* * *
The heavy rains from the night before gave way to a warm sun the next morning.
Remy woke much later than usual, his body still reeling from the previous night.
Perhaps his frail body hadn’t taken well to the rain; he felt off, unable to muster the strength to get out of bed.
“Ugh… Why am I so cold and shivery?”
He wondered briefly if he’d caught a cold but forced himself to rise.
Even heading to the bathroom felt like a monumental effort.
“My head feels heavy. I feel like I could collapse.”
Managing to steady himself, Remy cooled his flushed face with cold water.
Despite the chills wracking his body, the coolness brought some relief.
“Phew… Still, I can’t break my promise to Oliver. I need to get ready and head out.”
After a sluggish shower, Remy dressed warmly and made his way downstairs.
The moment he stepped outside, noise from the front door caught his attention.
Curious, Remy tilted his head and approached, only to find Rex standing there, impeccably dressed and waiting.
‘…Oh no.’
That’s when Remy remembered what had happened the night before.
The morning’s discomfort had temporarily wiped the memory, but now it returned with full force.
He had crossed a line with that red-haired Alpha.
‘Damn it. What is wrong with me? Am I even human?’
Though he berated himself, there was no undoing what had already happened.
Now, he had to face the more immediate problem—Rex, standing there smiling.
That famously cold-blooded Alpha, known for his icy demeanor, was now looking at Remy with warmth.
“Did you sleep well? How are you feeling?”
Rex’s uncharacteristic gentleness made Remy’s head throb.
What on earth had possessed him last night?
The self-loathing was almost unbearable.
As if ignoring Remy’s inner turmoil, Rex stepped closer and wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Let’s take my carriage today. You don’t look well, so don’t overexert yourself.”
The large hand on his waist was undeniably comforting, but Remy couldn’t simply let it be.
What happened in the carriage last night was one thing—but it could never happen again.
“Who said I’m unwell? I’m perfectly fine! I can walk on my own just fine!”
The Omega, who had been so inflamed just the day before, moaning and clawing at their hair, had now done a complete 180 overnight.
They glared fiercely, spewing venom.
Any Alpha would have been caught off guard by such a drastic change in demeanor.
But not Rex.
As though he had expected this reaction all along, he simply leaned in close and whispered calmly into Remy’s ear.
“Why? Is this because of what happened yesterday in the carriage? Are you embarrassed about how you were acting all sweet in front of me?”
In that moment, Remy’s face flushed crimson.
This bastard…!
He was so furious he couldn’t even form proper words.
“Who—?! Who was acting like that? Have you lost your mind? Why do you just interpret things however you want?!”
“If that’s not the case, why not just ride in my carriage? There’s really no reason to refuse, is there?”
With that, Rex raised his hand, signaling one of the Wesleys’ house servants, who had been watching the exchange nervously from a distance.
The servant quickly approached with small, hurried steps.
“Yes, Lord Rex. Is there something you need?”
“Prepare the carriage immediately. Remy and I will be taking it.”
“Yes, understood.”
Rex issued the command as if he were ordering his own household servant and then removed his hand from Remy’s waist.
Instead, he extended it toward him with an air of formality, silently inviting him to take it.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
Naturally, Remy ignored the gesture and stormed out of the house.
Rex followed closely behind.
With his longer strides, it didn’t take long for him to catch up to Remy’s hurried pace.
‘Fine, I’m guilty, guilty as charged. How did I end up doing that with this Alpha bastard…?’
Eventually, with no other choice, Remy climbed into the carriage, biting his lip hard.
Was Rex’s voice some kind of curse?
As he moved to sit inside, memories of the previous day suddenly surged up, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut.
The humid sensation, the heat of Rex’s lips—it all came back in vivid detail.
He could almost see himself in front of his own eyes, legs spread, writhing in ecstasy, letting out a cascade of cries.
‘Damn it…’
Shaking his head violently, Remy tried to push the memories away.
He told himself, as always, that what was done was done.
“Why don’t you sit down already?”
Rex’s voice broke through his reverie.
Remy glared at the infuriating Alpha before reluctantly taking a seat.
Rex, naturally, sat right next to him.
Without missing a beat, he draped an arm over Remy’s shoulder and pulled him closer.
“Try to get some rest while we travel. Hicks Road is quite far from here.”
Remy let out a short sigh.
It seemed today wouldn’t be a peaceful day either.
That clingy Alpha had no intention of leaving him alone.
While Remy was begrudgingly spending time with Rex, another figure sat in a dimly lit room, curtains drawn tight against the sunny weather.
It was none other than Ashton, who seemed all but forgotten in Remy’s memory.
“Remy…”
Since their parting outside Remy’s home, Ashton hadn’t been able to get him out of his mind for even a moment.
Not even a bonded pair could be this deeply connected.
After a single night together, they had left each other with emotional wounds, and Ashton had tried to forget.
But that had only been wishful thinking.
He couldn’t erase the memory of Remy’s fervent lips—wet as they whispered his name, the flushed warmth of his skin, and the places that had clung to him more tightly than any voice could.
“I’m going mad. I can’t take this anymore.”
The longer the nights stretched on with thoughts of Remy consuming him, the more desperate Ashton grew.
His longing for Remy intensified, filling the air of his lonely room with the phantom scent of him.
Determined that he couldn’t endure this any longer, Ashton resolved to meet Remy today.
He couldn’t keep brooding alone. He needed to talk to him, no matter what.
With that thought, Ashton left his darkened room and hurried downstairs, heading toward the Wesleys’ home, where he had spent countless hours since childhood.
But to his dismay, Remy had already left, as he so often did, without leaving word of his destination.
“What should I do? Shall I leave a message for him?”
As Chandler, the butler, spoke with measured politeness, Ashton frowned deeply. He couldn’t just leave now.
“No. I’ll wait here.”
“But the young master may not return until after sundown.”
“That’s fine.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare tea and cake in the drawing room.”
Chandler bowed respectfully and departed.
Left alone, Ashton bit his lip and reluctantly made his way toward the drawing room.
As he walked, memories of Remy’s scent overwhelmed him.
‘Last time… even just catching a faint whiff of his scent in the drawing room was enough to drive me crazy.’
But now, that wouldn’t be enough.
The desire that had built up over so long was driving Ashton to the edge of madness.
Abandoning his path to the drawing room, he turned and headed upstairs instead.
Without hesitation, he made his way to Remy’s room, his footsteps echoing through the empty corridor.
“Remy’s scent…”
Though faint traces of Remy lingered throughout the house, his room was saturated with it.
Gripping the doorknob, Ashton opened the large door.
* * *
Ohh poor Ashton