* * *

Cuddling into Taeshin’s chest, I wasn’t sure if my delayed response was what he wanted or not. I thought quietly and added more.

“I need to be ready so I can’t make excuses that my answer is because of you.”

Knowing he was waiting made me feel a bit guilty asking for time, so I looked at the ground as I spoke. After I finished, Taeshin was silent, and when I glanced up, he was quietly smiling at me.

“…Why are you smiling?”

What was there to smile about when I asked for time? Taeshin laughed silently again.

“Because I’m happy.”

Happy about what?

“I’m happy that Moon Sunwoo acknowledged my feelings over the years.”

His reaction was beyond my imagination.

Feeling like I’d unexpectedly won an award, I told him I was going in.

“Okay. Take care, Sunwoo.”

“And I’ll go alone tomorrow too.”

“I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

“You heard it clearly, so I’m leaving!”

I ran away, leaving Taeshin behind, pretending he didn’t hear me.

***

With my slightly flushed cheeks cooled by the night air, I quickly entered the house, where an unexpected figure was sitting in the living room.

“Jungwoo hyung!”

“Oh, the baby is home?”

My eldest brother, who had gone to the U.S. for work, was sitting on the living room sofa.

When he arrived, he had changed into comfortable clothes, indicating he was staying the night.

I was about to run to him when I noticed Moon Jinwooo sitting next to him.

“I’m back.”

“Your greeting is late.”

Even when I greeted him, he responded like that. I pouted and bypassed Jinwoo to sit next to my eldest brother.

Thrilled to see him after several months, I bombarded him with questions. He calmed me down and handed me a present.

“It’s a famous chocolate. I thought you’d like it. This one has alcohol in it, so don’t eat too much at once.”

“This?”

I quickly grabbed the chocolate infused with liquor and unwrapped it. As I put it in my mouth, the chocolate melted, releasing the liquor inside, filling my mouth with its rich flavor.

Delicious!

But as my eldest brother suggested, I set aside the liquor-filled chocolate and tried another one.

Enjoying the sticky and heavy sweetness, I shared the chocolates with my eldest and second brother.

“How have you been? Nothing much happened?”

“Yeah! The kids are good, and school is fun, so I’m happy.”

“Are you getting along with Taeshin as well?”

I nodded while finishing a piece of chocolate and starting a new one, just letting it melt in my mouth.

“Yes, I’m getting along with Taeshin just fine.”

“Really?”

As I swallowed the chocolate and answered, my eldest brother, who was looking at me with a gentle and mature smile, slightly tilted his head.

“That can’t be true.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Never mind. Is it tasty?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

When I asked if he wanted another piece while putting another chocolate in my mouth, he gestured to decline.

It was famous chocolate, and I didn’t get tired of it. As I seemed to be on the verge of finishing it all, Moon Jinwoo, who was watching, called me over to the TV.

“Moon Sunwoo, stop eating and watch this.”

On TV, there was a documentary about alphas and omegas.

“I know all about it.”

“Even if you know, just watch it. Don’t be overconfident thinking you know everything.”

Who wouldn’t know about alphas and omegas when we’ve been getting sex education since elementary school?

But since Moon Jinwoo told me to watch it, I sat down and watched the TV.

As expected, the story was something I roughly knew, so I watched it indifferently. But as it delved into the instincts and sexual behaviors of alphas and omegas, I started to feel a bit embarrassed.

Why are they showing such provocative scenes on TV?

There were even infrared shots of parts of an alpha’s organ swelling up from sensing pheromones.

It went further, discussing alpha ruts and knotting, making my ears burn. It was too embarrassing to watch with family. As I tried to act nonchalant, a narration caught my ear.

“If an alpha or omega in their cycle engages in unprotected knotting, the chances of pregnancy are 30% for recessive and 60% for dominant types.”

Is there such a big difference?

As an extreme dominant, would my chances be higher?

Listening seriously to the narration, I unwrapped another chocolate and popped it into my mouth.

Thanks to Moon Jinwoo, I gained some unnecessary knowledge.

