Bound to the Alpha

by D. J. Heart

“Right,” Derek said. The doctor hadn’t mentioned that to him when he spoke to her.

  “Let’s just go to bed, okay? We’ll figure things out as we go along,” Derek said, startled when Scott smiled at him. He didn’t know why that would make Scott happy, but he found himself cautiously returning the smile.

  Still holding Scott’s hand, Derek and his omega walked up to the bedroom, brushed their teeth, and went to bed.

  Scott, for as much as he’d said he hated him, cuddled up next to Derek, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Careful, feeling unsure in a way he never had with Scott, Derek put his arm over Scott’s chest and closed his eyes.

  He had no idea what he was going to do now.

  ***

  Scott woke up nestled tight in his alpha’s arms, his cock hard and his hole leaking slick like he was preparing to take Derek’s fist rather than just his cock and knot. He was so horny he could barely think.

  Turning, not losing contact with Derek’s body, Scott came face-to-face with his alpha’s chin. Derek was breathing evenly, mouth parted in sleep, but his cock was standing at full attention. Scott could feel it pushing into his abs, the head blunt and hot, and that was all he needed.

  Shimmying down, the silky sheets gliding over his naked skin, Scott pushed his way down Derek’s magnificent body, dragging his face, mouth, and tongue over his golden skin, until he reached the alpha’s cock.

  It was glorious, and exactly what Scott needed. No thoughts of what had happened, new starts or taking things as they came distracted Scott from his goal, which was to get Derek’s massive rod as far down his throat as he could before he woke up.

  He needed to please Derek. Needed to show him how good he could be—that he deserved his knot.

  Pushing the sheets off their bodies, Scott moved his mouth into position, parting his lips as wide as they would go, and took the mushroom shaped head of Derek’s cock into his mouth.

  The taste of Derek—of musky alpha and the salt sweat of his groin—exploded on Scott’s tongue, making him moan around the fat length. It was so good.

  An answering moan coming from above his head had Scott looking up. Derek’s heated gaze looked down at him with smug satisfaction. Derek’s pupils were wide and dark, his chest heaving as he waited for Scott to take him down his throat.

  Looking down at Derek’s abs and the bush over his cock, Scott focused on pushing down far enough that he could feel Derek’s pubic hair tickling his nose. Drooling and choking himself, he took inch after inch, Derek’s hands fisting in the sheet as he breathed faster and faster.

  “Fuck!” Derek growled when Scott purposefully swallowed, the muscles of his throat working Derek’s shaft. He could feel the alpha’s pre-cum dripping down deep inside of him, Derek’s scent clouding his nose and making him feel his heat even more acutely than before.

  “Fuck! Scott… so good,” Derek muttered, and when Scott looked up, his pecs were heaving. Slick gushing from his hole, Scott’s balls pulled up tight at the sight, and he simply couldn’t wait any longer.

  He needed Derek’s knot, and he needed it now.

  “Scott… what are you…” Derek asked, voice very nearly a whine, when Scott pulled off his shaft and got up on his knees. Scott didn’t answer with words, but showed Derek what he wanted. He spun around and dropped his chest to the mattress, knees spread wide so that the cheeks of his ass spread apart to expose his ravenous hole.

  “I need…” he moaned, pushing his ass up and thrusting back against an imaginary cock. Derek was on him in an instant, shooting up and grabbing his hips in a bruising grip, aiming the spit-soaked head of his cock at Scott’s opening and pushing past his rim with a grunt.

  Bliss. Scott closed his eyes, Derek filling him, making him feel complete and happy in a way nothing else ever could or would. This is what he was built for.

  Derek thrust his hips wildly, slamming his cock home with long punishing strokes. The only thing keeping Scott from sliding off the bed was Derek’s tight grip on his hips.

  “I’m coming,” Derek warned, pushing in balls-deep and dropping down on Scott’s back, pushing him flat into the mattress and blanketing him with his much bigger body. Scott could feel the knot swelling just past his rim, locking Derek’s cock inside his body and making sure every drop of come stayed inside.

