21. Subtle Changes
Chapter twenty-one
Subtle Changes
I woke up the next morning, doing an internal inventory check to see if I could detect even a little change. Despite my sphincter feeling somewhat tender and sore, I didn’t feel any different. I was just the same old Damon.
Derek still lay asleep next to me, limps splayed out haphazardly and looking dead to the world. The sheet just so happened to cover his midsection in a provocative way, and I sat there for a few moments admiring the view. Derek was one of those people who ran hot when sleeping, so he usually slept in the nude.
I chuckled as I remembered the first night I stayed here with Derek. I was a chaotic mix of nerves and would steal glances at Derek’s naked form when he wasn’t looking, unable to believe that my life was changing in so many ways.
If the past Damon could only see me now, he would have sputtered in disbelief.
While I was tempted to wake Derek up with a few kisses in key select areas, I decided to let him sleep. He’s been under a s lot of stress these days and needed as much rest as he could get. There would be time to fool around later.
When I walked into the kitchen, I opted for a simple breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. When Derek woke up, I would probably cook him a full spread. Checking my class schedule, I saw that I had one in-person lecture for my political science class and a short-story assignment due for my literature class.
The thought of going to the lecture, where I might see Jason, didn’t evoke the emotions I had experienced in the past. Jason was a good-looking man, and I couldn’t help being attracted to him, but now, that feeling felt muted somewhat. It was as if I was still excited to see him, but in a friendly capacity and nothing more.
Which was a good thing because I hated the feeling that I was cheating on Derek just because I had the case of a wandering eye.
I had some time before I had to head out for class, so I thought that I might as well work on the short story assignment. Heading upstairs to my library/office/den—really needed to think of a cool name for the room—I sat down and pulled up the prompt of the writing assignment.
The assignment itself was simple, but the requirements needed in order to get a passing grade made it somewhat of a challenge. We were given a list of elements, and we had to incorporate the three elements in a particular line into our short story. The prompt that I chose had the elements of a campfire, a scream, and a lie that gets bigger and bigger. This was a perfect way for me to branch out into different genres, as this had the makings of a good horror or thriller story.
Well, easier said than done.
One of the hardest things I had trouble with when starting a new story was… knowing how to start a new story. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to begin a fresh new story with an incredible opening line. We want to hook readers and entice them to read what else we may have in store for them.
That’s the one thing I hated about writing. The possibilities were endless! But the question remained; do I play it safe, or should I be bold and daring?
Was I just procrastinating instead of actually writing at this moment? I’ll plead the fifth on that one.
A soft knock at the door was a welcome distraction from the glaringly blank page before me. Derek was by the door, audaciously wearing a tight T-shirt that strained across his chest and a new pair of boxer briefs I bought him last week.
Now, my heart will always have a soft spot for men who wear boxers—there’s just something manly about it, can’t explain it — but the way the fabric almost clung to his bulge, his mushroom head starkly visible…
Can’t believe I was getting jealous over a piece of underwear.
His hair was a mess, and even then, he was rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Although he looked rested and gave a sleepy grin, the bags under his eyes were getting worse, the usual energetic Derek I’ve come to know and love struggling under the weight of so much stacked against him.
“You hungry at all? I can make you something.” He sauntered over to my desk, wrapping his arms around me before planting a kiss on my forehead.
“Hmm, how about we cook breakfast together? I don’t think we’ve ever cooked something together yet.” I immediately racked my brain to find a moment where we did, but he was right. Either I got up to cook breakfast for him, or he was the first one to wake—which is a rare thing—and cooked breakfast for the both of us, despite my protests that I could make it.
Truthfully? I loved the fact that he was willing to make breakfast, but I could do without the mountain of protein this carnivore cooks for one meal.
“Huh, you’re right.”
“Don’t sound so shocked, brat.” I lightly swatted his bulge, causing him to cry out about the precious family jewels.
“ Anyway , making breakfast together sounds nice.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said, his hands roving over my shoulders and giving me a little massage. He looked over my shoulder to my blank page, the cursor constantly taunting me.
“Whatcha working on now?”
“It’s nothing, just an assignment for class,” I said, quickly explaining the tasks we were assigned and the prompt I picked.
“Ooh, that would make a nice thriller. Would you let me read it when it’s finished?”
“You want to read it?”
“Of course! I still want to read the one you were working on before, until you told me it was a ‘dumpster fire of a hot mess’, as you put it.”
“And I stand by those words.” The problem with that story is that it was basically word vomit, pornography in the written form, where the plot decided to leave around page three or so. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was ever gonna let him read that.
We eventually headed downstairs to the kitchen, Derek breaking away from me to start the coffee maker while I went to the fridge. I decided to make French toast with raisin bread. While Derek didn’t love it as much as I did, he did enjoy it, which was a happy middle ground.
