Chapter 166

“……Uh.”

Grayson tried to say something, but it was impossible. Dane embraced his collapsing body with both arms. After holding him for a moment, Dane looked up and immediately met Joshua’s eyes.

“You…….”

Joshua, who was standing blankly with surprised eyes, could only mutter a single word. There was only one Trait that could release Pheromone in an instant and steal the consciousness of a Dominant Alpha. Dane, handing Grayson, who had collapsed in his arms, to Joshua, who seemed stunned by the astonishing fact that was as surprising as their kiss just now, with his eyes wide open, said,

“Take him.”

As Joshua dazedly accepted Grayson, Dane added with a bitter smile.

“You’re right, I didn’t hide it on purpose.”

As if it was all settled, he tapped Joshua’s arm twice.

“Go, quickly.”

“Dane.”

Joshua called his name again. He still hesitated as if his feet wouldn’t move, but Dane was firm.

“Did you forget why we came here? Go, quickly.”

Of course, he remembered. The moment his gaze turned to the face of the man lying unconscious in his arms, Dane shouted roughly.

“Hurry!”

Eventually, Joshua turned his back on Dane and began to descend the mountain. Dane, watching his back as he moved quickly even with a man much bigger than himself on his back, soon turned around and ran. The destination was set. Quickly, as quickly as possible. Before the last bomb exploded, until the final explosion…

20 minutes.

Joshua checked the watch on his wrist and looked back. Confirming that Dane’s figure, who had been running at full speed, had already disappeared from sight, he gritted his teeth and turned around.

“Ugh……”

A faint groan escaped from Grayson’s lips. Joshua pretended not to hear and continued down the mountain. As Dane had instructed, to fulfill his mission.

……Uh.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a hazy sky. The sun was already rising. Grayson blinked blankly as he lay on the ground.

“……Ah!”

He inadvertently tried to get up, but ended up letting out a short scream. As he gasped for breath with his face contorted, a shadow suddenly loomed over him. Grayson, who inadvertently raised his head, stopped moving. Dane, looking down at him with a frown, opened his mouth.

“You idiot, why don’t you listen to me?”

Grayson blinked, dumbfounded by the words that were spat out irritably as usual. Even as he slowly got up, he still couldn’t believe it. Dane, who was just watching him, swept back his hair and continued to talk.

“If you had come down quickly as I told you to, everyone would have suffered less. Do you know how much Josh had to suffer to drag you down here?”

At those words, he turned his head and saw Joshua sitting on the ground over there, gulping down water. Grayson looked at him for a moment before turning his eyes back to Dane.

“It’s because you tried to force me to go first.”

“You little punk.”

Dane raised his fist. Grayson closed his eyes tightly, expecting to be slapped on the cheek as always. He waited, prepared, but the surroundings were silent. As he slyly opened his eyes at the fact that the punch he was waiting for was not coming, Dane’s face suddenly filled his eyes.

“Heok!”

Surprised, he reflexively gasped and slumped back, and Dane suddenly burst into laughter at his pathetic state.

“Hahaha, what are you doing? You.”

Grayson stared at Dane, completely stunned. Dane laughing so loudly, what was going on?

“What’s wrong?”

Dane asked Grayson, who was just staring blankly at him. Seeing him still smiling at him, Grayson was still dumbfounded but also overwhelmed.

“No, you…… looking at me, and smiling like that.”

Dane laughed again at Grayson, who was stammering. Another surprising thing happened. His cheeks were faintly flushed.

“My puppy.”

Dane said that and reached out his hand. Instead of punching him on the cheek, he stroked Grayson’s hair and said with a full smile.

“You endured well, very.”

A warm feeling gradually spread through his heart at the praise directed at him. Grayson, who had opened his mouth, moved his lips several times before barely making a sound.

“……I waited until you came.”

Dane nodded at the hoarse voice.

“Yes, you did very well. I should give a reward to a good puppy.”

“Tell me you love me.”

Grayson demanded without missing the opportunity. The hand stroking his head stopped abruptly. Grayson stubbornly spat out the words, unable to bear to look at Dane’s expression as he closed his eyes tightly.

“I don’t care if it’s a lie, just say it once, that you love me.”

I want to hear it.

He thought inwardly with a desperate heart. Only 1 or 2 seconds had passed, but after a time that felt so long, Dane opened his mouth.

“I love you.”

Grayson was instantly surprised and opened his eyes wide. Raising his head was next. Slowly, with a trembling heart, he raised his gaze and immediately met Dane’s eyes. And he witnessed an unbelievable fact.

He’s smiling.

Dane asked Grayson, who was staring blankly. Still with a smile on his face.

“Is that enough? Pretty boy.”

Grayson couldn’t answer. He was just gaping and looking at him with a heart-bursting emotion, and Dane, with a bright smile on his face, tilted his head. He slowly closes his eyes. His breath touches him. A sigh of anticipation escaped. His lips touched next. At that moment, Grayson thought as he smelled Dane’s Pheromone scent filling his lungs.

I wouldn’t mind dying like this.

Dane’s Pheromone scent.

Pheromone.

……Dane’s Pheromone.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. An unfamiliar landscape unfolded before his wide-open eyes.

……Huh?

Grayson left his swaying vision as it was for a moment. It took him a little longer to realize that everything that had happened until just now was a dream.

“What, hey…… this is!”

With a rough shout, he shook his body. Joshua, who had not anticipated the sudden situation, staggered greatly and almost fell forward.

“What are you doing right now! Do you want to die?”

He barely avoided the crisis of almost rolling down the slope and immediately shouted at Grayson. But taking advantage of the gap, Grayson, who had fallen off Joshua’s back, quickly looked around with a pale face and asked.

“Where’s Dane? Where is Dane? He was here until just now.”

What happened? What is this situation? He couldn’t figure it out at all. Seeing him unable to distinguish between dream and reality, Joshua tried to regain his composure and opened his mouth.

“You fainted because of Dane’s Pheromone. And I was carrying you down the mountain.”

After a brief explanation, he gestured to Grayson as if telling him to come over.

“There’s no time to hesitate, let’s go down quickly. You’re seriously injured.”

“No.”

Grayson started to be stubborn again.

“Dane is doing something dangerous right now, isn’t he? What is it? Tell me, why did you send only me first? Why did you stay alone? Why?”

He didn’t know the situation at all, but he had such a good sense of things that he wouldn’t listen to Joshua’s words. At the repeated questions, Joshua eventually sighed and had no choice but to reveal the truth.

“A bomb is going off.”

“……A bomb?”

Joshua nodded at Grayson, who was repeating what Joshua had said, and added.

“Dane went to defuse the bomb. Meanwhile, we’re going down the mountain.”

Grayson didn’t understand his words for a very brief moment. He stared blankly at Joshua, and after a few seconds of silence, he barely opened his mouth.

“……What?”