finding me,” he said, barely holding back a sob. “Thank you for courting me. Thank you… for seeing me.”
“I’d find you anywhere, mate.” Theo’s hands tightened on him, but it didn’t hurt. It just made him feel even more safe. “Anywhere. We were destined.”
“Thank the goddess.”
Theo chuckled. “I will. Every day.”
Rowan sniffled wetly. “Can we lie back down for a while?”
“Of course, but only for an hour or so if you want to go to the Winter Solstice events in town. There are some vendors, and later, there’s—”
“Yes,” Rowan interrupted, lifting his head to smile at Theo. “I’d love to go with you.”
Theo stared at him, eyes full of emotion. “I can’t wait to show off my bonding bite.”
“Me either.”
As Theo carried him toward his bedroom—their bedroom now—he knew he’d made the right decision the night before when he’d thrown himself into the middle of a fight between a pack Enforcer and a man he’d never met but knew on sight.
His mate may have wooed him with a terrible gift, but he’d eat every bit of that deer and enjoy it.
Because his mate found him and wanted him and cherished him.
What more could he ever need.