* * *
As Lowell’s weakened body swayed, his thighs instinctively parted, prompting Felix to abruptly support him.
Being completely restrained should have been uncomfortable, yet the sensation only heightened his excitement.
Pre-cum seeped from Lowell’s arousal, and his entrance slickened, eagerly signaling its need for an Alpha.
The once-dry friction was now laced with moisture.
The mingling sounds of ragged breathing and slick liquid filled the space.
“Does it hurt?”
Felix’s voice carried concern, yet his thrusts were relentless.
“Nnngh… No, I’m fine.”
Truthfully, he was being pushed so hard that he had no time to register any pain.
But Lowell couldn’t afford the luxury of forming a long-winded response.
He could only feel—feel how the person he once thought was much younger than him, despite carrying so many scars of his own, still had the capacity to worry about another’s slightest discomfort.
“Lowell, say it again—you won’t leave.”
It was unclear whether Felix meant that Lowell wouldn’t leave Nix or that he wouldn’t leave him, but that didn’t matter.
All Lowell wanted was to ease Felix’s anxiety.
“No matter what happens, I won’t leave you, Felix.”
Felix’s movements grew rougher.
Lowell felt like his brain was melting as Felix’s length brushed dangerously against his entrance.
The only thing stopping him from begging was the last shred of his pride.
“Nngh, hnn… ah—”
The moment Lowell climaxed, a flood of warmth spilled from him, his release mingling with the slick mess coating his thighs.
Felix let out a low groan, gritting his teeth as he watched.
Holding Lowell tightly against him, he remained still, reluctant to part, though he eventually eased his grip slightly, as if realizing he had held on too tightly.
“…You smell too sweet.”
“It’s your fault.”
Felix pressed a light kiss to Lowell’s damp skin before slowly pulling out.
Despite having just come, his arousal remained stubbornly hard, throbbing with restless need.
Yet, he showed no intention of continuing.
No—he was desperately restraining himself.
“Why… why are you stopping?”
Lowell had naturally assumed they would both reach satisfaction, so he asked, puzzled.
“Your breathing is too erratic. Your body is trembling.”
It was true that his fragile body felt drained after just one release, but the trembling was purely from lingering pleasure.
If Felix had no desire to continue, Lowell wouldn’t have forced it.
But—
‘Anyone can see he’s barely holding himself back.’
Felix’s skin was flushed with heat, and even in the brief moments they spoke, his arousal showed no signs of subsiding.
Lowell hadn’t intended for things to be one-sided.
“Then let’s do it this way.”
Lowell reached out, wrapping both hands around their lengths, stroking them together.
A deep crease formed between Felix’s brows.
“…Hnn.”
Felix’s thick shaft was already slick, and Lowell’s hands slipped slightly, accidentally squeezing too hard at times.
The irregular movements only seemed to stimulate Felix more, making his breath grow heavier.
“…I’ll do it.”
But Felix must have realized that Lowell’s slow, unsteady strokes weren’t enough to bring him over the edge.
He reached out, covering Lowell’s hands with his own.
Despite its pale complexion, Felix’s large hand, veined and strong, wasn’t cold at all—it was hot.
With practiced ease, he grasped both of their lengths and began moving faster.
Lowell, already oversensitive from his earlier release, barely had time to catch his breath before he felt himself stiffen again, arousal pooling between them.
Was it because of the pheromones?
Or the way Felix instinctively adjusted his grip just right?
Whatever the reason, Lowell felt his mind unravel, his thoughts fading into a hazy, euphoric blur.
“Lowell, answer me.”
“Nngh—y-yes…”
Felix was just as lost in it as he was.
His irises had long lost their clarity, his gaze solely fixed on the flushed skin of Lowell’s nape.
His expression wavered between two conflicting desires—the primal urge to mark his mate and the deep, unwavering need to protect him.
“Tell me who you’re with right now.”
Even as he chose the gentler path, Felix couldn’t completely suppress his possessive hunger.
“…Felix. I’m with you, always.”
Even as pleasure swelled and ebbed through him, Lowell spoke the truth.
Felix’s grip tightened, his strokes growing more intense.
A flickering orange light pulsed above them before darkness briefly consumed the room.
In that moment, the only thing that existed was each other—their bodies tangled together, moving in sync.
The instant their lips met, the light returned, illuminating the sight of Lowell, breath hitching, body quivering from the force of his release.
Felix followed moments later, his long-awaited climax overtaking him.
“Hhhn—”
A heartbeat later, Lowell came again, curling his toes against the sheets as his body seized in overwhelming pleasure.
His entire form tensed and convulsed before the sensation gradually receded, leaving him utterly spent.
The exhaustion hit hard.
Rather than fight it, Lowell simply let himself collapse against Felix.
At the same time, Felix—who had been holding back everything—let go, the tension in his body unraveling like a loosened knot.
“…Even if you tell me to leave, I’ll still stay by your side… so you don’t have to worry…”
Lowell’s voice faded as his body, already fatigued from recent days, succumbed to sleep.
Felix held him close, whispering softly.
“…Yeah.”
“I doubted you without asking first… and then tried to ignore it.”
Even though he knew Lowell couldn’t hear him, Felix spoke anyway, as if confessing.
His voice, though devoid of the words ‘I’m sorry’, was thick with guilt—more than enough for the sentiment to be felt.
“…But you wouldn’t let me.”
When words became too much, sometimes silence took over.
Felix let the countless thoughts on his tongue go unspoken.
Instead, he gently ran his fingers down Lowell’s back, tracing soothing circles over his small frame.
“It’s as if everything about you was made for me.”
A love this overwhelming came with equal amounts of fear.
The very intensity of his happiness made him terrified of losing it.
The habits born from a life of misfortune wove endless worst-case scenarios in his mind.
He wanted to protect Lowell, but if there ever came a moment when someone tried to take him away…
Felix would rather go back to a time when they had never met.
“…But no matter who decided to bring you into my life, I have no intention of letting them take you away.”
He lifted Lowell effortlessly into his arms and carried him toward the bathroom.
The footprints he left behind were laced with something gentle—an unwavering, possessive devotion.
Lowell woke up to a dull ache spreading through his body, as if he had done strenuous exercise.
He frowned slightly at the sensation, blinking against the sunlight streaming through the window—it was already well past morning.
‘How long did I sleep?’
His body, which had been covered in all sorts of fluids the night before, was now clean and fresh, clad in new indoor clothes.
He felt a slight discomfort, only to realize it was because the buttons had been fastened all the way up to his neck.
‘Felix must have done all this.’
Still feeling sluggish, Lowell pushed himself up, one hand pressing against his waist while the other rubbed his neck.
Just then, the bed sank slightly on the other side.
Felix, who had been working on documents over at the sofa, had immediately approached upon sensing movement.
“You’re awake?”
“Yes. I slept well.”
Felix slipped his hand into Lowell’s and began massaging his neck for him.
* * *
