Page 59 of Marked By Love

“So you know everything,” Theodore said. “You know it’s my fault. They killed my mother and threatened to kill me to keep my father in line. After I moved from Seerinoga, my father kept canceling on me whenever I was supposed to come visit. I couldn’t understand why.”

Tears flowed down Theo’s face, but he kept talking. Royce had an inkling he’d never said any of this aloud to another soul before.

“Everyone was nothing but a tool in their sick manipulation. My parents, and then me, we were nothing but pawns in their game. Mom died when I was so young, she was so young. And now those recordings are all I have left of my father.

“I know it doesn’t make any sense, but part of me wants to keep those videos to myself from shame. But also because it’s the only piece of him I have left. It’s perverse and illogical. I know this is so much bigger than me and my family, but they feel like mine, like he left them for me.

“It’s also my biggest disgrace. I know it’s selfish, to make it all about me, but I feel responsible. Every omega in those files, the pain my father endured, the suffering of all those families. It feels like it’s all my fault and I don’t want anyone else to know the depths of my shame.”

“Theo … You have to know that none of this was your fault. How could it be?”

“Of course I know that,” Theo snapped. “But logic doesn’t always take center stage when emotions are involved. But even disregarding that … I don’t know what to do from here. I don’t know who to trust.”

“You can trust me, Theo. If no one else, you’ll always have me.”

Theo turned his tear-stained face to Royce, studying him.

“I will, won’t I?” he asked before turning back to gaze at the sky. He was quiet for a long time as the tears continued to roll down his face. Royce stayed steady and silent at his side, waiting.

“A copy,” Theo said at last. “You can make a copy, the original stays with me.”

Chapter twenty-seven

Royce

Two days ago, Theo conceded to Royce copying the flash drive. He’d also pragmatically exclaimed, since they obviously survived sharing a bed during his heat, it was illogical for them to return to sleeping on the sofa and the floor, respectively.

If anyone had asked Royce mere months ago if he thought himself a ‘snuggle bug,’ he would have, albeit confused, said no. But after one night snuggled up with his omega, cuddling was Royce’s new favorite pastime. He’d never been happier than when he woke up in the middle of the night as the little spoon to Theo’s big spoon. He didn’t care if he was bigger and taller than the omega, little spoon was the superior snuggle spot in his opinion.

In the last two days, Royce had started to notice differences in the omega. Not only were the heat symptoms gone, his smile came easier. His quips with Royce fast and familiar and the slight flush of pink painting his cheeks more frequent. Theo was not only getting used to Royce’s company but seemed to be genuinely enjoying it. Royce was trying hard not to gloat. He knew if the omega just gave it a chance, he would see the fates weren’t wrong. Their paths crossed for a reason, they were paired for a reason.

It was more than fate telling him this though. The longer Royce spent with Theo, the more he craved his presence. He found himself searching for his smiles and small touches. He wanted to learn everything that made the omega smirk so he could repeat them over and over. Every smile, kiss, laugh, and blush were invaluable. Royce wanted to collect each one and keep them safe in his heart forever.

As odd as it sounded, Royce was starting to understand why. Why he’d always done what he’d done, why he’d made the decisions he made. Because every little thing had led him to the exact place and moment when he would cross paths with Theo, to catch the omega’s scent. His omega’s scent.

The bright sun of an autumn day was peering through the trees surrounding the cabin as Theodore brewed coffee for them, his phone pressed to his ear, talking to Margarette. Meanwhile, Royce clacked on the omega’s laptop. Royce watched the screen as he copied the flash drive, drumming his fingers on the table waiting for the last file.

Every damn time he looked at these files, he got pissed all over again. Each time noticing new details more terrible than the last. Who did these fuckers think they were?

“We shall remove their heads! Then place them on pikes surrounding our domicile. None will dare threaten our omega again.”

His wolf’s constant diatribe about removing heads and placing bodies on pikes was starting to get more appealing to Royce with every new horror he uncovered. Sadly, that type of brutal and morbid display would be highly frowned upon. Not to mention it would most likely thoroughly repulse Theo.

Getting Theo to like him, not vomit at his gory house decorations, was currently a top priority, so he was ignoring the furry bastard’s demands.

“One cup of black coffee.” Theo sat a mug at the table next to Royce.

Taking his seat, Theo opened the pink box of pastries and sipped at his own mug. He took his coffee with lots of oat milk and brown sugar. Apparently, he’d been drinking just tea for the past three years because his living situation was too turbulent to keep his coffee items. Theo was currently enjoying his morning coffee in excess while partaking in his peppermint tea in the evenings.

Theo also brewed the coffee with cinnamon. It was honestly some of the best coffee Royce ever had. If he weren’t already head over heels for the omega, Royce was pretty sure these simple domestic mornings would have done it. These little daily acts of companionship were sending Royce over the edge—he never wanted to part from the doctor.

What was he going to do if, after everything, Theo rejected him?

He was scared, hiding, living each day worried it would be his last. Theo couldn’t consider a life long-term while all of this was hanging over him. What if once it was all over, Theo realized he didn’t want Royce?

The notion made his hands shake and his stomach churn. He wouldn’t … would he? If Theo rejected him, he’d have to respect his wishes; he couldn’t live with himself if he did anything untoward, but walking away would destroy him.

“How’s Mutt doing?” Royce asked. Theo and Gerald had done X-rays and blood draws for her yesterday. He’d been anxiously waiting to hear the news. He’d become rather fond of her while sitting in the back room during Theo’s shifts. Her cat friend wasn’t so bad either, not that he was going to tell Theo that.