Alpha Assignment (BL) Chapter 3 (Early Access) (Patreon)

The early morning air always tasted freshest. Quinn breathed deeply, following a guided meditation through his headphones. From rolling his ankles to wiggling his fingertips, the energy in his mind spread through the rest of his body with gentle stretching.

One final deep exhale, pulling in his navel as it released, and the track ended. Quinn turned to find his phone and shuffle a morning motivation playlist. Behind him, a small and dishevelled creature had been awaiting his attention.

“Remi!” Quinn gasped, clutching a hand to his chest. His fright wasn’t entirely the omega’s fault. Quinn had lived alone for a long time, and it suited him well.

Fleecy pyjamas hung from Remi’s tiny frame. His bare toes poked out from the pools of extra fabric at his feet. The skin of his face had puffed to regress his age appearance even further.

"Good morning, Alpha." His voice was husky and his words slurred.

"You're up early," Quinn commented.

"An omega-" He was interrupted by a squeaky yawn. "-should always be up... when their alpha is up."

Quinn dropped his hips back against the counter, resigned to untangling another strange pack rule he was unfamiliar with. Last night had been 'alphas must bathe before omegas' even though the guest bedroom had an en suite. They weren’t sharing a tub. After circles of unproductive debate, he’d had to give in and tell Remi he could do as he pleased in the guest room. Have a bath at two in the morning for all it mattered, he thought, but kept that addition to himself. Repeating like a mantra that it wasn’t Remi’s fault, it was the Assembly’s. It was the wolf societal rules they upheld that had made him this way.

"Why?"

It took a few seconds for Remi to answer, visibly fighting off another yawn. "To assist with anything the alpha might need."

"I don't need any assistance."

"Oh."

"You can go back to bed if you're tired."

"No, thank you, Alpha."

Quinn nodded, unsurprised, and turned back to the counter to begin the next stage of his morning rituals. Coffee and breakfast.

"Would you like a coffee?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Um, if that is what you would like, Alpha,” was the rasped response.

Quinn squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, gathering his puny reserve of pre-coffee patience. "I would like you to have what you like,” he replied slowly.

"I like doing what my alpha likes."

Quinn let his head droop towards the counter. "I like conversations that don't hurt my brain at six in the morning,” he said to the quartz slab under his hands.

"Me too, Alpha,” Remi chirped from behind him.

‘It’s a good thing you’re cute,’ was what Quinn wanted to say, instead he settled for a sigh and, "Let's start from the top: have you tried coffee before?"

"No, Alpha."

"Would it... make you unhappy to try coffee today?"

"No, Alpha."

"Okay." He tried not to sound too worn out already. The day had only just begun. "Let's have coffee."

While the kettle boiled, Quinn collected a pair of mugs, identical to every other in his cupboard, and his half-litre cafetière. The ground coffee filled the room with a dark and nutty aroma as soon as he popped the clasp on the jar he used to store his roast of the week. He didn’t have a favourite yet. Two tablespoons into the cafetière and the kettle clicked, signalling what the steam could have told Quinn already.

As he poured the hot water over the powdery coffee in the bottom of the cafetière, a small presence drew in close to his elbow.

“Be careful,” he murmured without taking his eyes off the frothing dark liquid. “It’s hot.”

“Can I help?” Remi whispered back.

Quinn righted the kettle and placed it back on its holster. “This is the waiting part,” he told him. Side-stepping to lean his weight against the opposite counter, he invited Remi to peer into the glass and the coffee soaking inside.

For a few minutes, only steam and the warming scent of fresh coffee filled the air. Not a sound was omitted between them. Remi watched the coffee, and Quinn watched Remi. Both as fascinated as the other.

Reluctant to break the peace, but gasping for his first sip of the day, Quinn pushed off from the counter.

“Would you like to do the honours?” He gestured to the press sitting atop the glass jug.

Remi nodded sternly and grabbed the flat top, pushing it with top speed and efficiency.

“H-hey,” Quinn blurted, laying his hand over the top of Remi’s and halting him halfway. “Slow and gentle, okay?”