“Are you going in to work today?”
“Nope! Decided that I needed a mental health week, so I won’t be going in till next week. Perks of being the boss,” he said, inhaling a freshly poured cup of coffee and letting out a sigh.
“I still can’t believe you drink your coffee with nothing added. Isn’t it too bitter?“ He scoffed at the question and gave me a wounded look as if I insulted his mother and was feeling betrayed.
“Are you kidding? The bitter taste is the best part! Especially that first sip, the one that makes you scrunch up your face and question your life choices.” He went ahead to show it by taking a sip and grimacing, giving me a look of encouragement. “See?” he said weakly.
“I’m gonna pass and stick to my iced coffee that’s filled with creamer and sugar.”
“You sure?” He takes another sip, the second grimace less intense than the first, “you’re missing out.” I nodded.
“Shouldn’t you have gotten used to the bitter taste by now?”
“Well, it says that black coffee helps boost the metabolism and burn fat…”
Ah, the real culprit has finally revealed itself.
I’m not na?ve enough to think that Derek’s problem with how he views himself would disappear overnight—not that I can judge either, I still have my own securities—but a part of me wants to blame Yasmina for showing up and calling him fat. That would’ve been a huge ego killer for anyone, to have your ex show up and insult you like that.
I handed him my own cup of coffee, which was mostly sugar at that point.
“While I think it’s great you want to be healthy, I also think it’s important to enjoy the sweet things in life.”
“I got all the sweets I need now that I got you in my life,” he said with a wink.
“Okay, while that was smooth , I mean actual sugar.“ I offer my mug again, fanning the sweet aroma towards him in the hopes that he’ll actually take it.
For a while, I didn’t think he would budge, the internal war he was fighting written all over his face.
When he finally accepted the offering, I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from grinning in victory. It’s a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
“You have class today?”
“Yeah, but it’s not until later. Figured I’d try to get some assignments done before heading out.”
“Well, you can certainly head back upstairs and do those boring ol’ assignments …” He walked around the island, trailing his fingers down my sides. “ Or we could, I dunno, have some fun?“ He pushed up against me, and I could feel his hard length rubbing up my spine.
“Really? It’s not even ten in the morning.”
“So?”
When he put it like that, it made me feel stupid for even bringing it up. Were I to continue, I would probably end up sounding like a prude where I said it's too early. Besides, it’s not like it’s the first time we fooled around so early in the morning. But this time feels different. The way he’s looking at me, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knotted me again. It seems like Derek once Derek had a taste of forbidden fruit, he couldn’t get enough of it. The feeling was definitely mutual. Feeling his knot for the first time seems like a fever dream, my hole twitching just even thinking about how much it stretched me last night.
“You know what? You’re right.”
“I’m sorry, could you say that again? I’m having trouble hearing you,” he said, grinning in amusement and looking smug.
“Haha, funny. Keep it up, and your window of opportunity might just close in your—“ I never got to finish because I found myself hoisted over Derek’s shoulder. He didn’t waste any time taking us to the bathroom, delivering smacks to my ass along the way and causing me to squirm.
“I was gonna spank you for being such a brat, but you seem to be enjoying it a little too much,” he said, punctuating his words with another slap. “You are just full of surprises, aren’t you? I wonder what other kinks you have swimming in that head of yours.”
You and me both! I had no clue that even the idea of spanking, let alone being spanked in the first place, would send me into a state of aching arousal. Even thinking about it now, the idea of spanking in itself didn’t cause any strong reaction. But if I added Derek as a factor into the spanking, his strong arms keeping me in place as he bent me over his knees, his hands descending in an irregular rhythm to keep me guessing when the next blow would land…
Derek tossed me on the bed, taking off his shirt before climbing on top, using his body to pin me on top.
“You are enjoying it, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little…”
“Well, good. I want you to tell me what you like and what you don’t like. I’d like to think I’m somewhat adventurous in bed, and I want you to be able to voice what you want. Pleasure should go both ways. Now, what do you want?”
“I…” I loved Derek, in so many ways, but one of my favorites is the way he cares about my needs and what I want. However, his current request had blood rushing to my face in embarrassment. I can’t tell him that I want him to bend me over his knee! What if he thinks it's weird? A grown man asking another grown man to spank would definitely fall into the weird category.
It didn’t help that he was staring at me with this earnest look in his eyes, almost in excitement. How could I not tell him when he looked at me like that?
“I-I liked it. When you spanked me.” He nodded for me to continue. I licked my lips in apprehension before continuing. “I imagined you pulling me over your knee to do it.” Derek gave me an evil grin.
“Oh, is that right? Well, no time like the present.” He rolled off me, his weight a comfort I instantly missed. He sat at the edge of the bed, patting his knee. When I didn’t move, he grabbed me by the leg and pulled me across the bed, making me yelp in surprise. My heart was pounding, my cock straining in my underwear.
