Alpha Assignment (BL) Chapter 33 (Early Access) (Patreon)

Quinn couldn't leave his bathroom. Possibly still curled up in his bed was the man he had fucked to unconsciousness last night. A man who was in his home seeking refuge from an abusive wolf pack. Quinn stared into the toilet bowl and considered shoving his face into the water until there were no more bubbles.

He should put Remi on a life insurance policy before he did anything rash.

That thought, and the ridiculousness of it, zapped a little energy back into him. He threw his back against the tiled wall and slapped both his cheeks at once.

There was a knock on the bathroom door.

“Quinn?”

Quinn made an embarrassing squeaking noise.

“I think…” Remi pulled the door open. The enormous shirt that covered him to the knees was Quinn’s, and his hair was untied, hanging tangled to his chin. He was angelic in the morning light that bounced off all-white decor. “I think it’s time to read my file.”

It wasn’t what he was expecting Remi to greet him with, but he was almost glad for the excuse not to discuss yesterday’s developments. “Are you sure?”

“And then-” Remi crouched beside him and the sight of a wince twisted Quinn’s guts. “I want to claim my day of kisses.”

Quinn nodded creakily, still processing the damage he could have done to a teeny tiny omega. He couldn’t look directly at him anymore, scared of what he might see.

“I’m going to have a shower,” Remi said slowly. “I think you should, too.”

Quinn nodded again, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his lips. He had made a mess of both of them.

“Then I’m going to make hot chocolate for me and coffee for you.” When Quinn didn’t respond, Remi added, “Is that okay, Alpha?”

Quinn’s neck muscles pulled taut with the force of his head turning. Remi was smiling, a knowing look in his eye.

"Thanks, Remi,” Quinn croaked.

Remi nodded and left. Quinn spent a few more moments on the tiles before dragging himself up and into the shower. He let the spray batter his face for a bit, enjoying the block it caused between him and his thoughts.

Towelling himself dry, he finally felt slightly more clear-headed.

He was supposed to be in the office, maybe even right then. Time had lost all meaning between that first kiss to Remi’s soft, scarred stomach pouch and now, standing butt naked in his bathroom. He hadn’t looked at the clock when he woke up, his only thought had been to peel himself from the disaster zone and hide somewhere while he worked out what the fuck had happened. How had things escalated so suddenly? A few touches to Remi’s body, a display of his care and concern, had snowballed into mindless sex. And just thinking about it had his cock stirring again. He scowled at it and threw his towel in the basket.

He needed to focus. He needed to call in sick to work. He needed to get dressed. He needed to prepare himself for whatever was in that file. And then, he needed to give Remi anything he wanted for the rest of his life to make up for letting his horny alpha side run wild with his tiny little body.

For some reason, he felt shy when he walked naked back into his bedroom and realised Remi had left the door open, as though Remi seeing him without clothes on was something to be worried about at this point. He dressed in a white tee and grey sweatpants, dug his phone out of yesterday’s discarded jeans, dumped all his dirty clothes in the laundry basket, and rang his manager.

It was ten am, it was Thursday, and HR had apparently been contemplating calling the police for a welfare check. Quinn tried to laugh off the concern, claiming he had been struck down sick really suddenly over lunch time yesterday and just woke up. It was almost the truth. His manager warned him he would have to calm down Jordan once he was back in, and told him to take it easy in the meantime. Quinn promised he would.

The sofa had been transformed into a fluffy nest with the side tables drawn up front to make one rectangular space that Remi had decorated with a full cafetiere, a milky hot chocolate, and the file. Quinn gave the table a wide berth as he followed the clunks and clatters coming from the kitchen, as though the pile of paperwork were venomous.

The kitchen door opened before he could push it and Remi appeared, fresh pjs covering him only a little more than Quinn's shirt had. In his hand was a plate of chopped fruit and the chocolate things Quinn had found at the convenience store while Jordan was searching for some ‘special edition’ flavour of canned coffee.

"Breakfast?"

Quinn smiled. "Looks great, let me carry it."

Remi squirmed away and under Quinn's elbow. "I can manage." He reached the double-table and put down the food. Quinn followed him like a puppy, scanning him from head to toe for any sign of injury. When he bent over, his burnt-orange pj shorts rode up and the outlines of long fingers were painted over the plush skin of his upper thighs in pinky-purple bruises. As he straightened, he rubbed at his lower back with his knuckles before he attempted to climb onto the sofa he had covered in mounds of blankets. Quinn offered a hand for support and Remi accepted it, leaning against him to find a good spot to drop in and cocoon himself. Quinn followed.

"Are you sore?" he asked once they were wrapped up to their armpits and cushions had been adjusted behind them.

Remi looked at him carefully, as though weighing up his answer. "A tiny bit."

Quinn's heart sank.

"Don't feel bad, I think that's normal!" Remi rushed to reassure him. It somehow made Quinn feel worse that Remi would feel obliged to protect his emotions when he was the one who had been hurt.

"Sex isn't supposed to hurt, Remi, not even the first time."

Remi laughed quietly. He took his hot chocolate in both hands and smiled against the rim for a moment. "The sex didn't hurt, Quinn." He took a tentative sip, blew on it twice, and then tried again. "Mmm. No, I think I just passed out in a funny position. I woke up all tangled like yarn."

"You don't have to-"

"I'm not." The finality of his tone silenced Quinn.

Remi reached forward and gave the cafetiere handle a test tap. A light layer of coffee grounds bounced away from the filter and he looked to Quinn, offering the honours of completing it. When Quinn didn't react quickly enough, Remi began the slow push and they both watched, transfixed, for a few seconds. The scent slipping out with the steam was soothing, familiar, and promised a clearer heart and mind once he'd had a chance to taste. Remi poured half a mug-full and offered it to him. It immediately filled him with an uncomfortable sensation that this was how alphas were treated in their packs. Catered to, hand and foot. Remi had probably served his previous alpha in the same way. Maybe not bundled up on the sofa in pajamas, though...

The first taste was a relief. Remi smiled and sipped his own drink while Quinn savoured every drop of liquid focus. When he had drained the cup, Remi put out a little palm to refill it and Quinn allowed it. He would make the next round.

"Are you ready to start on the file?" Remi asked, pleasant, as though checking if Quinn was ready to take a trip to the park.

"Are you?"

Remi nodded. "It's an old story to me."

"You might feel differently going back over it, though." He shifted in his seat, turning more to face Remi than the table. "If you change your mind at any time we can stop, okay?"

"That sounds familiar." Remi's smile was wry.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday-"

"I'm not." Remi rolled his mug between the palms of his hands. He looked down into it, pouting a little. "So please don't ruin my first time by acting as though you wish it didn't happen." There was a hint of hurt in amongst the sulking attitude, Quinn's body replicated the feeling.

"I don't wish it didn't happen." He let out a soft sigh. "I just wish I'd held better control, been more gentle-"

"You were perfect." Remi was flushed to his ears. He put his cup down and buried his hands in the blankets. "I liked it," he admitted, so quiet it took wolf hearing to pick up.

Quinn reached out to stroke along the edge of Remi's arm. "Okay, then I'll stop worrying." A complete and total lie.

Remi gave him a knowing look and leant forward in his seat to flip the file open.