86 - Trampled Upon (2.7k words)

Mitchell's POV"Get off him!""No, I'm not getting off! Go find someone else to cuddle with!"Zeus was laughing, holding us closer, enjoying the attention, "This is nice," he cooed, "I could get used to this."We both paused, our heads tilting, looking at him quizzically, "Used to what?""What?" Zeus blinked, his hand rubbing the back of our heads, his fingers running through our hair, "Do you have a problem with me enjoying your company? Is there a rule against it?""No," we said at the same time, "No, there is not.""Then, don't mind me and carry on with your discussion," Zeus smiled, and I suddenly realized something.The foul female's words from before kept circling in my head. She said Zeus was too nice to his partners. So much that they would start to take him for granted and end up breaking his heart."If she can't appreciate your kindness, we will," I said."That's right," Bart confirmed, "Females that can't appreciate a male's effort are some of the worst. I can perfectly understand what you're talking about."Zeus's eyes widened in surprise, and his grip tightened, pulling us closer. "Do all of you get along like this?" he asked.Bart thought for a moment before answering, "I think they started to be all touchy when Skaris found out Vick and Curtis were cold to touch, and couldn't help but want to snuggle against them to cool himself. He also likes to groom others to show affection, so they all got used to his clinginess and became more physical, especially during the cold season."Bart continued, "I never thought of appreciating another male, so it's an entirely new experience for me. I came to like this type of showing gratitude...a pat on a shoulder or a hug...now I can't live without them."My eyes bulged in disbelief when Bart licked Zeus' lips, "Damn Bart, you are not a pup anymore. Stop licking whatever you like just because it's being nice to you."Bart leaped at me, licking my face."Aargh, get off, you stinky wolf! Stop slobbering all over me!""That's payback, you prick," Bart laughed, his tail wagging, "I'll lick you all I want! You're part of the pack now, so deal with it.""I'm not a damn wolf," I yelled, pushing him off, but he kept jumping at me, his tongue lapping my cheek, "Stop! This is disgusting.""Not as disgusting as you!"Zeus couldn't hold it any longer and started laughing, his body shaking. Bart and I stopped fighting, staring at the male who was holding his stomach."What is so funny?" we asked, not understanding what he was laughing at."I just can't take it," Zeus answered, his breathing ragged, "No wonder Princess never had a lover until Vick came. She was never into humans to begin with. You are all so adorable and cute.""Who are you calling adorable and cute?!" I retorted, and Bart growled. We both morphed into our beast forms to show how fierce we are, and Zeus fell backward on the couch, laughing, avoiding the claws and pincers.We continued to tease him, and he kept laughing.We ended up falling asleep, sprawled all over him, not waking up until the morning.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·I woke up with a headache, a pounding pain pulsating inside my head. I felt the urge to vomit and looked for the bathroom, the need to expel everything that was in my stomach taking over.I ended up losing my way, and stumbled upon the female, my insides churning, her presence making my head hurt more. She wasn't wearing the head cover, her long, dark hair falling on her back, her spine visible. There was only a thin piece of cloth covering her chest, the straps barely staying on her shoulders, looking inviting.My hand reached out on its own, she avoided my touch and I felt my knees give in, falling forward, emptying the contents of my stomach while at it. I caught her calf for support and ended up throwing up all over her legs, the acidic liquid burning my throat."...""..."I'm so dead.I'm so so dead.I'm so dead that even death doesn't want me.I panicked. The feeling of shame spread all over my body."I'm sorry, I'll clean it. I'll clean it," I tried to get up, but I was still dizzy and ended up slipping again. My hands clutching her legs, my nails digging in the skin, "I promise to wash your legs and feet. It wasn't on purpose, I swear."I was too ashamed to lift my head and see her expression."Let go of me," she said, seething.I refused to budge, tightening my grip. I didn't want to be kicked out. I was finally accepted by the pack, and it wasn't going to end like this."Let go of me, I said," she repeated, her voice more irritated."No," I stubbornly shook my head, "Forgive me first. You have to forgive me first," I said, my body dragged along the ground as she walked, "I'll wash you, so don't be mad, please."She yanked her leg, but I held tighter, crawling along, refusing to