Martius didn’t know how much Yuri had suffered from pheromone bullying at the academy, but he didn’t like the way Yuri was smiling.
“You still don’t think this is dangerous?”
“Ugh—you!”
He unleashed the pheromones he’d been holding back, and Yuri slumped forward with a thud.
“You shouldn’t say reckless things like that.”
A smug satisfaction rose in him at the sound of Yuri’s ragged breathing.
‘See? I’m an alpha who can deliver when I need to—’
“Agh!”
“You—! You’re the one who shouldn’t release pheromones recklessly!”
Yuri yanked him down with sudden force, and by the time Martius regained his senses, he was pinned beneath him.
He couldn’t believe he’d been overpowered so easily by someone weaker, but what unsettled him more was the strange look in Yuri’s eyes as he spoke through gritted teeth.
“You flaunting your alpha status now?”
With a smirk, Yuri released his own pheromones in full force.
“Hah—!”
“How’s that? Pretty good scent, right?”
His stomach twisted into knots.
Martius couldn’t speak, crushed under the weight of Yuri’s pheromones as he gasped for air.
Yuri’s gaze locked onto his glistening red lips, and as if entranced, he kissed him.
“Mmph—!”
Martius tried to shove him away in shock, but the overpowering pheromones sapped his strength.
Fine, if that’s how it is— He poured out his own pheromones in retaliation.
“Hng—!”
Slurp.
“You—get off! Ngh—!”
He pushed at Yuri’s shoulders, desperately trying to suppress his scent, but it was no match for Yuri’s rich pheromones.
The sensation of Yuri’s pheromones drilling into his scent glands made his hips tremble involuntarily.
“Hah…”
Every time Yuri’s tongue dragged slowly along his palate, a moan escaped.
Sparks flew between their locked gazes.
A competitive urge flared—neither would back down.
Martius, who had been whimpering, suddenly gripped the back of Yuri’s head and began moving his tongue aggressively.
A viscous battle erupted inside their joined mouths, each fighting to dominate the other.
This was his first time kissing so deeply, but he didn’t need to be taught—his body knew what to do.
Their tongues clashed, sliding and grinding roughly with every invasion of territory.
“Hah… ngh…”
Moans spilled out, indistinguishable as to whom they belonged.
Martius jolted when he felt his own arousal swelling under Yuri’s pheromones.
Slurp.
“Hah—ah!”
Damn it.
His head grew hazy, soaked in pheromones, as he let out a rough breath.
In that brief pause, Yuri plunged back into his mouth.
The suction was so strong it felt like his tongue would be ripped out, drawing desperate whimpers from him.
The hand gripping his jaw slid naturally down to his neck and shoulders.
Heat bloomed wherever skin touched skin.
“S-Stop—ah! Ngh!”
When the hand clutching Yuri’s collar finally went slack, Yuri’s eyes curved in satisfaction.
The hand roaming his neck and shoulders drifted lower.
“N-No! Mmph!”
He tried to push Yuri away as fingers slipped between his ribs, but the sharp bite on his tongue made him go limp.
The sensation of Yuri’s large hand—so much like his own—groping his chest made him shudder and twist his hips.
“Hah—stop it!”
“Hah… you started it. Shouldn’t we finish?”
Yuri’s grinning face looked oddly refreshed.
“Now I get it.”
“What?”
“What I want.”
What had been vague before was now clear.
He liked this sulky, overly sensitive alpha.
‘I must be insane, he thought, finding the way Martius glared at him with a flushed face utterly endearing.’
“What does that have to do with m—ah!”
As Martius tried to rise, Yuri grabbed his wrist and kissed him again.
With no escape, Martius fell back against the sofa, pinned under Yuri’s weight.
“Mmph—!”
Feeling the resistance fade from Martius’s hands, Yuri smirked.
So he doesn’t completely hate it.
If he did, Yuri would’ve been thrown off and punched already.
How cute.
His eyes crinkled in amusement.
Yuri didn’t pull away until Martius finally surrendered, raising both hands in defeat.
“Brother!”
“Martius, you’re off early today?”
Since his brother had woken up, Martius had been requesting dawn shifts, working until morning and returning to the ducal estate by lunchtime.
He had asked everyone to keep it a secret.
His top priority was securing time with his brother without running into the Duke.
“I’m practically the youngest in the 2nd Knight Order, so I’m still adjusting.”
Martius lied smoothly while studying his brother’s complexion.
“Brother, are you not sleeping well?”
“No? I’ve been sleeping soundly.”
“Then why do you look so pale? Did the Duke—?”
At Martius’ words, Sylvian flinched.
“No! It’s not like that!”
His flushed cheeks quickly cooled. His voice, insisting “It’s not like that,” sounded damp.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but you should talk to the Duke. Don’t suffer alone.”
Martius, who had come to revere the Duke after the kidnapping incident, gave his brother advice.
He suspected something bad had happened during the abduction, but he couldn’t interfere in a marital issue.
“You seem closer to Yuri now.”
“No, I’m not.”
Martius shook his head at his brother’s words.
Suddenly, Yuri’s pheromones and the memory of his scorching lips flashed in his mind, and without thinking, he slapped his own cheek.
“Marty! What’s wrong?!”
Startled, Sylvian jumped up and grabbed Martius’ face.
“Is Yuri bothering you?”
“Yeah. He’s a bad guy.”
He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it for days.
Why?
Even the sensation of that omega mounting him clung to his skin, forcing Martius to scrub himself raw in the shower multiple times a day.
“It’s unfair.”
“Hahaha. But Yuri’s a good guy, isn’t he?”
“Well… yeah, but he’s too loud.”
That’s part of his charm, so cut him some slack. Wouldn’t it be nice to get along?
As Sylvian continued gently, Martius only grew more aggrieved.
‘Brother, he climbed on top of me!’
He wanted to say it outright, but admitting he’d been pinned down by Yuri was impossible, so he pressed his lips shut.
“I’d love for you two to be close. But don’t force yourself if you’re uncomfortable—I’m not telling you to do something you hate.”
Sylvian sighed in relief when his brother gave a small nod.
Yuri seemed to have taken an interest in Martius, but Sylvian worried his brother might feel pressured.
Yuri is a bit pushy, though.
Sylvian smiled secretly, reassured that Yuri seemed to have sorted out his feelings.
Since waking up, Yuri had visited without fail—and every time, he sought out Martius.
Not only that, but whenever he stayed late, he’d linger in Martius’ room until the dead of night.
Sylvian pretended not to notice, but he couldn’t help looking forward to his brother’s love life.
I’ve been hoping he’d find a sweet omega, and Yuri is beyond perfect.
Not that Martius was lacking, but Yuri was a main lead!
Whether looks or personality, he was flawless.
Martius could be a little sensitive, so having easygoing Yuri by his side would balance him out nicely.
Sylvian found himself earnestly hoping the two would work out.
“Where’s Yuri?”
“He hasn’t shown his face at the Count’s estate in so long, the family’s about to throw a fit…”
Even past twenty, Yuri was still treated like a child.
His siblings took turns visiting the ducal estate just to see him.
On top of that, letters from the Count and Countess came almost daily.
Their family’s overflowing affection was so intense that just hearing the Holt brothers laugh in the next room made Martius’ stomach churn.
“His brothers are kinda weird too.”
“Mmm, you shouldn’t say that about others.”
Sylvian trailed off.
