Sean gritted his teeth, watching Mark casually take his seat at the head of the table. Amy laid the blanket over his lap, tucking it beneath his thighs without ever touching his skin. Once the blanket was secured in place, she quickly moved away. Sean turned to watch her tidy up the blood off the coffee table, when Mark told him sternly. "Eat. Before it gets cold." Sean glared at Mark. He wasn't even looking at him. Mark was casually eating his breakfast without a care in the world. Turning his eyes down to his dog bowl, he curled his lips in disgust. This was so degrading. The longer he stared at it though, the more he talked himself into eating. Mark would only take it away from him... He couldn't bear to starve himself any more than he had too. Forcing himself to lean over the bowl, his sniffed the oatmeal. It smelled alright, but it looked horrible. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to lick some of it. It was barely enough to really taste it, but the general texture was there.

It wasn't bad. It was rather sweet in flavor. Leaning back over it, he tried not to make a mess of it. Using his tongue to lick a side clean and working his way around. His hunger was getting the better of him and he wolfed it down as fast as he could. He had never had anything that tasted like this. It was good. He liked it. As he rose from his chair to lick the bowl, he stopped when he caught Mark watching him. He waited for Mark to make a smug comment, but he didn't. Instead, Mark told him nonchalantly. "Thirsty?" Sean licked his lips, before grumbling out. "How do you plan to make me drink?" Mark lifted Sean's napkin to reveal a straw. Picking it up, Mark slipped it into his coffee cup and slid the mug closer to him. Without a single word more, Mark continued to eat. Sean leaned down hesitantly to sniff the drink. Mark had been drinking it. So, it wasn't drugged. It didn't smell good though. Lifting his head, he asked Mark gruffly. "You got any beer? Or is that too low for you rich types?"

Mark's stony eyes rose from his plate and Sean swallowed nervously. Mark sat back in his chair, wiping his mouth with a napkin before answering in a firm tone. "No, I don't. But if it will encourage you to eat, I can have some ordered for dinner tonight. Would you like that?" Sean nodded his head so subtly that he wasn't sure he had moved at all. Mark set his napkin down, calling out to Amy in a clear voice. "Peebles? Put a case of beer down for delivery. I want it here before dinner." From across the room, Amy stopped before a room door with the paddle, muzzle, and ankle cuffs in her hands. Quickly going into a bow, she answered Mark in a sweet voice. "Yes, Sir. Anything in particular?" Mark looked to Sean, gesturing for him to answer with an open hand. Sean cleared his throat, stating out slightly embarrassed. "Adder's Venom." He hoped Mark didn't know what that was. He didn't want Mark thinking he was weak. Amy nodded to him, continuing to put the stuff away in the room.

Sean's heart then sank, when Mark casually said aloud. "A light beer. Didn't expect that. But at least your taste is decent enough." Sean couldn't help glaring at Mark now as he muttered out. "Don't condescend me, arsehole." Mark cracked his knuckles, but his voice was steady when he told him dryly. "I wasn't. That was a compliment." Sean huffed sarcastically, mumbling out to himself. "Ya. Sure. Fuck you." Mark stood up quickly and Sean instinctively jumped back. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other in silence. Then Mark smirked without any trace of joy in it, upon stating out. "You've got five seconds to get on your knees and apologize." Sean looked Mark over with uneasiness. He had never gotten on his knees or apologized for anything in his life. That behavior was beneath a gang leader like him. Mark took a step closer to him starting to count down. Sean stubbornly stood his ground. There were just some things he would never do. No matter what it cost him.

