Chapter 31

— “Why on earth would you do that, Toby?”

— “But earlier, young master, you said you would use a medicine that makes people fall in love if one existed. In the adult world, medicines that make people fall in love are called aphrodisiacs or tonics.”

— “Ugh! You really…!”

Desperate to rectify Toby’s disastrous blunder, Elwin bolted into the corridor, only to collide headlong with Leon. Worse still, it was no simple collision; he found himself trapped in a room with the man, dressed in nothing but those scandalous “nighttime adornment” pajamas.

Now, engulfed in pitch-black darkness, Elwin rattled the broken doorknob in vain, cursing the servant he cherished like a brother. This was entirely Toby’s doing. He should have known better the moment Toby suggested he wink to seduce Dwight; the advice was utterly preposterous.

Yet, was Toby truly the sole culprit? Had Leon simply locked Dwight’s door and slipped away in silence, this disaster would never have unfolded. But that exasperating man had insisted on showing himself and provoking Elwin, escalating a minor mistake into an outright catastrophe.

“Is it stuck?” Leon asked, his voice low in the dark. “Here, let me try.”

“What? No, wait—” Elwin stammered.

Even now, the man refused to respect boundaries. Ever since crossing the threshold, Leon had lingered far too close, his warmth radiating against Elwin’s back. Now, with unnecessary boldness, he pressed his hand directly over Elwin’s trembling fingers on the brass knob.

The gesture effectively trapped Elwin within the circle of Leon’s embrace. They had clashed in close quarters before, but those instances paled against the acute sense of peril currently seizing him. Here they were, locked in a dark room in the dead of night, both scandalously underdressed.

Elwin squeezed the brass handle till his knuckles turned white. As Leon’s feverish body heat seeped through his thin nightwear, Toby’s shameless babble echoed in his mind.

— “They say that if an Alpha eats it, he turns into a beast all night.”

As Elwin’s eyes adjusted to the gloom, the sight of Leon’s hand over his own grew agonizingly clear. The prominent, taut veins mapping the back of that hand betrayed a fierce, underlying tension.

Stay calm, Elwin urged himself.

He struggled to master his ragged breathing and quiet his frantic thoughts. Above all, he fought to suppress his pheromones, which were spilling into the air without his consent.

Yet the more acutely aware he became of Leon’s proximity, the more potent and syrupy his sweet scent grew, as though eager to entice the Alpha pinning him against the door.

“Ah… dammit.” A strained, muffled groan escaped Leon’s lips, brushing against Elwin’s ear.

Though Elwin rarely shifted blame, he found himself harboring a sudden resentment toward Leon. He could not be certain, but he was convinced Leon’s scent had breached the air first.

The subtle traces of Leon’s pheromones had swelled into a dense, overwhelming tide, wrapping them in an suffocating cocoon. When they first met, Elwin had found the Alpha’s scent refined and striking; now, it felt dangerously heavy, almost thick enough to touch.

His scent is too potent. No, that is not it.

He understood the academic theory behind Alpha pheromones. Yet, until this moment, he had regarded secondary gender scents as mere fragrances—some pleasant, others abrasive.

He had never comprehended what others meant when they spoke of being utterly bewitched, aroused, or paralyzed by a scent alone.

His scent… is intoxicating.

With every shallow breath, Leon’s fragrance flooded deep into Elwin’s lungs, clouding his senses and sending a sweet, electric shiver through his limbs.

What would happen if he surrendered to this swelling heat? Fear warned him that the scorching hand resting over his might grip him ruthlessly at any moment—yet a forbidden curiosity wondered what it would feel like to be utterly consumed by that touch.

He could no longer distinguish whether his thoughts were a product of the pheromones, or if his mounting arousal was driving them wild. Had Leon instigated this, or had he?

Perhaps there was no one left to blame. Perhaps the spark had been his own. From the instant he collided with Leon and impulsively dragged him inside, Elwin might have secretly craved this exact outcome.

Or did it begin earlier, in the stable, when their lips briefly brushed? Or when they sat bathed in the study’s warm lamplight, cards in hand? Perhaps even earlier, from the very moment he looked into those amber eyes as Leon pressed a kiss to the back of his hand…

No, I must regain control.

Elwin desperately tried to halt his straying thoughts. He had too much at stake, too many secrets to guard. A single misstep tonight would bring his entire world crashing down.

A sudden wave of terror washed over him. If Leon chose to exert his will, Elwin would be completely powerless to stop him. Indeed, it would require no conscious effort on the Alpha’s part; if their scents continued to intermingle, they would inevitably plunge headlong into a synchronized heat and rut.

Toby’s endless gossip flashed through his mind with alarming vividness. He recalled tales of highborn Omegas ruined by Alphas in rut, forced marriages, and worst of all, those who succumbed to their heats only to bear children of unknown lineage.

As these horror stories flooded his mind, Elwin shivered. In that exact instant, something firm and searingly hot pressed flush against the small of his back. Innocent as he was, he was not naive enough to mistake what it was.

