RYC 83

“Mr. Miller, the car is ready.”

At the secretary’s words, Nathaniel remained motionless, standing by the window and staring out while smoking a cigarette. Waiting was always someone else’s burden. He had never spent a moment of his life waiting for another. Today was no different. The secretary stood behind him in silence, as if this were the natural order of things. As darkness fell, the secretary’s blurred reflection appeared in the glass window shimmering with the city’s night view, but Nathaniel still did not move.

…Phew.

After a moment, he exhaled a long plume of smoke and frowned as he caught sight of his own reflection in the window. He was already well-acquainted with a face steeped in boredom. However, the expression he wore now was different from anything before. He was already aware that he had to force himself to do something he hated. It was simply unfamiliar and uncomfortable that this fact was subtly manifesting on his face.

Still, I have to go.

It’s better to get unpleasant tasks over with quickly. If it’s unavoidable anyway, there is no other choice.

Having reached that conclusion, he turned around and began to walk. He heard the quiet footsteps of the secretary following behind, but as always, he did not look back.

As soon as Nathaniel climbed into the car, the secretary quickly closed the door. He usually drove himself, but there were occasional times when he entrusted the task to his secretary, and today was one of those days. The secretary immediately moved to the driver’s seat and started the car. The destination was already known: the venue where a pheromone party was being held.

A line of cars carrying bodyguards followed closely behind Nathaniel’s. He had lived his entire life this way. Ever since a near-kidnapping incident in his early childhood, his parents had become pathologically sensitive regarding the children’s safety. The part Ashley Miller was particularly concerned about was ‘pheromone management.’ Nathaniel had heard until he was exhausted just how dangerous it was when pheromones accumulated. Because of this, he wasn’t surprised at all when the time came, and from then until now, he had consistently and thoroughly discharged his pheromones.

So why was he feeling such a sense of repulsion now?

He slightly knit his brows. The report hadn’t arrived yet, but the results would likely be poor. It was obvious how much of a headache it would be if Ashley Miller found out that Nathaniel hadn’t discharged his pheromones for several months. He had to discharge them before that happened. Before Ashley Miller, or the world, found out that he hadn’t attended the parties and that the amount of accumulated pheromones was immeasurable.

Because a health risk for the President is fatal.

In the car window, his frowning reflection continued to stare back at him. It was no big deal. Hadn’t he been doing this since he was very young? It’s just a matter of putting it in any hole and ejaculating, and then it’s over. Even if a rut hit midway because of the accumulated pheromones…

It wouldn’t matter, since the place is full of people like that.

Of course, it was a different story for him to show such a side of himself. Nathaniel loathed seeing anyone or anything in a state of disarray, and it was even more unacceptable for him to become that way himself. Therefore, even at a pheromone party, he had always achieved his purpose with thorough precision, never once losing his reason.

Which is why I should have discharged them before there was a risk of this happening.

His thoughts eventually led to self-reproach. Why—why had he endured it without discharging his pheromones until now? He couldn’t understand it himself. Recently, incomprehensible things had been happening continuously. The stupidest among them was neglecting his pheromone management. Had there ever been a time when he found his own actions so inexplicable?

The car gradually slowed down. The wrinkles on Nathaniel’s brow slowly vanished. His purpose for coming here was clear: discharge the pheromones and escape the danger. Earlier today, he had experienced a memory lapse for the first time. It was only for a very brief moment, but by the time he snapped back to his senses, the secretary’s report had already moved on to the next item. It was an unfamiliar experience, and not a pleasant one. It was proof that his pheromone levels had risen that much, and at this rate, there was no guarantee what might happen if a rut suddenly struck.

I might end up doing it with a dog.

A cynical smile suddenly leaked from the corners of his mouth. ‘Nathaniel Miller, has sex with a dog due to rut.’ After imagining the headline in his head, Nathaniel thought, ‘How amusing.’ Of course, the smile had completely vanished from his face.

First, he had to discharge the pheromones. That was why he had come all this way. Soon the car stopped, and a servant standing at the entrance quickly approached to open the door. As Nathaniel stepped out of the car, bodyguards rushed from all directions to surround him. Nathaniel walked the short distance to the entrance in that manner.

“This…”

Immediately, a certain scent stimulated his olfactory senses. Omega pheromones. His bodyguards, who were Gammas, or the Betas wouldn’t feel it, but due to his trait, he perceived the scent of an Omega sensitively.

“Mr. Miller?”

Seeing him stop abruptly in front of the entrance instead of going inside, one of the watching bodyguards spoke up cautiously. Swallowing the question of whether there was a problem, the bodyguard looked at him, and the others also stared at Nathaniel in bewilderment. However, he remained standing there without a word, motionless for a moment.

“…Haa.”

Eventually, letting out an irritated sigh, Nathaniel started walking again. The bodyguards stood at the entrance, puzzled by his pace, which was significantly slower than usual.

It’s foul.

With every step he took, the scent of the pheromones seemed to grow ten times stronger. Feeling his face contort further, Nathaniel continued to move inside with reluctant steps. And finally, when he reached the scene where a complete mess was unfolding, he stopped once more with a completely frozen expression.

The air around him was thick with the intertwined pheromones of Omegas and Dominant Alphas. The scent was so strong that it was almost dizzying with just a small breath, yet the people inside seemed to enjoy it, laughing, chatting, drinking, and rolling around naked.

It was a familiar sight. He had seen this scene until he was sick of it. Had he not been in this place himself? He had felt disgust in the past, but since he came to discharge his pheromones, he had thought it would be fine as long as he just got that done.

But why now?

It was while he stood there, utterly unable to blend in with them.

“Miller! Welcome!”

The host, who spotted him first, shouted happily and approached. He was also a Dominant Alpha, and fitting for the occasion, his shirt was off and the zipper of his pants was halfway down. Looking at Nathaniel with glazed eyes as if intoxicated by pheromones, he laughed boisterously.

“How long has it been? How have you been? Did you go to another country or something? Everyone’s been wondering because you haven’t been coming to the pheromone parties lately…”

He continued to chatter, but Nathaniel didn’t hear half of it. Right now, a violent battle was raging in his head between the reason telling him he had to discharge his pheromones and the impulse telling him he wanted to get out of here. This was a completely unexpected situation. He had no desire to be here, but he thought that coming to the party would stimulate him with the scent of pheromones, allowing him to handle it as usual and be done with it. The reality was the exact opposite. Despite the Omega pheromones feeling this intense, far from going into heat, only a surge of disgust welled up. He even felt nauseous, his complexion turning pale as he struggled to suppress the urge to vomit.

“Miller, are you okay? What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell? What’s happening?”

The host, realizing late that Nathaniel was not in a good state, asked in surprise. But instead of answering immediately, Nathaniel raised one hand, signaling for him to be quiet. When the flustered host shut his mouth, Nathaniel remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

“…I can’t do this.”

Startled by the mutter that sounded like talking to himself, the host asked in confusion.

“What do you mean? Didn’t you come to discharge your pheromones? You’re just going to leave?”