Mark counted down to three, when the doorbell rang. Amy sprang for the door to answer it and Sean's heart leapt. Mark turned to look in her direction and Sean made his move. Just as Amy opened the door, Sean bolted around Mark. Crossing the room quickly, Sean leapt through Amy's hologram and tried to shove his shoulder into the fucker at the door to shove him aside. Instead, his shoulder hit what felt like a wall, causing his shoulder to pop. The pain from the collision staggered him to his knees on the hard cement. Groaning in agony, he looked up to see another man in the same type of white uniform that Mark wore. The man reached down grabbing the back of his neck in a grip that hurt worst than the pain in his shoulder. The man dragged him back inside, throwing him to the carpet so roughly that it made Sean rollover onto his knees. Amy quickly closed the door, looking terrified as the man began shouting out. "Have you lost your mind?! Do you have any idea what this will do to us!" Mark rolled his eyes, dropping into his chair, before grumbling out. "Relax. I have him under control. He wouldn't have gotten off this floor."

The man shot Mark a scowl, then pointed at Sean accusingly to say more sternly. "You call this under control?! Get rid of that flea bitten mongrel before mother finds out! NOW MARK!" Mark propped his arm up on the table to lean his head on, dryly retorting. "I'm sure mother already knows. Gossip travels fast. As for the Mutt, he belongs to me. Things were even going well... until you showed up." Sean clenched his jaw to fight off the pain. Something was wrong with his shoulder. In frustration, Sean tried kicking at the man's knee and watched in shock as his foot hit an invisible field. He had never seen the likes of it. The second his foot wasn't attacking him the field vanished, allowing his foot to freefall to the floor. He had drawn the man's attention though. The man's eyes glared down at him for only a single moment. Then he stormed forward, raising his hand to strike him. Sean flinched back across the floor to brace himself, just as Mark yelled out. "Matthias! Don't fucking touch him!"

Sean risked a peek to see Matthias had stopped but was strongly considering hitting him anyway. Exhaling loudly, Matthias straightened himself to look at Mark with a stony expression. Mark was standing now and walking closer to Matthias, growling out in a dark tone. "I said that I have him under control. He's wild right now because he needs training." Matthias's attitude softened, upon pleading with Mark. "Brother, don't do this to yourself. Slum Dogs can't be tamed. He's a security risk. All his kind understands is violence. What do you even hope to do with him once you do manage to tame him?" Mark relaxed the tension from his body, shrugging dismissively. Mark walked back to his table, pulling the straw free of his mug before sipping more of his coffee. Upon turning back around, he told Matthias openly. "What does that matter? I'm doing this for me, not for anyone else."

Matthias groaned loudly in frustration, storming across the room to reply grimly. "That's my point, Mark! Even if you tame him, you can't do anything with him. You can't take him to the pet salon. Those pets will eat him alive! Some of them quite literally! No Master in their right mind will ever let to breed him to anyone. He is good for NOTHING! Sell him as pet food or toss him back in the gutter of the Slums. Please, Mark?! Get yourself a pet that cares about you. Who will appreciate the things you do. If you want a mutt so bad, then let me get you a baby and you can raise it from scratch." Sean sat up to look at Mark with hurt eyes. He spent his whole life trying to be someone. He had started his own gang. He had become an undefeated racer. Yet, none of that mattered to them. He was nothing all over again and it hurt. Mark stared back at him for a moment with strange eyes. They were almost envious, and it confused him. He had to of seen that wrong. Why would a Noble like him, envy a person as low as himself?

Mark's eyes drifted to Matthias, casually telling him. "You don't get it, Matthias. I didn't pick him because he's a mutt." Sean raised an eyebrow, then winced as his shoulder made another popping noise. Mark noticed his discomfort and headed toward him. While Matthias asked Mark completely vexed. "What?! Then WHY did you?" Mark kneeled in front of him, his hand going to his shoulder. The second he touched it, Sean jerked in pain and tried to lean away. Mark wrapped a gentle hand around his neck to keep him sitting up. Then over his shoulder, Mark answered Matthias coolly. "Matthias... When was the last time you actually cared about the pet you had?" Matthias thought about it and then shrugged with an absent look. Mark inhaled lightly, muttering out. "Exactly, my point. I'm tired of following trends, Matthias... Just let me do this. Or else, I just might go crazy..." Sean stayed still, looking between Matthias and Mark.

