Chapter Sixteen

Theodore thought that was going to be the end of it. Tatum would get pissed and reject him and then they both could move on. *Good, good. This will be goo..* Theodores thoughts were disturbed by his door swinging open and slamming shut. By the time Theodore turned around, he was already being slammed up against the wall.

"WHY?" Tatum screamed in his face, he was hurt and pissed. He may say he doesn't care about his birth parents but it's a constant sting knowing they didn't want him and now his own mate doesn't want him either.

"Because I'm not fucking gay! Get the fuck off me!" Theodore tried to shove Tatum away but not very surprising that Tatum is extremely strong.

"You're not gay? Then explain this!" Tatum laughed and motioned towards Theodores pants. Theodore was rock solid. Even Theodore was surprised.

"That means nothing! You don't know anything about me!" Theodore again tried to push him away but instead Tatum pushed himself flat against Theodore and started grinding himself on him.

"St-stop it!" Theodore started stuttering and squirming around trying to break free.

"Make me, baby." Tatum purred in Theodores ear. Theodore couldn't lie, he was definitely turned on but refused to accept this. "I'm n-not g-gay! Le-leave m-me alo-alone!" Theodore stuttered out, still trying to push Tatum away.

"You're my mate, I can't leave you alone. I want you, I need you, Theo. Please don't push me away." Tatum stopped his grinding and just wrapped his arms around Theodore, holding onto him like his life depended on it.

Theodore didn't miss the desperation lace in his voice but he couldn't break. *I'm not gay!* Theodore kept repeating this to himself. "I don't care. I'm not gay. If you're gay, good for you but I'm fucking not!" Theodore finally managed to get out of his grasps. "I don't want you. I don't need you. I want you to stay away from me." Theodore took a few steps away and straightened out his clothes and was ready to walk away. Tatum had other plans.

Tatum spun Theodore around and smashed his lips onto his. It was rough but full of passion. Theodore didn't even realize he was kissing him back. This went on for a few minutes. When Theodore felt Tatum pull him closer, he snapped out of his daze.

Theodore shoved Tatum away and balled up his fist and punched Tatum right on the cheek bone. Theodore heard the cracking sound of bones and just froze in his spot. Tatum fell to the floor and just held his face in his hand. He was completely shocked, his mate hit him.. "Yo-you hi-hit m-me?" Tatum slowly looked up at Theodore. Tatum didn't even try to hide the tears or hurt.

Theodore couldn't believe himself. Did he really just do that? "I-I'm sorry.. I did-didn't me-mean it. I do-don't know what ha-happened." Theodore tried to get closer to Tatum but stopped when he saw Tatum flinch and cower away. "Ta-Tatum.. I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!" Theodore tried to beg.

"Yo-you.. co-could h-have ju-just re-rejected m-me.. bu-bu-but y-you w-wanted t-to h-hit m-me." Tatum managed to choke out in between sobs.

"No! I didn't! I swear! Please let me help you!" Theodores own tears started to spill. *How could I be so stupid! I don't even know what the fuck happened! I really hit him! My own mate!* Theodore was hating himself. The second his fist made contact with Tatum, he regretted it all. He felt the pain Tatum felt. He felt Tatums heartbreak. *Why couldn't I just accept this! I fucked up!* Theodore went to reach for Tatum but Tatum scurried away from him.

"Le-leave m-me al-alone! Y-you w-win! Y-you'll ne-never h-have t-t-to se-see m-me a-again!" Tatum disappeared before Theodore could process his words. Theodore just stood there, completely shattered.

"Well you did it. You didn't want a male mate. You proved to yourself that you're not gay. Congratulations. How do you feel now?" Kane came walking in around the corner. "I mean, you really showed him, huh?" Kane started to mock Theodore. 'I'm not gay! I don't want what the Moon Goddess has blessed me with!' *Punch!* Kane mimics the sound of the punch and sounds of Tatums bones breaking, making Theodore flinch.

"Stop it!" Theodore shouts back.

"Why the fuck would I? You just broke your own mates heart. You just broke your own mates fucking face! He was begging you to give him a chance and not to leave him and what does he get in return? A BROKEN HEART AND FACE?" Kane was beyond pissed off. "Our entire fucking lives we have been raised to worship our mates when we find them! To accept them for who they are! To love them no matter what baggage they come with and what do you do the second you find yours? You fucking disgust me, *brother.* I'm ashamed to even call you that! I've never once been disappointed in you and when the day comes for that to happen, you take the entire fucking cake." Kane rubs his head and sighs. "Good luck, Theodore. I hope you can truly be happy with this outcome." Kane walked out.