  Warm and sticky, Derek making it difficult to breathe, Scott shot his own load into the mattress. His cock throbbed, emptying his balls into the sweat-soaked cotton sheets.

  Balls drained and ass knotted, Scott closed his eyes and let himself luxuriate in the wonderful afterglow of his orgasm. Derek’s arm snaked its way underneath his body and wrapped Scott in his embrace.

  All problems forgotten, Scott drifted back to sleep.

  ***

  Derek wasn’t stupid. He knew that what had happened between him and Scott was nothing more than the bond, and that it didn’t mean Scott would be any more eager to act the submissive when he woke up.

  It was a lesson that had been difficult to learn.

  Stealthily moving off the bed, Scott reaching for him in his sleep and frowning when his hand came up empty, Derek walked quietly to the bathroom and took a piss, his cock flaky with the remnants of Scott’s slick and his own come.

  Not wanting to wake Scott yet, hoping to delay whatever discussion they were having, Derek tiptoed out of the bedroom and to the guest bathroom. He took a quick shower, just long enough to wash off his body and shampoo his hair, and went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

  It was a weekday, and Derek was supposed to be at work in less than half an hour, but he figured he could be late. He made himself a bowl of cereal and ate it standing by the counter, wondering just how he was going to make it work with Scott.

  He didn’t want to back off completely, give up on Scott being a good omega, but he wasn’t sure he had a choice. Scott resisted everything Derek considered appropriate omega behavior, and it had become clear that short of forcing him to change, Scott was who he was. The omega box might make him behave more to Derek’s liking, but it wasn’t real.

  Derek wanted Scott to be a good omega, but more than that he wanted Scott to be happy being a good omega.

  So Derek had a choice to make. He could keep using the box and force Scott to behave, or he could relent and let Scott be happy.

  Standing there in his bright kitchen, everything arranged to his liking, it struck Derek how easy it would be to force Scott to pretend. Just look at Mike. Jacob hardly ever had to use the box, and Mike behaved perfectly.

  “Hi,” Scott said from the doorway, startling Derek so bad he dropped his bowl on the counter. It was empty, so there was no spill. Scott rushed forward. “Sorry, do you need a paper towel?”

  Derek turned to him, picking up the bowl and putting it in the sink. He shook his head, “No, I’m good. How are you feeling?”

  Scott blushed, looking almost happy as he moved to the cupboard and took out a bowl for himself.

  “I’m good. A little sore, but it’s… nice. Feels good,” Scott said, blush deepening. Derek felt his knot prickle, his balls pulling up in arousal. Scott busied himself making himself breakfast, turning his back on Derek while he studiously sliced a banana for his cereal.

  “So we were going to talk?” he said, sitting down at the table. Derek sat down across from him, still not sure what he was going to do.

  Scott looked up at him through his lashes, shoveling a spoon into his mouth and slurping the milk and cereal off, and Derek realized that he wouldn’t be using the box again. He didn’t have it in him. Not just because he wanted Scott to be happy, but because he wanted Scott to like him.

  It was a selfish reason, but having made the decision, Derek was relieved. Now he just had to figure out how he could be happy with a liberal, strong-minded omega. He had a feeling it was going to be a struggle.

  “Yes. We need to talk. You know that I have a certain idea of how it should be between an alpha and his omega. Right?”


  Scott put down his spoon, nodding nervously as he studied the table. Head lowered, his body was tense—like he expected Derek to take back everything he’d said the night before. “I know,” he said, voice nervous and weak.

  Derek swallowed, hating that it had come to Scott sitting there, listening to what his future would be like some kind of prisoner waiting to hear his sentence from the judge.

  “And I know that you don’t have the same idea… that you don’t think it has to be that way.” Derek paused, Scott listening intently as he waited to hear his fate. “And I’m beginning to realize that if I want us to be together, and to be happy, that we need to compromise.”

  Scott’s head jerked up, his expression carefully guarded. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m going to try treating you like a beta and let you make your own decisions, even if those decisions aren’t things that make me happy.”