Mark inspected his shoulder a little more, then grimly shot back at Matthias. "You dislocated his arm... God damn it." Matthias huffed sarcastically, pointing at Sean as he retorted lightly. "Don't blame me for that. He charged into me! You know very well that we have no control over mother's wards." Mark stood up, grumbling out. "I'll have to take his jacket off to fix it." Sean flashed Mark a smug smile that actually got Mark to smirk in response. Matthias snorted, crossing his arms over his chest to defiantly state out. "No. Absolutely not." Mark reached out to help Sean to his feet, muttering to Matthias dryly. "Oh, grow up. He can't hurt you." Matthias raised an eyebrow, snipping back bluntly. "Then why do you still have him in it?" Mark glared back at Matthias, answering in a bored tone. "Because I was trying to save my furniture from his wrath. Thank you very much." Sean turned around for Mark. He was eager to get this thing off. Mark grabbed the first buckle, until Matthias rushed out in a panic. "Wait! Not yet... son of a..."

Sean looked over his shoulder to discover the hold up. Matthias pulled a black velvet box from his jacket, grumbling out through his teeth reluctantly. "I... got you something... Just in case I couldn't change your mind about this." Mark extended a hand for the box, causing Sean to turn around. He wanted to see what new fresh hell that he'd have to deal with next. Mark opened the box carefully and chuckled softly to himself. Sean stared at it with confusion. How would this change anything? It was just a set of rings. Matthias licked his lips, avoiding Mark's eyes as he mumbled out. "I figured they'd help you keep him in line. Maybe help you with his training." Sean chuckled loudly, teasing out sarcastically. "You plan to marry me? Hell would have to freeze over first, Pal!" Mark took one of the rings out, sliding it over his index finger. The large gold ring Mark put on had a flat surface with a straight line of six small diamonds. The other ring in the box was thinner in design and more rounded.

Mark took the thinner ring, handing the box back to Matthias as he warmly said. "Thank you for this. I'm sure it set you back a bit. Custom made?" Matthias nodded, then moved closer to Sean. Too close. Sean inched away, eyeing him as he growled out. "What are you doing? Get away from me." Matthias wrapped an arm around Sean so fast, that he yelped in pain. Matthias was anything but gentle, yanking him back against him hard enough that Sean was seeing spots from the pain of his shoulder. Mark winced, scolding Matthias. "Easy! He's in pain." Matthias huffed by his ear, snapping out. "If you think he will let you put that on him without fighting, you are wrong." Sean raised his foot to try kicking Matthias in the leg with his heel, but Mark stopped him. Kneeling before him, Mark stroked his leg until he put it down, calmly telling him. "Don't do that. Just let me put your license on and I'll remove the jacket." Sean was so confused. Mark reached up to unzip the front of his thong, while informing him casually. "Every pet in Valhalla has a license. It has my information and yours. Just in case you get lost."

Sean tried to close his legs as Mark's warm hand slipped into the thong to touch his shaft. Carefully, Mark put the small ring to the tip of his cock and Sean felt it expand. Mark then slid it all the way down to the base, sweetly telling him. "Most pet licenses are jewelry they wear. However, yours is different. This is what they put on male pets to train them into obedience." Once the ring was on, Mark zipped the thong back up and stood up. Looking him straight in the eyes, Mark firmly told him. "Fair warning. It can only be taken off by the wearer of the Master ring. If you try... well... Let's just say that it will constrict and eventually..." Mark raised his hand to preform a scissor gesture with his fingers and Sean gawked at him in horror. Matthias released him, moving away quickly from him with disgust. Mark gestured for him to turn around and he did. He still wanted the jacket off. As Mark unbuckled the straps, he whispered discreetly over his shoulder in a gentle voice. "I know the ring is scary... but it won't hinder you in any way. It adjusts to you and it does more than cause pain. If you let me set your arm... I'll show you."

Sean looked back at Mark over his shoulder. He wanted to see if Mark was lying to him. Mark's eyes were much kinder than Matthias's. So, for the simple sake of his arm... he nodded reluctantly. To Be Continued...