Chapter 367: Heart Notes: All The Ways That Matter

[FROLO]

Monday morning came faster than Katya had hoped it would.

His body was sore; he was marked all over by the barbarian he had for a boyfriend. He looked like he’d been really attacked by a bear, and honestly, this time he knew his father was going to kill him.

If not Sergei, for the marks.

"We’re both dead," Katya said when Sergei drove into the Romanov manor.

Katya hadn’t carried a change of clothes, and while Sergei had graciously offered to buy him more, the omega had refused. Instead, he grabbed some of the clothes he’d stolen from Sergei’s closet months ago, and he wore them.

Of course, not before the barbarian scented them like his scent wasn’t already there.

Now they were inside the Romanov compound with Katya smelling like Sergei and freaking out internally because his father would definitely give him the responsible sex speech again.

Fuck.

"I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to report to work like this, Solnyshka. You look so beautiful and radiant," Sergei said like they were not in trouble already.

Katya stared at his alpha.

The man who clearly seemed to forget where they were and how they’d run out of the house on Saturday. But maybe Sergei didn’t mind anymore. After all, he loved Katya. He belonged to Katya, body, mind, and soul too.

"I don’t even know why I bother. I’ll always look beautiful to you even if I look haggard," Katya huffed as Sergei parked the car and got out.

Katya wanted to step out, but Sergei wouldn’t let him. The alpha had made sure Katya learned that very good lesson on Saturday too.

"Whenever I’m around, I’ll always open the car door for you and be at your service, my beautiful Solnyshka," Sergei had said.

Of course, Katya, being bratty, had tested that theory, only to end up impaled one too many times and limping eventually.

Today, he could have been bratty again.

But he had work, and as ruined as he looked, a part of him was determined to report to work on time. He had his teammates to work with, and he refused to drag them behind just because he was the Romanov heir.

So, when Sergei opened the door, all smiles, like he too wasn’t old Romanov’s potential target, Katya just sighed.

His alpha was hopeless.

"Stay here, I’ll just change my clothes and be back," Katya said while praying his father wasn’t still home. It was six in the morning already, and he was really, really hoping his father had left for work.

"If you take more than ten minutes, I’m coming in," Sergei said calmly, like he was talking about a war zone in the Romanov manor. But then again, Katya understood what he meant.

If Katya stayed longer, there was only one valid explanation, and Sergei was ready to offer that explanation to the Romanov parents if it got Katya off the hook.

"I won’t be long, I promise," Katya said silently, hoping.

Sergei watched him intently, like he was determined, and when Katya got in, Sergei waited. Maybe because he was silently preparing for a scolding too.

Meanwhile, Katya tiptoed into the house, like he didn’t want to be seen by either of his parents. And it almost worked, until he was halfway toward the first hallway when his mother snickered.

"Nice try, Michka," Masha said, and Katya froze, almost tripping over nothing as he turned to find his mother standing with folded arms against the wall.

"Morning, Mama," Katya greeted nervously, trying to hide the marks on him.

Gods, Sergei had left so many this time; it would be hard to defend himself.

"If you’re back for your phone, your papa took it with him. Probably going to give it to you when you get to the company," Masha added like it was just a fact.

And Katya stiffened.

His father.

His phone.

Work.

Yeah, he was screwed.

"I see the chat with Svet, and Andre went well," Masha teased, remembering what Sergei had told her before Sergei dragged Katya out into the world to claim him thoroughly.

"Mama!" Katya groaned, horrified.

"Oh, come now, my dear child. Can’t I be happy you had fun? From the looks of it, you had a really nice weekend. Even lost your pajamas along the way," Masha added teasingly, and Katya knew he was not going to survive this.

"I’m late for work, Mama. I... I have to go," Katya said, mortified, before he ran to his bedroom, changed clothes, and came right out.

Masha was still waiting.

"Tell your alpha I said hello," Masha laughed when Katya hurried past her now that he was dressed up.

"He’s not my alpha!" Katya said in embarrassment as he kissed his mother good morning before practically rushing out of the house.

"Fine... Your boyfriend then!" Masha called as Katya ran to the car.

He really needed to get out of here before his mother teased the life out of him.

Well, it didn’t help that Sergei was awfully chirpy about it too.

"Not another word, alpha," Katya grumbled.

Sergei just laughed lightly before driving them out and to Romanov Steel while complimenting a horrified Katya a few times too many.