“Did you hear the explanation? Be careful. Don’t get carried away and end up in a hotel with some strange alpha.”

“When did I ever say I was going to a hotel with an alpha?”

“If you knot during your cycle, you’ll get pregnant. So choose your partner wisely… or better yet, just stick to platonic relationships. You can’t trust alphas; they’re all beasts, so stay away from weird ones.”

“My eyes are fine! And there’s a 40-70% chance I won’t get pregnant! Besides, who said I’d go to a hotel with an alpha….”

Arguing with Moon Jinwoo, who, despite being an alpha himself, called all alphas beasts and interfered with my love life, a sudden thought made me fall silent.

The words ‘alpha’ and ‘hotel’ stirred deep-buried memories.

“70% is nothing; you’re not just a dominant but an extreme dominant. If it’s 60%, it’s basically certain. More than half is a lot. Can you guarantee you won’t knot with an alpha in rut? So, be careful with alphas and watch for signs. If there’s anything off, get away fast.”

“This is sexual harassment, you pervert!”

“What?”

Shouting at Moon Jinwoo for digging up buried memories, I ran to my room. My eldest brother burst out laughing outside.

As soon as I entered my room, I lay on my bed, covering my face with both hands. Moon Jinwoo’s words brought back memories.

I had buried it with great effort!

My heart pounded, and my face felt like it was melting. I felt like I was sensing Taeshin’s pheromones, trembling and stiffening. I checked my phone calendar.

One, two, three… Due to my irregular heat cycle, I managed it with suppressants.

Checking my schedule, I noticed I had missed the expected date a few days ago and realized I had forgotten my suppressants recently.

“No knotting happened.”

Finally, I sighed in relief. Although our cycles overlapped, thankfully, there was no knotting that night. I felt like a frog hit by a small ball thrown by Moon Jinwoo.

Telling me to watch unnecessary stuff. Lying on my bed, I cursed Moon Jinwoo once more.

Feeling a strange sense that the sensations from that day might resurface, I quickly closed my eyes.

‘Huu… good…’

‘I’ll keep making you feel good, Moon Sunwoo.’

Taeshin said to me. My body was flushed and shaking. All my senses tingled, and I moaned in pleasure.

‘Uh, hng! Aaah!’

Taeshin, who promised to keep making me feel good, relentlessly pushed me.

The vulgar expression of being a beast below the waist wasn’t for nothing.

No matter how Taeshin treated me, I clung to him, crying with pleasure.

Especially when he pushed me against the wall and thrust between my twisted, spread legs, the pleasure turned into fear.

My mind went blank, and the endless pleasure pushed me to the extreme.

‘Haa, Taeshin.’

My vision flickered, and my breath caught. My mind, paralyzed by pheromones and pleasure, turned to mush.

Every thrust scraped my peak.

Taeshin’s member drove into me, making my insides tighten and tremble with intense pleasure.

‘Haa, haa.’

The excessive stimulation made me think I might break if it continued.

I thought I should stop. I wanted to tell Taeshin, hugging his neck, but only beastly groans came out.

In the end, I couldn’t stop Taeshin, and stars exploded in my mind.

‘……!’

My vision whitened, and my ears went deaf. I couldn’t remember what I was doing or what I had done.

When I regained my senses, I was biting Taeshin’s neck hard enough to leave marks.

Seeing the bite mark on Taeshin’s neck, I briefly regained my senses, but soon the overwhelming alpha pheromones drowned me.

‘…Haa…haa…’

The pheromones from Taeshin overwhelmed me, making it hard to breathe, as if they were strangling me. It wasn’t excitement; it was as if he had lost control, pouring out endless pheromones.

Instinctively, I realized something was wrong with Taeshin.

“Taeshin… Uh!”

Just as I tried to call out to him, Taeshin grabbed me with his arms and lifted my hips.

His member slipped out and then plunged back in, making my body tremble and stifling my moans.

Taeshin, holding me tightly, kept moving inside me, his pheromones flooding the air around us, filling my lungs and mouth like needles piercing my body.

* * *