Remi nodded again, this time flushed to the points of his ears. Together, they pressed down the filter. The back of Remi’s hand was warm and soft against his palm. Quinn suddenly wondered, too late anyway, if Remi was comfortable with being touched by an alpha. Or if that was another one of ‘the rules.’ The small man said nothing, even when the filter was snug against the coffee grounds at the bottom of the cafetière. Quinn released his hand, stroking his fingertips along Remi’s knuckles as he did. So soft.

Remi dropped his hands to his sides. “I… I’ve only made instant coffee for my alpha before, but I watched and I can do it this way next time.”

“If you want coffee, you’re welcome to make yourself one,” Quinn replied carefully. It felt like he was dealing with a genie or a faerie and with how easily it seemed his words could be misconstrued as an order or command. The last thing he wanted was Remi pandering to him like a servant. “I don’t need someone to make my coffee for me.” The ritual of preparing it was as integral as the dark drink itself. “Just don’t forget to tell me if you use up the last of the ground coffee, that’s as dire as running out of toilet paper in this house.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Quinn filled their cups and nodded at the kitchen door. Remi held it open for him as he carried them through to the dining table on the other side. His living area had been divided by a brick archway, with one side containing his sofa, armchair, TV and coffee table, while the other was a work-from-home and dining area. Not that Quinn ever had anyone to dine with. They sat at the end of the table nearest to the sliding doors that let them stare into Quinn’s minimalist garden. A rectangle of long grass and nothing else, it was perfect for him.

Remi took the seat opposite and accepted his mug with raspy words of gratitude. Even with both hands wrapped around the ceramic, his fingertips still didn’t touch, but he smiled and wiggled them against the warmth. Then Quinn could hear the rustle of his legs under the table also wiggling. Then his whole body seemed to be wriggling in his seat.

Waiting for an order, Quinn mused, fighting off an exasperated sigh.

He clinked his mug against Remi’s and took his first drink. Hot, earthy, heaven.

Remi followed, taking a tiny taste and quickly returning the mug to the table. The fidgeting returned, and Quinn could feel Remi’s eyes burning into his. Every time he looked over, they darted away.

With such an intensely nervous partner, Quinn struggled to activate his small talk generator. In the corporate world, the ability to fill silence without being perceived as self-absorbed or interrogative was integral to your job.

Two more slow sips into his coffee, he asked, "did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Alpha,” Remi answered immediately. Reflexive in his agreement. Quinn hesitated, giving him a moment to think about his answer a little more. “I woke up a lot,” he added. He dropped his eyes to his drink. “But I don't know why - the bed was so comfy and you have such a nice home!"

"Maybe the new environment had you subconsciously alert,” Quinn wondered aloud. “Sometimes I sleep very lightly when I'm stressed."

“M-maybe.”

"Do you like the coffee?"

Remi nodded. "It's... strong. Does coffee always taste like this?"

A smile tugged the side of Quinn’s mouth. "I make this coffee when I'm working from home because I can drink it slowly through the day." On office days, Quinn drank strictly decaff until the afternoon. There was no drawn-out drinking on company time - the sole option was Nespresso pods in whatever selection of flavours the building was providing that week. “Don’t drink it all in one go or you might start to shake.” At half his size, Quinn wondered too late if the caffeine dose he’d just administered into Remi’s mug could be dangerous.

Remi traced the mug handle with his pinky. "You don't always work from home, Alpha?"

"No, I work in my company's office half the week and at home the other half."

"And then…” Remi glanced up, a flash of uncertain eye contact. “I will be here alone?"

"Yep." Quinn sipped his coffee slowly, savouring the scent. "Which means I'm trusting you not to break anything, let in strangers, or do anything to make the neighbours think you're a prisoner that needs rescuing by the emergency services."

Remi's face set with determination and he nodded, dead serious. Quinn realised too late that he was simply pleased to be given what he had interpreted as his first order from his alpha.

"That wasn't-" Quinn pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, struggling for the right words once again in the face of Remi's innocence and eagerness to please. "I was exaggerating. I wasn't expecting you to do any of those things anyway. I just... maybe bear the neighbours and stranger stuff in mind - humans are just as nosey as wolves."

"I never go near humans or strangers, Alpha," Remi promised. His expression still set in firm resolve.

"Okay." Quinn nodded into his mug. "Good job." He caught the quickest little smile out of the corner of his eye, but Remi renewed his look of determination again immediately.