And Katya... He leaned into it either way. Because after all, he had his alpha here.

What more could he want?

Well, probably nothing, save for his best friends who were waiting in the lobby of the Romanov Steel Research Department, with frowns on their faces and blades that glistened under the lights.

"If it isn’t the idiot who never carries his phone whenever he’s with the ultimate idiot," Svet greeted flatly.

"You two do realize there is an actual use for phones, you know?" Andre grumbled, and Katya let out a sigh of relief when he saw Andre with his phone.

At least the trip to his father’s office while he looked mauled was not going to happen anymore.

"I don’t even know why I bother calling you whenever you disappear with him," Svet huffed.

"My phone is always on... If you want to reach... us," Sergei said, and Katya facepalmed.

His boyfriend was certainly not helping the situation.

"I forgot to take it on Saturday," Katya whispered, and Svet snorted.

"Wow. Whispering after ghosting us?"

"Wait, people really watched the fashion show?" Katya asked, horrified at the stares he was getting.

"THAT... is your worry?" Andre glared.

"They’re giving me side glances," Katya mumbled.

And of course, Sergei stepped forward.

Svet did too.

"Don’t even think about it, Sergei," Svet grumbled, and Sergei backed down instantly, making everyone who was pretending not to look at them just stare even more.

"Hold on... We didn’t do anything wrong..." Sergei defended, and this time, Katya snorted at him.

"You di—" Svet began, only for Katya to interrupt her.

"We’re back though... That should count for something..." Katya smiled sheepishly.

"Exactly, we came back," Sergei said like he wasn’t opposed to both of them living their happily ever after away from everyone.

"The eloper and the elopee on the same side? Why am I not surprised," Svet groaned before she realized that these two didn’t even have a clue what she was talking about.

"Romanov... You were marked by Sergei..." Svet began.

"It’s pretty, right?" Katya said proudly, pushing the hair that had been rolling down his shoulders to the side to show his friends the mark on his neck.

"Do you even know what has been happening since you ghosted us over the weekend?" Andre asked flatly.

"Please don’t tell me Papa watched the fashion show," Katya asked, horrified, while Sergei smiled at the thought of Saturday, the events returning to him, making his scent sweeten.

It was the first time anyone other than Katya had smelled Sergei’s rainforest scent.

"You’re disgusting, Moskowsky," Svet sighed, and Katya instinctively stepped in front of Sergei.

"No, he’s not," the omega defended sternly, making his friends let out exaggerated groans.

"Rightt... I keep forgetting you two are true mates," Svet groaned again.

"Alpha’s nice to me," Katya defended. Again.

"Fortunately for him, it’s the only reason his head is still attached to his neck," Svet said, and Sergei looked at Katya with hearts in his eyes.

"I have to go now, Solnyshka, before I get you late for work," Sergei said softly, like everyone else wasn’t here with them.

"Will I see you again?"

"Of course, my little wolf. Of course," Sergei said, before pulling Katya into a chaste kiss, making his friends groan at the sight.

"Have a good day, alright?" Sergei added.

Katya nodded, tears subconsciously pooling in his eyes as Sergei walked away from him. It was almost like he didn’t want Sergei to leave, which was weird as hell.

"What?" Katya mumbled when a tear dropped down his cheek the moment Sergei stepped out of the Romanov Steel doors.

He wiped it away, confused and unsure of what was happening to him because this was certainly a first for him. When the hell had his eyes gotten wet from seeing Sergei leave?

"Young love, my dear friend," Svet teased while Andre smiled softly at him.

"You’re freshly marked by a true mate; of course your body will reject the distance for some time... Are you sure you’ll be fine? I don’t mind sending you off with that barbarian for a day," Andre said like it was that simple.

And Katya felt delighted at the thought.

It was involuntary, and horrified the fuck out of the omega. Shit, this wasn’t good.

"I... I’ll be fine," Katya said, as he stared at his phone that had just pinged.

It was a text from Alek.

"Congratulations on getting knotted, Katya Romanov. Thought you’d die a knotless prude."

"See you guys later," Katya said to his friends, heading to his workstation.

"Yeah, thanks. My alpha is trustworthy and fucks me so well. If you must know, I’m still plugged and bloated from his morning knot. Couldn’t waste a drop," Katya typed back.

Alek blocked him.