  Scott stared at him, mouth hanging open in surprise. He said nothing, as Derek wondered if he had made a mistake, or if he’d fucked things up to the point where just starting over wasn’t an option anymore.

  Hoping that Scott would just say something—anything—Derek waited.

  ***

  Scott closed his mouth, staring at Derek as he tried to figure out the catch, if this was a trick, or if Derek really had done a one-eighty and was making all of Scott’s hopes and dreams come true.

  If it was a trick, then that would make Derek by the far the worst person he had ever encountered.

  After a few minutes of silence, Scott’s cereal getting soggy while Derek looked more and more nervous, Scott spoke.

  “Do you mean it?” he asked, his tone making the words almost sound like an accusation. Derek swallowed and nodded.

  “I want you to be happy, Scott. I want that more than I want you to be an obedient and good omega. So if I have to choose between you being the kind of omega I want, or being happy, I want you to be happy.”

  Scott listened as Derek explained his reasoning, and though he was glad to hear that Derek wanted him to be happy, he didn’t like the implication that he’d failed somehow, and that his inability to live happily as Derek’s mindless little omega was somehow his fault. It wasn’t. It was Derek’s problem, and Scott didn’t want any of the blame for things going south. He didn’t deserve it.

  But he’d take what he could get. If Derek actually meant it. If he was going to treat Scott not quite like an equal but as a person whose opinions had to be respected… then Scott would take it and be happy.

  He’d be thrilled.

  “What about my friends?” he asked. Derek had gone ballistic when he and Jackson had done no more than hug. Would Derek let him keep seeing Jackson?

  Derek grimaced, leaning back and clenching his fists. “I don’t want him in my house, but… if you want to see your friend Jackson then I won’t stop you.”

  Scott smiled, relieved. “And I don’t have to wear a collar, or walk on a leash, or do anything like that?”

  “Not unless you want to,” Derek said, sounding defeated.

  Scott was pretty sure he’d never want to wear a collar. If he ever did wear it for Derek, it would only be after Derek had proved he meant what he was saying now. Scott wasn’t about to debase himself for Derek like that. Not yet. Derek hadn’t even remotely earned it.

  “So we’ll just be like two normal people in a relationship? Where each person has just as much say as the other?”

  Derek looked like he was sucking on a lemon, but he nodded. Scott let himself hope that this was real, knowing how crushed he would be if Derek pulled the rug out from under him now.

  Looking at the clock on the microwave, Scott realized that Derek was late for work. “Are you going to work today?” he asked, scooping his spoon into his soggy Cheerios and resuming his breakfast. Derek frowned and looked thoughtful, but then he nodded resolutely.

  “I should, yes,” Derek stopped, giving Scott a meaningful look. “Do you have any plans for today?”

  Scott took it for what it was: Derek acknowledging that Scott didn't need his permission to make plans. It was a nice gesture, and though the careful part of him wanted to play things safe, he decided he might as well test if this was real and if Derek was serious.

  “I think I’m going to drop by my parents’ house, and then go hang out with Ellie and Jackson at Jackson’s house.”

  He waited for a reaction, and though Derek’s mouth pinched tight, the alpha didn’t object. “That sounds… good. I’ll be home around seven. Do you want me to pick up dinner or do you think you’ll eat with your friends?”

  Having made his point, Scott was done pushing. “I can be back by seven for dinner. I don’t care what we have, as long as it isn’t pizza.”

  Derek smiled, nodding to himself. “Okay then. Dinner at seven, no pizza. It’s a date.”

  The word sent a jolt down Scott’s spine. Dinner with his alpha was just… dinner. They’d never gone on a real date before. Now that he’d thought of it, he suddenly wanted it. Wanted to be wined and dined. Wanted something normal people just starting a relationship did.

  “Actually,” he said, Derek’s face falling at what he must think was a change of heart, “how about we go on a date? Like a real one?”

  Derek blinked, looking confused. “You want to go on a date with me?”

  Scott nodded, feeling a little silly, but he wanted this. “I know that we have to be together because of the bond, but I thought… if we’re starting over, it might be nice? I’ve just never been on a date before.”

