* * *
The Next Morning
The clear sky from the morning had given way to dark clouds by noon, and eventually, rain poured down in sheets.
It wasn’t until the torrential rain softened to a drizzle that the two, who had been clinging to each other in the humid air, finally separated.
The room was dim, the beautiful view of the autumn garden obscured by the storm clouds.
Ashton rose from the bed, leaving Remy, who was fast asleep, behind.
He draped a shirt over his shoulders and walked to the window.
Gazing out at the rain-soaked garden, he sank deep into thought.
In the end, he had embraced Remy—despite knowing the truth.
Despite knowing that Remy wasn’t who he appeared to be.
Even so, Ashton had decided to accept that no matter who Remy truly was, he couldn’t help but love him.
But that wasn’t enough.
Remy didn’t belong to anyone right now.
Thinking he could win his heart might have been nothing more than arrogance.
‘There were marks on Remy’s body… Someone else had left their traces on him.’
During their time together, Ashton had noticed the numerous marks left on Remy’s skin.
Seeing them had almost driven him mad.
He wanted to confront Remy, to demand to know who he’d been with, but an omega in heat couldn’t possibly offer a coherent answer.
Instead, Ashton had taken out his frustration by losing himself further in Remy’s body.
‘Was it Rex? He’s been meeting Rex recently… I saw it in the journal…
Ashton’s thoughts spiraled.
The idea of losing Remy to someone else filled him with unbearable anxiety.
If the marks had been left by Rex, an alpha like himself, the pheromones would have lingered on Remy for days.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
‘But still… I can’t leave him like this. I need something—anything—that will make him mine.’
Ashton’s thoughts were consumed by the desire to claim Remy.
That obsession was only broken when Remy finally stirred from his sleep, the drizzle outside giving way to the soft glow of dawn.
“My head hurts…”
Clutching his temples, Remy sat up, groaning softly.
Though he seemed better after some rest, he still looked pale and unsteady.
“Ugh…”
He glanced around the room, taking in the familiar sight of his own space: the green curtains by the window, the mahogany desk where he wrote his logs.
Everything was the same—except for the man standing by the window.
“Oh, my God…”
Memories of the previous night flooded back, from Ashton’s questioning gaze to the heat of their time together.
It wasn’t a dream.
“Uh, Ashton… This is…!”
Remy tried to stammer out an explanation, but Ashton’s cold, piercing stare made him clamp his mouth shut.
‘Why… Why is he looking at me like that? He doesn’t feel like the Ashton I know. It’s terrifying…’
“Did you sleep well, Remy?”
Ashton’s voice was unnervingly calm, his lips curving into a chilling smile.
The sight made Remy’s blood run cold.
This wasn’t the Ashton he knew—this was someone far more dangerous, like a predator toying with its prey.
“I-I… I think so… Yeah, I slept well, but…”
Gulp.
Remy spoke, then glanced nervously at Ashton.
That constant smirk of his felt suspicious.
What on earth was he hiding?
If only he’d just get angry like yesterday!
A wave of unease swept over him.
“Ashton…”
Instead of trembling with fear, Remy decided to face things head-on.
He steeled himself and spoke up.
“Hm?”
“About what happened yesterday.”
“Yeah?”
“What are you going to do?”
“About what?”
“I mean… I’m curious about what you’re planning to do moving forward. You’re not saying anything, so I don’t even know how to act around you.”
Ashton seemed to think for a moment before his lips curled into a sly smile.
Remy felt a shiver run down his spine, and his anxiety spiked.
‘What is this? What’s he thinking? Why does that alpha keep grinning at me like that?’
Ashton strode toward Remy with confident steps.
Watching him draw closer, Remy suddenly realized something he hadn’t noticed earlier and quickly turned his head away.
Ashton’s shirt hung loosely over his shoulders, leaving much of his bare body exposed.
Even as Remy tried to focus elsewhere, the image of Ashton’s physique hovered before his eyes.
‘No matter how many times I see it, I can’t get used to it.’
Remy shook his head, scolding himself for letting his mind wander.
‘Pull yourself together, Remy. This isn’t the time to be ogling someone’s body. This is serious!’
With great effort, Remy calmed himself and looked up.