let go."Fuck my luck. That's what I get for trying to be nice," she hissed, "A damn pest. A damn, annoying pest throws up on me, and still expect to be kept around? I'm kicking him out. If someone tries to stop me, they're going with him."She continued to ramble as I continued to hold onto her leg for dear life, refusing to let go. I won't let her kick me out. My mind was set on keeping my spot, and the need to be a part of the pack overwhelmed every rational thought."My spousal imprint," I shouted, the only thing I could come up with, "I'll give you my spousal imprint! So, please, please, forgive me."Her steps faltered, and she paused, "You are going to regret it so badly," she laughed, the sound ringing in my ears, making my head throb more, "Where is the male, who said he will never leave a spousal imprint on me even if it's the last thing he does?""He was a fool," I muttered, my head lowered, "An idiot. A complete dumbass. A brainless brute. He's the worst. He's so stupid, a moron," I kept ranting, cursing myself, "He should have known his place and kept his mouth shut. Now, he's the biggest idiot in the whole world, and he knows it, okay? He knows it."She kicked the door open with her free leg and flung her leg together with me inside a large bathtub. She pushed a button, and water started pouring out of a pipe. The only thought in my head was to wash her legs and feet, so I took a handful of water and rubbed her feet."What are you doing?""I'm washing you.""I can see that, but why are you not letting go?""Because you'll kick me out of the pack if I do."She was quiet for a while, and I continued to scoop water with my hand, pouring it on her legs. It's now or never. I moved my stinger toward her leg to leave my spousal imprint, and she pulled away, kicking me.I hit the edge of the tub, my head almost splitting as I passed out.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·I woke up later in the same place. My stomach felt better and so did my head. I was no longer dizzy. What worse, memories of what happened flooded in."...""...""...""..."I want to kill myself.Someone just kill me already.I buried my face in my hands, not wanting to get up.Why do I keep making things worse for myself?Did I really try to leave a spousal imprint on her?I hit my head against the tub's wall, wanting to erase the memory.I'll just stay here and die.Goodbye cruel world.I'll miss you, my pack.It was nice while it lasted.I groaned, still buried in my hands. Someone was calling my name, and I ignored it, not wanting to acknowledge reality."Did he really puke all over her?" Bart asked."Yeah," Skaris answered, "It's a miracle he's still alive. Dear is scary when angry.""You should have heard how he wanted to trade his spousal imprint for her forgiveness," Vick added, and I hit the tub's wall again, their voices making my ears bleed, "She is waiting for him to sober up and make him repeat his offer.""Shut up," I yelled, lifting my head, "Shut up! All of you, shut up! I'm dying here! Let me die in peace!""Oh, he is awake," Skaris chirped, "Papa Mitche, you have some explaining to do. What went through your head when you decided to empty your guts all over Dear?""Can you stop mentioning it?" I covered my face again, groaning. "I can't take it. Just let me die," I whined, "She is going to torture me for the rest of my life. It's all over for me."They were quiet, and I dared to look up, "Why are you still here?""Watching you suffer.""...""...""Why aren't you leaving?""To laugh at you.""...""...""So, you aren't going to let me die in peace?""Nope.""No way.""Hell, no.""Get out," I yelled and crawled out of the bath, feeling miserable. "Get out and leave me alone. I'll face the wrath of the demon myself, and I don't need you here to witness the show. Get out. Scram."They laughed and left."I can do it," I told myself, gathering courage, "I can do it. It's not that bad. It's just a spousal imprint. A small, tiny, insignificant, nothing at all, spousal imprint. Just a little prick of a stinger, and done. Simple."I took a deep breath and walked out, finding the demon waiting in the living room. She was sitting on the couch, her legs and arms crossed, her face covered with a veil, a dark aura surrounding her.I swallowed and made my way toward her."...""...""So..." I began, and she remained quiet, not giving me any sign of acknowledgment, "About that... I mean, about my offer... I was a little...""Dumb?" she helped."No, I wasn't.""Insane?""No, definitely not.""Out of your mind?""...""...""Okay, fine," I relented, "I was drunk. I wasn't thinking much.""I know," she said, and I could hear the mocking tone in her voice."Are you going to make fun of me forever?""Probably.""Ugh," I rubbed my temple, "Look, I'll do it, okay. I'll give you my spousal imprint. It's not that much of a problem.""Then do it.""Now?!"She raised her leg, pointing the sole of her foot at me."