By Zephyria 
Koi gasped, inhaling sharply, and Ashley froze. Bill, also surprised, looked back and forth between them before belatedly shouting.
“What are you talking about?”
Bill asked, frustrated, but no one answered. A heavier silence than ever descended between them. In the stiff atmosphere, where even the air seemed to have stopped flowing, no one even breathed. Only Bill, who was also frozen, was busy rolling his eyes around, trying to figure out the situation.
“…What the hell are you talking about?”
Ashley opened his mouth after a long while. Bill was startled by the words he spat out, grinding his teeth in a voice as if squeezing his vocal cords, and even Ariel felt a chill down her spine. Koi also couldn’t say anything, and Ashley muttered in a rough voice.
“Stop talking nonsense, Ariel. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Why?”
Ariel, having regained her senses, asked back as if she was arguing.
“Why doesn’t it make sense? Is there something wrong with Koi being an extreme omega?”
“Ha.”
Ashley sighed irritably. He shook his head as if dumbfounded, then glared at Ariel with a scary look and spat out.
“Koi being an extreme omega, do you think that makes sense? It’s impossible, absolutely.”
“So why is it absolutely impossible? I’m telling you, Koi is an extreme omega!”
Ariel’s voice rose involuntarily, frustrated. Ashley sneered as if mocking her, who was about to go crazy with frustration.
“How do you prove that?”
Ashley continued, as Ariel paused.
“Extreme omegas don’t even show up on the trait test. They come out as betas. There’s no way to prove that they’re extreme omegas.”
Ashley’s belief was firm. But Ariel found the answer in those words.
“You’ve had Koi’s trait test done?”
Ashley laughed it off as if it were nothing at Ariel’s question.
“Is there any need to do that? He’s pregnant, so of course he’s an omega.”
“I did. No, we checked.”
Ariel opened her mouth with conviction.
“Koi was a beta.”
“More bullshit…”
Ashley didn’t believe Ariel’s words. Ariel cut him off as he cursed with a face full of disbelief.
“If you don’t believe me, check what Koi’s trait is. It’s simple, isn’t it? If you go to the hospital, it takes two days at most, and if you spend more money, it comes out in 30 minutes. Why don’t you do it right now?”
Ariel, who had regained her usual composure, glared at Ashley and asked.
“You seem desperate to deny that Koi is an extreme omega, but why? Isn’t it good for you? Extreme omegas are the ultimate dream of extreme alphas, but you’re different? Or.”
She narrowed her eyes and added with a suspicious expression.
“Is the problem that ‘Koi’ is an extreme omega?”
Silence fell again. No one opened their mouth. Koi was just anxiously watching, unsure of what to do. He didn’t dare to check Ashley’s face, but he mustered his courage and carefully raised his gaze.
Ashley didn’t even look at Koi. Koi felt a sense of emptiness in his heart at his attitude of still only glaring at Ariel.
“…Ash, is that true?”
After swallowing hard, Koi spoke with difficulty. He could feel the arm that was still holding him flinch. Koi asked again, still looking up at Ashley.
“Do you… do you hate me because it’s me? Was it better that I was a beta?”
Ashley spat out violently at Koi, who even had tears welling up in his eyes.
“Don’t be silly, I don’t care what you are.”
“Then why are you denying it so much?”
Ariel intervened again. Ashley wanted to strangle her if he could, but it was impossible. His temples were throbbing, and his head was a mess. Feeling his fingertips trembling, Ashley opened his mouth and then closed it again.
Reason had already accepted the fact. There were more than enough grounds. The answer to the countless questions he had felt so far was only one. The pheromone scent fluctuating, and the fact that he didn’t have a uterus back then.
It wasn’t that my brain was wrong, crazy, and mistaken, but really.
“That can’t be.”
Ashley’s voice trembled faintly. His eyes, his lips, his whole body began to tremble as if his ego was collapsing.
“My Koi can’t be.”
“Ash.”
