Alpha Assignment (BL) Chapter 50 (Early Access) (Patreon)

Skin and bones in the shape of a woman perched at the corner of Quinn’s sofa. The crease between the cushions was eyeing her up for a snack. Wes balanced on the opposite arm, feet grazing the floor with each swing. Remi was stood in the centre of the carpet, when he looked to Quinn as he entered, his face was pinched with anxiety.

Quinn didn’t make it entirely into the room before he halted, he had seen what he needed.

"Remi," he murmured. With one look, he ordered his mate to the doorway with him. Remi scurried over, top-knot bobbing and arms stiff by his side. Wes and the woman remained seated, Quinn noticed now that they had mugs and small plates of snacks with them. They didn’t dare sip or bite while he was still in the room. He turned away, and led Remi out.

In the faux privacy of the downstairs hallway, Quinn hissed, "Who. Is. That?"

"That's Eveline," Remi answered innocently, as though confirming tomorrow's weather prediction.

"Is she here to take Wes away?"

Remi looked away.

"I'm taking that as a no."

Remi shrugged at their coats, hung up along the wall and shrinking the space.

"Look at me," Quinn whispered.

Dark eyes reconnected with his, awkward and nervous.

"Why is she here?"

"I found her."

Quinn felt his stomach sink. He had been dreading those exact three words. "In Sanctuary?"

A guilty nod.

"Why bring her here?"

"There's no food there."

"There are plenty of other places with foo-"

"It's safe here, we have an alpha."

"No. No." He resisted the urge to shake him. Not violently, just a gentle wake-up. A call to reality. Remi had an alpha's protection, the others had nothing. "No, they don't-"

"Please."

No, Quinn would not be swayed, not this time. "Remi,” he sighed.

"Please." The whine of an omega truly was an amazing and devastating thing. Quinn’s heart melted, dripping guilt through his veins for even pushing back against his little mate.

He hunched in closer, lowering his tone further. "Could you not have at least waited until Wes was gone?"

"She wouldn't have survived that long." It wasn't necessary for Remi to say it, the woman's appearance had told Quinn the sad fact already: she had been starved, presumably from within Sanctuary if she couldn't leave without being snatched back and returned to her pack. Remi had suffered the same way during his own escape attempt.

The fact that Quinn's scent on Remi had kept any attackers at bay made him quietly proud. He would never admit it aloud, it was a stupid Neanderthal instinct. But even from his office, his scent markers were always protecting his mate. As it should be - approaching an alpha mate with anything but polite and gentle intentions should be an assumed death sentence. What was far more important, and worrying, was that they had no doubt been watched leaving the forest. Maybe even followed.

Quinn dropped to his knees, levelling their eye-line. He pulled Remi close, half hug and half protective hold. "You don't know who could have been following you, who could have been watching you. If anything happene-"

"I'm sorry,” he said, a little petulantly if Quinn was feeling pedantic. “I couldn't just leave her."

"Remi, I'm serious, you cannot keep doing this.” He squeezed his tiny arms to the beat of two words:  “Call me.” They had phones for a reason - safety, and constant connection to maintain that safety. “I could have brought her food and supplies - gladly - but you don't understand the danger it puts us all in by bringing more people here."

Remi’s bottom lip popped out in a sulk. "What's wrong with more people?"

"The Assembly will think we are forming a pack, and I haven't filled out any pack paperwork because I don't want a pack.” Quinn crouched himself shorter by one more inch to look up at Remi’s down-tilted pout. “I am happy with just us, so let's keep it that way, okay?"

Remi nodded, a little limp.

"Promise me, my mate."

"Promise?"

"Promise that you won't bring any more strays home with you. We can help from a safe distance, but this is not safe. We - and by that I mean me - could get charged with crimes."

That last statement widened dark eyes. "I promise."

"Thank you." He pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Tonight, we feed her, tomorrow, we find homes for both of them."

"Thank you, Quinn."

Quinn kissed him again. "I love you, and I'm sorry we can't build up a big group of nice people just like you."

"Blame the Assembly," Remi mumbled, and his bitter disappointment made Quinn hate the werewolf institution just a little more.

Quinn ruffled his hair, dislodging the top-knot. "Exactly. And we don't want to give them any reason to bring more of their bullshit to our home." He stood and took Remi’s hand to return to the living room.

Dinner. Bed. A not-pack morning meeting to discuss the next steps. By midday tomorrow Quinn expected his house’s occupancy to return to two.

Remi cooked, Eveline assisted, Wes watched until Quinn barked at him. Soon, their evening meal was served. Remi and Quinn sat at one end of the dining table with the intruders at the other.

When Eveline shared, over a creamy casserole filled with cheese, where exactly she had been living prior to Sanctuary, Quinn choked on his mouthful.

"It's okay, Alpha,” Eveline attempted to reassure. “They lost us as soon as we entered the human-dense areas out of their jurisdiction."

Interrupted by coughs, Quinn managed to croak, "That doesn't make me feel any better."