“M-Mr. Leon…” Elwin gasped.

The moment the name slipped past his lips, he realized his mistake. His voice was breathless and trembling, sounding less like a desperate plea for restraint and more like an invitation.

At that soft call, Leon’s hand clenched the doorknob with violent intensity. Before Elwin could draw another breath, his fears materialized.

Leon seized Elwin’s wrist in a lightning grip, spun him around, and pinned him by the shoulders. Confronted by those broad hands, Elwin’s heart hammered against his ribs so fiercely it was painful.

Through the gloom, Leon’s dark hair and amber eyes glinted with an unfamiliar, predatory light. A smoldering fire burned in the depths of his gaze as he spoke in a low, gravelly timbre.

“Sir Elwin.”

The mere sound of his name sent a wave of vertigo through Elwin, pulling at his very soul. Stripped of his reason, his gaze drifted down to Leon’s lips. Then, fully aware of what closing his eyes in this moment signaled, he slowly let his eyelids fall.

Leon let out a sharp, frustrated breath.

Clicking his tongue in defeat, he released Elwin’s shoulders and guided him firmly but gently into the chair by the door. Without another word, Leon leaped clear across the bed, retreating to the window on the far side of the room.

“This is madness,” Leon panted, attempting to inject a note of dry humor into his ragged voice. “At this rate, my instincts will break before this door does.”

He rummaged frantically through his luggage. After a brief rustle, he retrieved a small vial, popped a small, candy-like tablet into his mouth, and tossed the bottle across the room.

“What… is this?” Elwin asked, catching it.

“A suppressant. It is formulated for Alphas, but it is better than nothing. Take one.”

A sudden chill washed over Elwin as he realized how utterly defenseless he had made himself. He had practically offered his neck to a lion. Had Leon not pulled away, Elwin might have been the one to initiate the kiss.

Flustered, Elwin fished out a chalky, diamond-shaped pill and placed it on his tongue. The instant it dissolved, an incredibly bitter, medicine-like sting assaulted his palate, forcing an involuntary gasp from his throat. From across the room, a heavy sigh answered him.

“Sir Elwin,” Leon gestured in the dark.

When Elwin glared back defensively, Leon sighed once more and pointed at the empty air. Recognizing the request, Elwin tossed the vial back over the bed.

Leon tossed a second pill back, then a third. He was taking three of these foul tablets when even a single one was enough to bring tears to an ordinary man’s eyes. As Elwin winced in sympathetic disgust, Leon spoke, his words slightly slurred around the medication.

“This is hardly the time to be making such adorable sounds, my lord.”

It seemed the man had a habit of finding Elwin’s every minor reaction endearing. Though his tone carried a teasing edge, the undercurrent of raw excitement remained dangerously palpable.

Fear crept back into Elwin’s chest. Taking the suppressant did not guarantee instant safety. The drug would take time to absorb, and he was still locked in a confined space with a highly aroused Alpha.

Leon let out a heavy, shuddering exhale. You are the one who should stop making such sounds, Elwin wanted to retort, but the words died in his throat.

The low, ragged breaths Leon drew were far from cute; they were thick with heat, sending tremors of both fear and forbidden anticipation through Elwin’s body. Just as he began to despair that the medicine would work in time, Leon stirred.

“Ah!”

Terrified that even his softest gasp might trigger the Alpha’s instincts, Elwin hastily clamped both hands over his mouth. His rustling panic was so transparent that a low chuckle drifted back through the dark.

“An excellent precaution,” Leon murmured. “You would do well to remain wary of me. Catch.”

An object sailed through the dark. It was not the medicine bottle this time, but a slender silver paper knife.

“What is this?” Elwin whispered, feeling the cold metal.

“A precious keepsake. I am entrusting it to you. If I lose control, use it to stab me.”

Though he spoke with characteristic levity, his underlying tone was dead serious. Dumbfounded, Elwin traced the intricate contours of the silver blade.

Unlike the ostentatious ornaments Leon usually favored, this piece was remarkably elegant. The polished silver caught what little light remained, revealing two lions embossed along the handle. It was clearly a valuable possession.

Misinterpreting Elwin’s silence as paralyzing fear, Leon’s voice softened.

“Do not fear. I will not let that happen. I would never compromise your honor, Sir Elwin. But if you cannot trust my word…”

The silver-tongued nobleman struggled to string his words together, taking labored breaths between every phrase. His pheromones continued to simmer, and Elwin was intensely aware of the physical proof of Leon’s desire that had pressed against him moments prior.

As an Omega, Elwin understood the sheer physical agony of suppressing such instincts. Surrounded by his own sweet, provoking scent, he knew he could hardly blame Leon if the man’s control shattered.

If the worst occurred, society’s harsh judgment would inevitably fall upon the Omega, regardless of the circumstances.

He was in undeniable peril. Yet…

“I trust you,” Elwin said softly.

He reflected on their brief history. Weighing everything Leon had done and said, he felt a strange certainty.

“I believe you will keep your word, Mr. Leon. You are a gentleman, after all.”