* * *
“Etienne, please be more aware…!”
At Lucian’s scolding, Etienne stopped putting on his new clothes and turned around with wide eyes, as if wondering why he was suddenly being reprimanded.
Feeling like he was being treated like trash, Lucian rubbed his forehead and spoke again.
“Do something about your scent. Are you learning anything properly?”
“Oh, right.”
Only then did Etienne realize and suppress his scent a little. Not completely, but enough for Lucian to tolerate.
Thanks to assigning an Omega servant as a teacher for Etienne, they had achieved this small progress.
“Why do you react so strongly every time? Unless you deliberately release your scent, I usually find the Duke’s scent pleasant. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be resistant to Omega pheromones?”
“I told you, you’re special.”
Lucian forced himself to remain calm as he spoke.
“And that’s because I usually control my scent. Unlike you, who lets it spill without any awareness.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Etienne asked innocently. Then, in the next moment, he moved closer, burying his face in Lucian’s neck and murmured.
“Hmm, control…”
The fragrant breath of the Omega made Lucian’s mind dizzy. Etienne’s soft lips were almost brushing against the Alpha’s neck.
As Lucian’s body stiffened completely, Etienne stepped back with a bright smile.
“You really do control it well, Duke. It’s just pleasant today.”
“…”
“If only I could make perfume from your scent…”
“Etienne.”
For a moment, Lucian’s violet eyes flahed with a fierce, predatory look.
Startled by the terrifying gaze, Etienne took an involuntary step back, but Lucian quickly closed the distance, grabbing his delicate shoulders.
“Ow…”
“Shall I let you experience what I’m feeling right now?”
In the next moment, the Alpha’s scent poured out like a broken dam, filling the room.
Held tightly by the larger Alpha, Etienne was overwhelmed from head to toe by the powerful pheromones.
The crushing pressure made it hard to breathe. His body, releasing water, was gradually losing control. Gasping under the gaze filled with desire, Etienne barely managed to exhale.
“You may have only felt that way on the bed…”
“Ah, ugh…”
“But I don’t.”
Overwhelmed by the Alpha’s intense and greedy pheromones, Etienne trembled uncontrollably, unable to gather his senses.
Still holding the powerless Omega tightly, Lucian spoke each word with emphasis.
“Do you understand now why I keep telling you to control your scent?”
Then he lunged, roughly and greedily sucking on the Omega’s soaked lips without a trace of gentleness.
Lucian ravaged Etienne’s mouth for a long time, finally letting go when Etienne was on the verge of suffocation. His eyes still burned with uncontrollable desire.
“Every time you act without awareness, I always feel like that.”
Etienne’s cheeks, fluhed pink, were unbearably lovely. Even his flowing tears, Lucian wanted to claim every drop as his own.
Feeling the gradually consuming desire, Lucian sighed inwardly.
As a researcher and intellectual, he had a fondness for Etienne and looked forward to their research together.
But at times like this, it seemed…
“I’m starting to think you are more adorable than our research.”
Etienne’s pure eyes and sweet skin intoxicated him, overshadowing his respect for their great and awe-inspiring intellect.
His longing for knowledge and curiosity was being eclipsed by mere lust. The joy of discovering an exceptional intellectual was turning into the joy of discovering a beautiful Omega.
How was he different from those who treated Omegas as livestock or toys?
“So, I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from such actions outside of our research… understand, partner?”
“Huff…”
Even Etienne’s breath was provocative. That was the nature of an Omega, with fluhed eyes and a struggling demeanor.
Lucian reluctantly released Etienne, suppressing his desire to devour the small, white body immediately.
“Come out when you’re ready.”
But, contradicting his efforts, Etienne clutched Lucian’s collar as he slumped to the floor.
Then a maddeningly seductive voice tickled Lucian’s ear.
“Why… don’t you just stay, Duke?”
“Really, you are…”
Lucian bit his lip hard enough to draw blood to maintain his sanity.
If he took Etienne now, it would be an act of satisfying his own desires, not research. And Lucian saw that as a betrayal of Etienne and their research.
“What did you hear me say just now?”
“I understood. You find it troubling to be affected by pheromones constantly.”
“Then why…”
“But what’s the problem with that?”
Unfortunately, Etienne didn’t seem to agree.
“That’s a chemical reaction, the action of pheromones and hormones. Why avoid it? That’s our research subject itself.”
“…”
“It’s all fascinating to me.”
Etienne whispered in a bewitching voice, like a devil tempting a foolish human.
“The fact that human pheromones can change another person’s body and emotions, not some artificial drug… it’s so amazing. Don’t you think so, Duke?”
“…”
“This isn’t something to avoid, but a fascinating and intriguing phenomenon. You might not understand, but I feel like the first human allowed to study aliens…”
Even Lucian’s conflict and hesitation were part of their research subject. That irresistible attraction and impulse were just things to be examined and analyzed.
So it was okay to harbor and release such desires.
“So, Duke.”
Etienne’s eyes curved into a seductive smile.
“Indulge in your delusions and desires to your heart’s content. Follow your instincts.”
“……”
“It’s all fine by me.”
It was an irresistible, intense temptation.
Succumbing to it, Lucian finally embraced Etienne roughly.
“I’ll make sure you regret those words.”
In response, a faint laugh echoed in Lucian’s ear.
* * *
The steak, freshly grilled as per Lucian’s orders, was eventually discarded. This was because the two of them did not come down to the dining room for hours.
In the end, Etienne couldn’t fill his stomach with food and fainted, while Lucian tried to wake him a few times before letting him sleep comfortably.
“I’ve lost control again…”
He wondered why this kept happening. It made him doubt whether he was truly unaffected by an omega’s pheromones.
Pheromones.
Could it really be, as Etienne said, that all of this was merely due to the influence of pheromones?
Staring down at the omega, who was deeply asleep under the moonlight and breathing softly, Lucian let out a deep sigh.
He had wanted to be with Etienne just for research, but his body kept reacting and his heart was drawn more than he intended, causing trouble.
Thinking that even these feelings were part of an experiment and an object of observation might provide a clear answer, but he didn’t want to think that way, which was odd.
“Am I just an alpha swayed by mere lust?”
The change that had come over him felt so foreign to Lucian himself.
When he had encountered subordinates assaulting omegas on the battlefield, he had felt nothing but disgust and had punihed them.
He hadn’t felt any desire even when seeing omegas in disarray, only unpleasant memories of his younger sibling had come to mind.
But now, he was often consumed by an overwhelming desire, losing rationality like a beast. The change was so drastic that calling it strange was an understatement.
Now, just looking at the small, exhausted body ignited his desire. It felt like an unquenchable flame had been kindled the day he met Etienne.
“I really am just a beast.”
Despite mocking his own desires, Lucian couldn’t take his eyes off Etienne. He traced the red marks his grip had left on the omega’s delicate body over and over with his eyes.
He imagined he might be consumed by the flames Etienne brought and turn into a pile of ahes, an uncharacteristic and frivolous thought.
* * *
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