  Derek studied him intently. Scott had no idea what he was thinking, but before he lost his courage and told Derek to forget it, the alpha’s lips pulled up in a cocky smirk. It made him look obnoxiously handsome, and Scott was reminded of just how much older Derek was. How much more experience he had.

  “I would love to take you out on a date, Scott,” Derek said, voice smooth and seductive. It caught Scott off-guard, a sizzle making its way down his spine and spreading through his groin. It was like the vibrations of Derek’s voice were resonating with his very bones, making him tingle with arousal.

  Derek’s smirk turned into a grin, and he leaned in and placed a soft yet firm kiss on Scott’s mouth. He pulled away much too soon, looking into Scott’s eyes as he said, “I’ll pick you up from your parents’ house at seven, okay?”

  Scott licked his lips, wanting Derek’s mouth back on his, but he managed to nod his head and say, “Yes. Okay... that sounds good. I’ll see you at seven.”

  “At your parents’ house,” Derek prompted him, Scott repeating the words back to his alpha.

  “I really should get going, though,” Derek said, glancing at the time. He leaned in and gave Scott another kiss, looking happy, before pulling on his jacket and grabbing the keys to his car. He paused and turned to Scott.

  “I forgot, you don’t have a car. Do you need a ride, or…?”

  “I can get Ellie to pick me up,” Scott said, wondering if Derek would trust him with a car again, “and I can use my old car while we wait for the new one to be repaired...? It’s at my parents’ house.”

  “That sounds good. So you’ll be okay?” Derek was ready to go to work, hovering by the door like he would like nothing more than to stay.

  “I’ll be fine. Have a nice day at work,” Scott said, biting his lip in amusement. Derek huffed, but he took the hint.

  “Thanks. I’ll see you at seven,” he said, turning and heading out the door. Scott listened to his car starting up and take off out of the driveway, then waited until the house was silent before getting up and clearing away his bowl.

  He couldn’t wait to tell Ellie and Jackson what had happened. How things had changed.

  Part Eight: Settled Omega

  “So what? You just forgive and forget?”

  Scott looked away from the mirror, Jackson’s vehemence surprising him. Jackson had always been protective. It wasn’t strange that he would find it hard to accept Scott being so willing to off
er Derek a second chance. He wouldn’t understand until he bonded himself, and who knew when, or if, that was going to happen.

  “No, of course not,” Scott said, pulling the shirt Ellie had handed him off and picking up a new one, “But we’re bonded. If we can start over without all the alpha and omega traditions, then I’m going to give it my best shot. I know he was an asshole, and I’m not going to forget that, but I can’t help wanting us to work out.”

  Scott studied himself in the mirror, still not happy. They were at Ellie’s house, having just come back from the mall, hanging out in her room while Scott tried to find something he could wear on his date. It was a new start for him and Derek, and Scott wanted it to be perfect. The overly formal shirt clinging to his body was far too suggestive, as far from perfect as it got. Scott needed something classy. Something that didn’t scream omega.

  He couldn’t pull off the blazer Ellie had picked out, and the nice dress shirts he’d bought made him look like he was applying for a job at the local movie theater. Was it really too much to ask for an outfit that made him look sexy, sophisticated, and independent? Scott didn’t think it was.

  “I think it’s good that you’re trying, Scott. But don’t try too hard. If he acts like an asshole again, tell us. We’ll fuck him up for you,” Ellie said, coming to stand next to him in front of the mirror. Scott grinned at her, knowing she meant it. If she thought Derek was hurting him, she’d find a way to hurt him right back.

  Ellie was sneaky and scary, and where Jackson would go in fists blazing, she was much more studied in her approach to retribution. Or as Jackson would say, a sneaky beta.

  “I will. I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but I think… I think he means it. I think he had this idea of how to make us perfect, and now that that’s backfired he’ll stop trying. And I have his family on my side, so that should count for something.”

  “I still say we run him over with my car. I’m not saying murder, but some maiming would be nice. Just to get the point across,” Jackson said, picking up one of the shopping bags Scott hadn’t gone through yet and pulling out a short-sleeved dress shirt. “How about this one?”