Koi called his name in a flustered voice. Ashley’s arm lost strength, and he staggered back. Ashley, who had moved away from Koi, stopped moving and slowly looked around. The pheromone scent floating in the air was only his own.
“If Koi is an Omega, he should have a pheromone scent.”
He muttered as if he was talking to himself. Ariel opened her mouth when she saw him like that.
“Since he’s an extreme omega, he can control his pheromones, so…”
“Shut up!”
Ashley, who turned his head away from Ariel, who had closed her mouth at the rough shout, stared at Koi.
“There’s no reason for him to hide his pheromone scent from me on purpose.”
He continued, as if trying to convince himself.
“Koi mutated, so his pheromone scent is just weak. That’s all.”
“Ash…”
Koi called him again, but Ashley stepped back. Koi, who was about to approach him, stopped moving.
“Isn’t it?”
Ashley asked, forcing the corners of his mouth up.
“Ariel is talking nonsense, right? You don’t lie to me, do you?”
“Ash…”
“Koi.”
Ashley’s face was a mess.
“Tell me it’s not true.”
He was pleading so desperately. But Koi couldn’t say anything. Silence flowed again.
Ashley, who was staring at him with shaking eyes, slowly shook his head.
“This isn’t real.”
“Ash.”
“It’s a lie, it’s a lie!”
He screamed violently and suddenly gasped. Koi screamed in surprise at the large body falling forward.
“Ash!”
“Heok.”
Bill exclaimed in surprise and covered his nose with his arm. Ariel also opened her eyes wide and stepped back. Ashley’s eyes, who was gasping for breath and crouching down, were dyed with a dazzling golden color.
“Ash, what’s wrong? Is there something wrong with your body again?”
Koi shouted urgently. But Ashley was no longer in a state to answer. Could it be that he can’t control his pheromones?
Bernice’s words came to mind, and Koi felt a chill down his spine. As he recalled the fact that Ashley’s brain was damaged by pheromones, fear suddenly washed over him.
“Ash, Ash! Wake up, Ash!”
He shouted urgently and took out his cell phone, but his hands were shaking and he dropped it. Koi hurriedly wiped away the tearful tears and picked up his cell phone. He had to call Bernice. That was all he could think about. She was the only one who could solve the situation now.
“Ash!”
Ariel suddenly shouted. Koi, who had just pressed the button and brought his cell phone to his ear, reflexively turned around and swallowed a breath like a scream. Ashley was staggering up and heading for the door.
“Ash, wait! Where are you going?”
Koi couldn’t wait for the phone to connect and ran. He tried to grab him, but Ashley violently pushed him away. When Koi, who had staggered greatly, regained his senses, Ashley was already out of the room. Koi, flustered, hurriedly tried to chase after him, but even his shadow was not visible. All that was left was Ashley’s pheromone scent, which was much stronger than usual.
Haa, haa.
Koi gasped and wiped the sweat from his forehead. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find Ashley. He searched his house thoroughly and even looked for him at the office, but it was all in vain. He even went to the rented house where he used to live, just in case, but it was empty. Eventually, Koi stood blankly on the darkened street, feeling lost.
Where the hell did he go?
Nothing else came to mind. He was covering his throbbing head when he suddenly felt his cell phone vibrate. He hurriedly checked the caller and sighed before connecting the call.
-What’s wrong? You called?
It was Bernice. Koi took a deep breath and then roughly said that Ashley had a pheromone seizure and he didn’t know where he was, then quickly added.
“I went to his house, but he wasn’t there. The doorman said he saw him come in, but I couldn’t find him no matter how hard I searched… It seems like he went out again when the doorman wasn’t looking…”
-Did you check the closet?
Bernice suddenly asked. Koi stopped talking.
“The closet?”
-Yes. The closet in the dressing room.
Bernice added in a businesslike voice as usual, without any agitation.
-Junior will be there.
The phone was cut off soon after, and Koi stood blankly for a while before belatedly regaining his senses and hurriedly returning in the direction he had come from.