...""...""..."I was already a rootless, so I wasn't really afraid of becoming one again, but still, I was nervous.I sat on the floor, grabbing her foot. My nerves were acting up, and I tried to distract myself by focusing on the shape of her foot. My fingers traced her arch, her heel, her toes.So this was the end of my freedom, huh.Whatever. I don't give a damn anymore.I lifted her leg and bent down, placing a kiss on the side of her ankle. My lips brushed the smooth skin. My tongue darted out, licking the surface, and I sucked lightly.The shame I felt intensified, yet it didn't stop me from continuing. I knew she was gloating, enjoying my embarrassment. I should stop, but what was the point of stopping when it was already too late.I embraced her leg, the tip of my nose grazing her skin. I licked the side, and the tip of my teeth touched the surface, sinking into the skin. Her flesh parted, the taste of her blood entering my mouth.For how long have I been suppressing the attraction?How many times did I look at her and think how nice it would be if she were mine?How often did I find myself watching her, admiring her, wishing for her attention?Too many times to count.Everyone knew what I felt for her.It was so obvious that she must have known as well.Yet, I continued denying it.She never showed any interest, so why would I try when she never reciprocated?Then, the kiss happened, and it was like a slap on the face. She made the first move again, and instead of gloating over her loss, I ended up feeling inferior, like a pathetic excuse of a male who couldn't even confess his feelings. Why would I be even thinking that? I was a rootless! I had no feelings!"Stop playing around," she said."I'm not," I growled, the anger flaring up.She scoffed and snatched her leg back, getting up. "Finally free," she mumbled and took off her head cover as she left the living room.I stared at her retreating back.That's it?That's all?Why would she make me go through all of this, just to give me the cold shoulder?"Come back," I yelled, jumping on my feet, "We're not done yet. We haven't finished talking."She kept walking, ignoring me."Come back!""Not interested.""At least let me see my spousal imprint."She must have tried to prevent history from repeating itself because the moment I came close to her, her leg swung, and the tip of her foot connected with my face, knocking me down. Her feet covered my vision."This is your spousal imprint," her voice rang from above."...""...""It's not funny," I protested."I'm serious," she lifted her foot, letting me see my spousal imprint engraved in the middle of her sole."..."No way..."..."A sole of her foot?"..."Why it had to be this place out of all places?!"...""You get the honor of occupying the favorite part of my body. The one I use the most and cherish the most," she put more pressure onto my face, "Every step I take will be a reminder that you belong to me. Everytime I kick someone, you will get to kick them with me. You're welcome," she added, and walked away, leaving me on the ground."..."I was in too much denial to react earlier but now..."..."I'm going to kill her.I'm really going to kill her!The further a male's imprint was from the female's heart, the less favored the male was. For a spousal imprint to appear on a female's sole, the male must be hated or loathed to no ends!I groaned and rolled over, covering my face with my hands.Each step she made resounded in my heart, each stomp, a blow to my soul."...""..."I felt my lips quivering, the desire to grin creeping up.The numbness I was used to was being teased, trampled on, and stepped over.It was as if she decided to stomp all over my numbness, leaving her sole prints all over my being.I finally lost it.I couldn't control the urge.A low chuckle escaped my lips, and it became a giggle, a snicker, a cackle, and a full blown maniacal laughter.I hate her for accepting me still.I hate her for always making a fool out of me.I hate her for not being by my side right now.I hate myself for hating her.I want her so badly.But, I don't want her.She is so annoying.So, so annoying.But, I love it.I love it so much.I got up and chased after her. I didn't have to look for her. It was like my body knew the direction without me having to think.I thought the spousal imprint will turn me into a lovestruck, lovesick, love-whipped, fool.Instead, it made me feel more at ease, more comfortable with the whole situation.The shame and embarrassment were still present, and they would probably never leave, but I didn't feel the need to deny my feelings anymore.╔═══ Author's note ════╗I hope you enjoyed the double update. 🙈I didn't publish any snu snu chapters in a while, did I? 🫣╚═════════════════╝