He braced himself to meet Ashton’s gaze, who was now standing right in front of him.
“Oh, come on.”
To his horror, the sight before him was none other than Ashton’s sculpted figure, a view that always left a deep impression.
Startled, Remy flinched, his shoulders jerking.
Clearly, ever since becoming an omega, he’d been plagued by indecent thoughts.
There was no other explanation.
“Remy.”
“Y-Yeah?! No, I wasn’t looking! I wasn’t looking at anything! Absolutely nothing!”
“Who said you were?”
“Huh? Oh… right.”
Remy wanted to smack himself for his runaway mouth.
“I’ve been thinking…” Ashton began.
Remy’s attention snapped back to his words.
Like a curious cat, he perked up, looking at Ashton with wide eyes.
‘Please, don’t say something terrible,’ he prayed.
‘Like telling my mom about this or something equally catastrophic.’
“It seems to me… this is something we should discuss with the Countess.”
“No way!!”
Remy jumped to his feet, panic flooding him.
The worst-case scenario he’d imagined had just left Ashton’s lips.
The world felt like it was crashing down around him.
“No way?”
“Of course not! If my mom—I mean, if Lord Remy finds out, he’ll be completely floored! He might faint on the spot. You don’t want that, do you? Let’s resolve this peacefully. Peacefully! No need to drag her into this mess!”
Breathless from his outburst, Remy panted like an exhausted puppy.
It was almost cute, but Ashton kept his expression composed.
This was supposed to be a serious conversation, after all.
“Hmm. Remy, I disagree. For the sake of the Wesley family, this is something the Countess absolutely needs to know.”
“No, please, Ashton.”
“It’s for your own good too, isn’t it? Pretending to be Remy all this time must be hard on you.”
“Who said that?!” Remy nearly cried.
“I’m not struggling at all!”
But Ashton was unmoved.
“Really? I thought I read somewhere that living as an omega was hard… Oh, wait. Maybe it was you who said it was hard to live as an omega?”
“Y-Yeah! That’s it! Living as an omega is tough!”
“Why? You seem like a natural-born omega to me. Remember how much you begged for more yesterday? You really liked it rough.”
“I… I did?”
“You said it yourself.”
“No! That’s not what I meant! And this isn’t the point right now!”
Remy trembled with frustration, his face flushing red.
Seeing him fuming like that, Ashton couldn’t suppress a chuckle.
But he quickly masked his amusement, fixing Remy with a cold gaze.
Ashton’s lashes cast shadows over his downturned eyes, and even his glare exuded a mesmerizing allure.
Watching him, Remy’s trembling shoulders froze.
‘Even when he’s glaring, he’s sexy…’
A useless thought popped into his head at the worst possible moment.
“You’re right. This isn’t the point,” Ashton said.
Relieved, Remy nodded fervently.
“So, what should we do? I’m not sure myself.”
Sensing an opening, Remy closed the distance between them.
With wide, pleading eyes, he clasped Ashton’s hands tightly, like a kitten begging for mercy.
“Ashton.”
“Yeah?”
“Can’t we just forget this ever happened? Think about it. I’m just Remy. We’ve been fine up until now, haven’t we? If you keep treating me as Remy, nothing bad will happen. My mom—I mean, the Countess—won’t faint, and the Wesley family will stay peaceful. I swear I’ll never do anything to harm our household or you. Really!”
Remy poured his heart out, confident his sincerity had come across.
Surely Ashton, being the considerate person he was, would grant him this favor.
“Hmm… Should I?”
“Yes! Yes!”
“You’re saying I should just pretend none of this ever happened and carry on like before?”
“Exactly!”
Remy’s eyes sparkled like a puppy awaiting a treat, his invisible tail wagging with hope.
Ashton nodded, as if making a great decision.
“Alright.”
“Thank you, Ashton!”
But just as Remy thought the matter was resolved, Ashton added, “But.”
“But?”
“There’s a condition.”
“A condition…?”
Remy tilted his head, confused.
* * *
Dang
Oh Remy.. you are in a huge trouble called Ashton! 🤣 Their dynamic is too adorable . But I like Rex too..he can shut Remy up and make him follow him using his logical reasons. 😂