Theodore just fell to the floor and let the tears fall. *I'm disgusting. Worthless. I don't deserve a mate.* Theodore was lost in his own thoughts when Jake and William walked in.

"Theo.." Jake was the first to speak up. He knew what he did. Hell the entire castle just heard Kane rip him a new one.

Theodore just looked up at the two and that's when he really broke down. Jake wrapped his arms around him, trying to comfort him. William didn't move a muscle. "You know Theo... I'm gay. Are you really that disgusted with the thought of being mated to another man... Does that mean you'll hate me as well?" William was more hurt than angry. But before Theodore could respond, William walked away.

"I don't hate him! I'm not against gay mates! I swear I'm not, Jake!" Theodore sobbed into Jakes shoulder.

"I know, Theo, I know. They know that too. You were just confused. You didn't know you were gay. Most of us demons don't know what we are until we meet our mates. You didn't know how to handle the situation that was given to you. It'll be okay. I'm here for you. They are too, they just need a bit to process this." Jake tried to reassure Theodore.

"No, they hate me. Kane, my best friend, brother, my other half, he hates me. He'll never talk to me again! I'm going to lose everyone! Including Tatum!" Theodore went to push Jake away but Jake just pulled him back in.

"Kane could never hate you. Never. As for Tatum, you have to figure out what you want. If you really don't want him as a mate then just let him go." Jake paused. "But if you do want him then you're going to have to work your ass off to prove yourself to him...that's if he still wants you. You know you fucked up big time. I just hope you can fix this, Theo. You will never recover from this if you can't and I don't want to watch you spend the rest of eternity suffering for one mistake." Jake helped Theodore up and into his bed. "Get some rest and I'll be here for you every step of the way."

~ ~ ~

*I can't believe our own mate doesn't want us.* Tatum thought to himself. *He does! Did you see how broken he looked when he realized what he did to us! HE REGRETS IT! He wants us!* Tatums dragon was trying to convince him. *No! Look at what he did to us!* Tatum was looking at himself in the mirror, his right eye was all red and puffy from crying, he was still crying. His left side of his face was already turning black and purple. From what he could tell, the entire white of his left eye was red. *Definitely broke my blood vessels.* His eye was already swelling up. *Won't be much longer and I won't be able to see out of it. My jaw is definitely broken. Oh, looky there, he busted my cheek completely. That a good size cut there, it'll leave a nice scar.* Tatum was telling his beast. *You know we won't have a scar! We will be healed up by tomorrow!* Tatums beast again tried to reason with him. *Are you a dunce? Jasper you know just as well as I do that dragons have amazing healing abilities but for some reason our lore mentions that if our mate harms us, we will heal slower than even humans! And that it'll even leave scars! We won't be healed for months to come! It sets as a reminder to our mate at the pain he's caused us.* Tatum sighs when he hears Jasper whine. *I never wanted you to get hurt, Jasp.* Tatum whispered back to him. Tatum looks at himself once more in the mirror. "Can't wait to see what it'll look like tomorrow." Tatums talks to himself.

As Tatum exits his bathroom, Vladimir came rushing in and just completely froze when he saw him all broken and hurt. "Oh my baby boy!" Vlad ran to Tatum at an inhuman speed, locking Tatum in his arms. "Look at what he has done to you! I'll kill him, Tatum! I'll rip him apart for doing this to you! Just say the word and I will!" Red rings were starting to swirl in Vladimirs eyes, letting them know that his animalistic side was pushing through.

Tatum just sighed. "It's okay, dad. I don't want you to hurt him.. He's just confus.." Before Tatum could finish, Vlad was already interrupting him.

"Are you serious? He does this to you and you're defending him??" Vlad was shocked. "I raised you to always be kind and forgiving but I also taught you when to forgive and when not too! You shouldn't forgive him at all! Was all your training for nothing, Tate?" Vlad whispered that last part, slightly pulling away to look down at his son.

Tatum looked up at his dad. "I told him he will never see me again.. but you and I both know that isn't true." Tatum just smiled softly. "You raised me into the man that I am, a man that won't give up on his mate."