Derek started to stroke himself with slow movements, smirking as I couldn’t help but stare. It still amazes me to this day that such a teddy bear could change into a whole different person with the flip of a switch.
“You still have that white jockstrap, right?”
“Huh?” My mind was in a daze, unable to comprehend anything other than the Alpha right in front of me.
“The jockstrap. Do you still have it?” he asked patiently. I nodded. “Good, go put it on.” I almost fell flat on my face as I rushed to find it in the closet. After a few minutes of pouring through drawers and trying to find them, I grew frustrated. After ten minutes, Derek called out to me in a stern voice, the deep timbre of it causing me to shiver and my balls to ache.
“What’s taking so long?”
“Sorry,” I said breathlessly as I rushed back into the room, “I can’t seem to find them.” He only grunted in reply, patting his knee again. I needed no further explanation, going to his side instantly and gently lowering myself over his knees. The first blow came without warning, causing me to cry out.
“That was for losing your jockstrap. I really liked those on you. If you’re a good boy, maybe I’ll buy you a new one. Want Daddy to buy you a new one.” I had to cover my mouth to keep from either screaming or laughing hysterically. What the hell was happening? Was this a dream? If it was, I never wanted to wake up!
“T-Thank you… Daddy.” Oh god, I hate myself right now, but I am so turned on that it didn’t really matter at this point.
“No problem baby,” he said with a purr, planting a kiss where he struck me earlier. He started to massage one of my cheeks, the other hand used to slowly rim my hole.
“God, look at you. You’re soaking wet.” His finger was replaced with his tongue, causing me to jerk in surprise. He used his forearms to keep me in place, while his hands spread my cheeks apart so he could attack my hole like it was a goddamn buffet. He began to alternate between using his tongue and using his fingers to pump into me.
I could feel his stiff cock poking into my stomach, precum making my skin slick. I was writhing beneath the punishing assault of tongue and fingers, my body shaking with all the stimuli I was receiving.
Before, he would simply graze my prostate, but now he was hitting it square on, making me cry out each time. When I finally couldn’t take it anymore, I screamed as my orgasm made spots dance across my vision, my body tensing as wave after wave of pleasure hit me. It felt like it would continue forever until my balls felt well and truly empty. I slumped into a boneless heap, unable to even move after an orgasm of that magnitude.
“Mmm, good boy,” Derek growled, removing his fingers from my hole and placing them in his mouth. He groaned, his eyes fluttering as he licked his fingers clean. My cock was trying to do the impossible by getting hard again not even a minute after climaxing.
“Want me to take care of you?” I wasn’t the type of lover to only focus on my pleasure. Since Derek took such good care of me, I felt like I had to outdo him in a way. If I didn’t have class in a couple of hours, I’d be begging him to knot me right now.
“No that’s okay, I came already.”
“Wait, what?! When did you—“ He grinned sheepishly.
“Watching you fuck yourselves on my fingers, and the sounds you were making just did something to me. Add in the fact that your stomach was rubbing my head…” he said with a shrug.
Well, when he put it like that…
He picked me up and carried me to the bathroom, setting me down before turning on the shower, hot water making the room quickly fill with steam.
“When does your class start again?” The way he was rubbing against me, I could tell he wanted to go again, this time finishing inside me. My already aching hole clenched with anticipation, but I shook the horny thoughts away and locked them in an airtight room.
“Derek, I can’t. I’d love to, but I really need to get to class on time. I do not want to have to take another stupid government class.“ He pouted his lips, looking crestfallen. Just that look alone already had me thinking of alternatives. I was moments away from telling him to go ahead if we made it quick when he beat me to it.
“Eh, that’s okay. I can wait till you get home. Then you’re all mine. Mate .“ My body shivered at the way he said the word mate like he was staking his claim on me, and I was his prey to take at his leisure.
“O-Okay.” I don’t know why I was suddenly breathless and weak in the knees, but I needed my body to get its act together. If Derek really knew what kind of effect he was having on me right now, his ego was liable to poke an eye out.
Derek’s darker Alpha side seemed to have gone into hibernation, the sweet man I was more familiar with emerging again. He lathered soap in his hands and began to wash my body with a tender, almost reverent touch.
Besides playful touches that had me threatening him to stop or else I’d jump his bones—he quickly called my bluff by saying that I was welcome to cancel my plans to go to class—nothing really of note happened in the shower. I was still debating with myself if I was disappointed or not.
“Hey Bubba,” I said, opening the fridge door to see what was inside, “what do you want for dinner tonight?”
“Don’t worry about dinner. Figured I’d fire up the grill and make some burgers.” I gave him a flat look.
“You do realize it's currently fifty degrees outside… right?”
“Eh, I’ll be alright. All I gotta do is put my winter coat on.”
