By Zephyria *
“Thank you for driving me.”
As Koi thanked him, the driver soon drove off. Koi stood on the sidewalk, watching the departing car for a moment before turning around. His mind was still in turmoil.
Could it all be true?
It was hard to believe. That pheromones had to be extracted in such a way. He knew that extreme Alphas secreted far more pheromones than ordinary Alphas. But he never imagined that the most efficient way to process them would be sex.
〈This is happening because he didn’t extract his pheromones on time.〉
The secretary’s words kept echoing in his ears. According to her, Ashley’s instability was due to not properly processing his pheromones. No matter how he thought about it, there was only one reason.
Because I’m a Beta.
Koi unconsciously let out a rough breath. If I were an Omega, it would have been simple. It’s because I’m a Beta that I can’t accept him.
Even though he said it was okay.
Hadn’t he clearly said so? That he was mentally prepared. That this time, when he returned, they would finally spend the night together – he had even steeled himself for it.
Why didn’t Ash try to embrace me at all?
Recalling how he had struggled even with kissing when they met again, he felt unbearably anxious.
Thinking about it now, even the question he had asked him then seemed meaningful. Why had he asked what he would do if he had sex with someone else? Though he had brushed it off as a joke, it was strange that he made such a joke in particular.
Maybe it has something to do with the pheromones…
As he entertained this frightening thought, he arrived in front of his house.
The surroundings were quiet. Though it was well past midnight, the lights in the motorhome were still off. After checking the dark interior from outside, Koi unconsciously stroked his chest.
He’s not back yet.
Thank goodness. He hurriedly moved to open the door of the motorhome. He needed to wash up and lie down in bed quickly. He would think after that. Hastily putting down his bag and almost simultaneously reaching out to turn on the ceiling light, Koi confirmed the dim light flickering on before turning around. He involuntarily gasped like a scream. Father was sitting in a chair at the table, looking at him.
Koi stepped back without realizing it, unable to say anything. His mind couldn’t process this unexpected situation.
“Fa, ther.”
He barely managed to mutter, but Father just stared at him without a word. Instinctively, Koi realized. That he had been waiting for him. A chill ran down his spine just as Father finally spoke.
“Where have you been, what have you been doing, until this hour.”
His voice came out hoarse and broken. Koi could understand why. Father always had that voice when he was drunk.
He’s been drinking.
Koi turned pale and froze in place. Like a frog before a snake, he just stood there unable to move, when Father staggered to his feet from the chair.
“Every day making excuses about studying, working part-time… You’ve been lying all along, haven’t you?”
Koi just stared at him with wide eyes. Father took one step towards him.
“How dare you deceive me.”
“Fa…ther…”
Koi barely managed to call out to him. His face in the dim light was redder than usual, and his eyes were bloodshot. Seeing him gritting his teeth with saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth, Koi could fully anticipate what would come next. He began fumbling to undo his belt. Koi’s breathing gradually became rough.
“You ungrateful bastard, are you looking down on me? Didn’t I tell you not to hang around with that guy!”
Father shouted harshly, wrapping the belt around one hand and hitting the wall. The end of the belt struck the wall with a loud noise. Koi startled, covering his head with both hands and crouching down.
“N-no, n-no, I’m not.”
He shook his head, stammering in fear, but it was no use. Father immediately grabbed his collar with his free hand. His bloodshot eyes glared fiercely at Koi.
“What’s this smell! You’re covered in pheromones and still trying to deceive me? You piece of trash!”
Then Father pushed Koi down. He began mercilessly swinging the belt at Koi, who had lost his balance and fallen.
“You ungrateful bastard, I should have thrown you away long ago! I should have left you to die! This is all because of you! I should have strangled you to death as soon as you were born! No, I should have scraped you out when your mother was pregnant with you! I should have stabbed you to death along with that bitch who abandoned me!”
Koi couldn’t even scream, just curling up his whole body and taking the blows from the belt Father was swinging. The thin, worn leather strap lashed across his entire body. It stung and hurt so much, but there was no one to help him. Koi, cornered, could only hope for this situation to end quickly.
That’s when it happened. He felt a vibration from his waistband. Koi hurriedly pulled out his mobile phone. There was no time to check who it was.
“He-help… Agh!”While he was talking, Father mercilessly struck him in the face with his belt. It missed, but Koi couldn’t help the stinging pain that spread across his face. He dropped his cell phone because of it, and could only curl up as much as possible, enduring the painful time.
*
Ashley turned white and stepped on the accelerator like crazy. It was the first time he’d ever driven this fast. Koi barely managed to answer the phone, but soon disappeared, leaving behind an ominous scream. Ashley felt desperate at the disconnected phone.
The anxiety had been unbearable since Koi didn’t answer the phone. He told his secretary that he was going to see Koi for a moment and left the mansion. Of course, he pretended to be as calm as possible on the outside, acting as if nothing was wrong.
“I’ll just go see him for a second.”
After all, it’s easy to find out where he is by tracking Ashley’s cell phone. It was better to be honest and tell her where he was going. Besides, she was looking down on Ashley and Koi, calling them immature teenagers. Then he had no choice but to play along.
As Ashley had guessed, the secretary let him go without much reaction. Maybe she thought there was nothing Ashley could do anyway. It didn’t matter. Ashley just needed to make sure Koi was safe.
While driving out of the mansion, he called several times. He barely managed to connect, but it was cut off again, leaving only a desperate scream. Ashley felt like his heart would burst with anxiety.
No way, Koi. That man again.
He could almost see Koi’s face, beaten to a pulp. He drove at full speed down the road, parked his car on the roadside where he always dropped Koi off, and immediately ran like crazy. It was quite a distance to the Motorhome. He sprinted, hoping he wasn’t too late, and soon reached his destination.
The faint light flickered through the cracked window, dimly illuminating the interior. Soon, a scream was heard, followed by the sound of something being struck sharply. The moment Ashley realized that the sobbing voice was Koi’s, reason completely left his mind.
“Koi!”
Calling out his name urgently, he immediately threw open the old door of the Motorhome. The rusty car door creaked weakly and gave way, and the narrow interior was immediately revealed.
Then Ashley saw it clearly with his own eyes.
Koi, huddled and collapsed in the messy, narrow Motorhome, and Father, mercilessly striking him with his belt. Immediately, Ashley rushed into the Motorhome and punched Koi’s father in the face.
*
“Ugh, ugh…”
A faint groan escaped his lips. Koi couldn’t help but regain consciousness from the pain that pounded all over his body. Ashley spoke to him immediately after hearing the sound.
“Koi, are you awake?”
He was conscious, but it took him a little longer to understand the situation. Koi slowly blinked his eyelids, which he had barely managed to lift.
The first thing he saw was the dark road, lit only by the car’s headlights. Only then did he realize that he was sitting in the passenger seat of the car.
He looked down and breathed a sigh of relief. A large hand was holding one of Koi’s hands tightly. A smile almost appeared on his lips, but his lips were torn and his face was swollen, so instead of a smile, he frowned.
“…Ash.”
When he barely managed to say his name, Ashley took his eyes off the road and looked at Koi. As always, he was holding the steering wheel with one hand and holding Koi’s hand tightly with the other, and Koi felt more at ease than ever before.
“Where… where are we going…?”
Koi asked in a faint voice. When he said what came to his mind first, Ashley looked forward again and squeezed Koi’s hand.
“Mexico.”
“…Huh? Why?”
He didn’t understand what he was saying. Ashley added to Koi, who was just blinking his eyes.
“I kidnapped you.”