* * *
The sunlight streaming through the windows illuminated a space filled with Remy’s essence.
Despite the breeze fluttering the curtains, the pheromones clinging to the bedding and furniture remained potent.
Closing the door behind him, Ashton stood in the center of the room and took a deep breath.
The scent alone was enough to send blood rushing downward, stirring memories of nights spent yearning.
“What are you thinking? What have you been doing without me, hmm?”
In the empty room, Ashton murmured questions to no one.
Slowly, he moved to sit on the soft bedding, running his hand over it as he recalled Remy’s smooth skin—far softer than any fabric.
The thought was enough to make him rise again, unable to sit still.
He began to wander around the room.
Everything was just as it had been when Ashton had last seen it, as though Remy had continued on unbothered without him.
The thought tore at Ashton’s heart.
‘Why am I the only one suffering like this?’
“Ha…”
Ashhton, who had been lowering his head in distress, suddenly caught sight of Remy’s desk by the window.
The neat and organized desk, reminiscent of Remy’s tidy demeanor, brought a fleeting smile to his face.
It was the first time Ashhton had smiled since entering the room.
Slowly, he made his way toward the desk.
Sitting in the chair where Remy always sat, he ran his hand across the desk’s surface.
His fingers brushed against something, and he found a notebook—a simple, unassuming one bound in leather.
“…”
Without much thought, Ashhton opened it.
The crooked handwriting didn’t seem characteristic of Remy, his childhood friend.
Yet, reading just a few lines made it clear: it was Remy’s diary.
However, as he continued to read, Ashhton found himself frowning at the unfamiliar combination of words.
His expression twisted further as he quickly skimmed through the unbelievable contents.
Meanwhile, entirely unaware of what was happening in his room, Remy was finishing a lavish meal and taking a brief rest.
Soon, a new tutor arrived to teach the Oliver brothers.
Yesterday’s lesson had been cut short due to the rain, but today, it progressed smoothly.
“Let’s step out for a bit of fresh air,” Rex suggested.
Noticing how tired Remy seemed, Rex thought a walk might do him good.
Normally, Remy would have protested, but this time, he followed Rex willingly.
Perhaps it was the lingering sluggishness from being caught in the rain yesterday, or maybe he simply felt that moving his body would help restore his energy.
While the children concentrated on their lessons, Remy and Rex strolled through the forest side by side.
His head had been throbbing slightly earlier, but as they breathed in the fresh air, Remy felt surprisingly lighter.
He would have enjoyed the moment more if not for the red-haired alpha walking beside him.
“Did you rest well yesterday? You weren’t sick all night, were you?” Rex asked.
Remy didn’t bother answering.
Just because they were walking together didn’t mean he wanted to engage in friendly conversation.
“Taking you home yesterday wasn’t easy. I didn’t want to leave you in that state.”
The mention of yesterday’s events in the carriage made Remy bristle.
“Who asked you to do anything? I didn’t tell you to take me home, let alone drag me into a carriage and… do whatever that was.”
Remy stopped himself, pressing his lips tightly together.
He knew the events in the carriage weren’t forced by Rex.
Even so, Remy felt wronged.
It was Rex’s fault for flooding the air with such a strong pheromone, leading to things escalating.
“What do you mean, ‘whatever that was’? It’s something natural between an alpha and an omega.”
“Ha.”
Remy scoffed in disbelief. Sure, easy for him to say—natural, indeed.
He didn’t know how free-spirited alphas and omegas of this era were with such matters, but as someone born and raised in a conservative land, it was difficult for Remy to accept.
Maybe if he were older, an adult navigating the complexities of society, he could understand.
But recent encounters with three different alphas had left Remy shaken and unsettled.
“Oh, natural, is it? I had no idea,” Remy retorted sarcastically.
Rex regarded him for a moment, sensing he had misunderstood.
Rex hadn’t meant it was natural to act recklessly, but rather that the attraction between an alpha and an omega was inevitable.
“So, is that why you asked me to bear your child? Because any omega will do for an alpha like you?”
Remy hadn’t intended to say that out loud, but his frustration and disappointment in himself and the situation spilled over.
A different alpha might have taken offense at such words, but Rex didn’t.
Instead, he chose to understand.
Perhaps Remy’s heightened sensitivity was due to his recent manifestation as an omega, Rex reasoned.
“Remy, I’ve never thought of you as just any omega.”
Rex stopped walking and stood in front of Remy, blocking his path.
Remy glared up at him with a defiant look.
“You’re important to me. In the few days I’ve been watching you, I couldn’t help but fall for you.”
What?
Watching me?
Remy’s head throbbed again as the weight of another revelation pressed down on him.
“What do you mean… watching me?”
“I’ve been following you,” Rex admitted.
“…What?”
“Allen asked me to. He thought you were trying to harm the Aylesford family.”
“Excuse me?”
Remy’s voice rose in shock.
“So, let me get this straight. Allen asked you to follow me?”
Allen knew.
He knew everything Remy had been planning.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I needed time to figure things out and to clear up the misunderstanding with Allen.”
“This doesn’t make any sense…”
The revelation threw Remy into turmoil.
How had it come to this?
Where had things gone wrong?
He began to retrace his steps, searching for the turning point.
‘Come to think of it… Bennett has been strangely quiet. I thought it was just because he was having trouble contacting Nick, but now… did he go to Allen and spill everything?’
The pieces clicked together, and Remy clung to Rex, demanding answers.
“What made Allen think that? He must have had a reason, right? He wouldn’t just suspect me out of nowhere.”
“Someone approached him. A stranger with no connection to Allen claimed you were planning to spread dangerous pamphlets defaming the Aylesford family.”
The suspicion solidified into certainty.
“So, Allen asked you to follow me and verify it?”
“Yes.”
“And you did?”
“I did.”
Remy was at a loss.
He had only been trying to follow the original story, aiming to bring down Allen’s family, yet it had all spiraled into this mess.
At this point, Remy began to wonder if everything he did was fated to diverge from the original narrative.
Perhaps, from the moment he manifested as an omega, their destinies had irreversibly changed.
“How… how did it come to this…”
Overwhelmed, Remy’s legs gave out, and he stumbled.
Rex caught him, steadying him.
Seeing Remy so shaken pained Rex, but he couldn’t regret telling the truth.
He couldn’t bear to keep secrets from Remy—not when he was so sincere about him.
“Are you alright, Remy?”
Right now, the only thing Rex could do for Remy, who seemed deeply unsettled, was release calming pheromones to stabilize the omega.
Rex didn’t want to grovel for forgiveness—it felt beneath him, especially since he knew he was in the wrong.
He never should have misunderstood Remy in the first place.
“I’m fine. So don’t concern yourself with me.”
Remy curtly cut off Rex’s kindness.
The weight of everything he was carrying was too heavy, leaving no room to accept anyone’s goodwill at face value.
The situation had already spiraled so far out of control that Remy knew things would never progress according to the original story.
That meant one thing: the obsessive fixation of the three alphas would never end.
No alpha could now raise a gun against him.
Despite all his efforts, the predetermined future left him utterly helpless and on his knees.
“I’m sorry, Rex. I think I need to go home early today.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes. Please call a carriage for me. I’ll head back alone.”
“I’ll take you home.”
“No, don’t. I need to be alone. Please, Rex.”
* * *
Just embrace the harem 🙂