“Alright, but if you get sick, don’t expect me to nurse you back to health. Cause the answer will be no.”
“You say that now, but you and I both know you will.”
I will, but I can at least save face and try to deny it.
I shrug as nonchalantly as I can and make my way to the door. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we? Love you, bye!” I shut the door before he could get a word in. Let him stew in the potential what-ifs for a little bit.
While I waited for the car to warm up, I texted Sarah the good news, but then instantly regretted it once I pressed send.
Was getting knotted something you tell your friends about, let alone your friend who used to be your caseworker?
Before I had a chance to type a quick text asking to please forget the previous message ever happened, she replied with a bunch of emojis and congratulating me on finally bonding. I shouldn’t be surprised she was in the know, considering she works with Alphas and Omegas.
On the drive to class, I still had the short story idea in the back of my mind, wondering what elements I could incorporate to make it a compelling story people would actually want to read.
When I started to wonder how authors create suspense in written media, I quickly realized that I had never read any books in that genre. Of course, there was a quick remedy for that; go to your local bookstore.
Unfortunately, Derek has limited my book spending limit, a travesty that surely had the angels weeping. It wasn’t the end of the world though. Due to my frugal upbringing, I knew a rarely tapped treasure trove just full of books begging to be read.
The local library!
With plans to stop by once I had a day off, I parked and quickly made my way to the Sociology building where the lectures were usually held. Others on campus were doing the same, as no one felt the need to socialize during the brisk afternoon, although there were a few souls who braved the elements and seemed to enjoy themselves sitting in the sun for warmth.
One such individual was Jason, which was a surprise. What was even more surprising was that I found my feet heading in his direction without consulting me first. What was I even gonna say once I got there?
It was too late to think of anything other than ‘Hey, how are you?’, which was my go-to when it came to interacting with people you haven’t seen in a while. It’s work for me so far...
“Hey stranger, how you’ve been? I haven’t seen you in a while...” Jason said as I walked up to him. His brow furrowed as he took a couple of deep breaths through his nose, immediately making me self-conscious. Did I still smell after taking a shower? I sniffed my arm just to make sure, but didn’t smell anything that would warrant such a reaction from him.
“I see things are going well. Had your partner kept stalling to claim you, I would’ve done it myself.”
“H-How’d you know?” Was the fact that I was claimed tattooed across my forehead or something? Or was it the face one makes after sex, and people could easily tell?
“It’s your scent. It’s muted somewhat, and not only that but there’s a hint of Alpha in it now.” Ah, well, that would explain why he was sniffing me like a dog.
“Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag...” It wasn’t like I was gonna keep it a secret or anything, but it was nice to know that I wouldn’t be approached by random Alphas ant some point.
Not that that has happened a lot. Or ever.
“What about you? How are things on your end?” I asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from sexual-related topics.
Jason sighed and tossed his head back, his eyes glued to the sky. He looked so sad that I didn’t even realize I had reached out until he turned to look at where my hand rested on his arm. He gave me a soft smile and patted my hand before pulling away.
“Everything is going as well as can be. My family is being a pain in my ass, is all. Wish I could just cut ties with them.” His phone chimed in his pocket. “Speak of the devil...” He pulled it out and looked to see why it went off. Oddly enough, he looked at me out of the corner of his eye and tilted his phone away from me.
“Ooh, did someone send you something you didn’t want me to see?” He smiled, or grimaced more like.
“Yeah, something like that. Listen, I gotta go, but we should hang out sometime, yeah? I promise I won’t try to hit on you,” he said with a wink.
“You were hitting on me before?”
“Hmm, more like friendly flirting in the hopes of becoming more? But since you didn’t notice, I’ll happily take my wounded pride and try my luck in other avenues.”
“Oh, c’mon! You got looks and charm, what’s not to like? I’m sure you’ll find someone one day.”
“Thanks, Damon. Well, catch you later.” I waved goodbye, watching him go in the opposite direction of the Sociology building where our class was held. He looked so lonely, his lone figure walking down the paved walkways, his leisure gait telling the world that he didn’t have anywhere to be at the moment.
The next time Derek has his friends over for football, I’ll try to see if Jason and hang out with them. I’ll have to catch Derek in a good mood before I ask, though. Considering the last time they met, it didn’t go over so well. But it’s been a while, and people have changed.
Jason doesn’t seem like the typical frat bro, more like a mature—if inexperienced—politician. Derek and I are both learning to love ourselves as well as each other, seeing firsthand the wonders of how effective communication changes our dynamic.
The biggest change of all, something I wouldn’t openly admit to, was that my intense attraction to Jason has changed. Before, even talking to him had me flustered. He would stay in my thoughts for days . But now, that intense infatuation has cooled into a lukewarm platonic interest.
As I walked to class, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Claiming was responsible for such a mental shift.