An ex-Assemby employee. In his home. A fugitive from the exact organisation Quinn was trying to avoid. When he peeked over at Remi, his mate had no reaction, focused on his meal instead. It told Quinn everything he needed to know about whether or not Remi had been aware of Eveline's prior affiliations.

"Pack changes happen," Wes grunted.

Quinn snapped, "This is not a pack." Reaching from the next seat over to pat his hand, Remi attempted a calming touch that didn't help.

Eveline squinted around the table, checking for a prank. When her gaze returned to Quinn, she had lost a little of the colour the food had brought her. "This is a very risky project you are running here."

"I'm not running anything here. My mate pitied you both and brought you here, and it's my priority to move you along before we get ourselves in trouble."

"Very wise, Alpha," Eveline murmured, bringing her face closer to her bowl meekly.

"I don't get it." Announced through full cheeks by Wes.

Eveline looked to Quinn for permission to speak, Quinn gave a half-nod. He didn't have the energy to be educating West on the ways of their world, it wasn't his job. It had once been Eveline’s though, as an employee of the Assembly.

"I assume what Alpha means it that he has not registered as having a pack."

Wes scoffed. "Fuckin' Assembly and their forms."

"Don't swear in front of my mate," Quinn growled.

Remi gave him an exasperated look, reminding him that they both swore. Despite having heard Remi drop curse words a whole two times since they had met, it still felt instinctively wrong to be using foul language in front of an omega, especially Quinn’s omega mate.

"Sorry, Omega."

"And don't call him that."

"Sorry, Alpha Mate."

"Mmm." Quinn could accept that title at least, it couldn’t be used in a demeaning tone. He waved his fork at Eveline to continue.

"If the Assembly suspects an alpha has formed a pack without registering it with them,” Eveline continued. “They can incarcerate the pack as a whole and try them as rogue wolves."

Quinn’s fork froze. “All of us?” He looked to Remi. “I was under the impression it was just me.”

“No, we would all be seen as rogues, although you would no doubt face harsher penalties for being the ringleader.”

Quinn stood, abrupt and clumsy. He couldn’t let these idiots get Remi in trouble. “Get the hell out of my house.”

“Quinn!” Remi gasped.

Wes and Eveline rose from their own seats, uncertain, looking between the pair for confirmation.

Remi jumped up too, arguing, “You said until morning!”

“I changed my mind.”

Remi’s eyes filled with tears immediately. “That’s not fair, Alpha,” he whined, already sounding a little congested with the oncoming waterworks.

“Hey, don’t- I-” Quinn yanked Remi into his lap by the sweater, wrangling him into a forceful hug. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go back on my word.” He sighed and looked between the pair of moochers, letting them know they could return to their free meal. “I just don’t want them getting you into trouble with the Assembly.” Remi cuddled closer, wriggling himself into every nook of Quinn’s body. He was welcome to all of it. Quinn nuzzled Remi’s hair under his cheek. “You want to help everyone, but we have to be careful, okay?”

Remi sniffed and nodded against Quinn’s neck, spreading their scents against one another.

The guests stayed silent for the remainder of their dinner, and Remi finished his meal from Quinn’s lap. Bedtime commenced immediately after the dishes were washed, and everyone bar Wes seemed relieved at the alpha’s order.

Wes slept on the sofa. Eveline got the spare room. Quinn and Remi curled up in each other’s company, cuddling in their pyjamas knowing they wouldn’t fall asleep for hours yet. It was to save Quinn the stress of being around the others, he guessed. Remi wanted to be tucked up before he could kick off again. In their cosy clothes and blankets, they could pretend Wes and Eveline didn’t exist.

“Can I help more?” Remi enquired from his pillow.

Quinn shuffled closer. “Help? What do you mean? You do plenty.”

“You’ve been kinda… aggressive lately.” Remi traced the edges of his pillow with his pinky. “I think I should be helping you, as your mate.”

Aggressive. The word shocked Quinn silent for a moment. “Me?” he breathed. “I had no idea, Remi, I would never mea-”

“Not with me.” He brushed his fingertips over Quinn's skin, feather-light, finding new places to trace. "With Wes, and that guy in that clothes shop, and..." A pause, and his eyes darted away. "Jordan messaged me... on my phone. He said you threatened his boyfriend."

"Not a good boyfriend,” Quinn grumbled.

"I know, but do you think maybe... there's something I could do to help you feel a bit less tense?"

"Promising you won't bring any more people back to our home has already helped, Remi." Quinn sighed. "I'm sorry for letting the alpha out too much lately. I try to keep it in check but I think you're right - the stress of the last two weeks has gotten to me."

“I don’t think you should have to hide who you are,” Remi murmured.

“That’s not who I am.”

“I like it, sometimes,” Remi admitted. Even in the dim room, Quinn could see the flush tinting his round cheeks.

He rolled in close, teasing Remi’s sides with light tickles. “Is that why you’ve been letting my title slip out so much lately?”

Remi buried his face in his pillow and garbled something into the material.

“Hmm?” Quinn tickled him more, this time his answer was concealed by giggles.

It only took an hour or so of… gentle stroking… to get the answer loud and clear.