Chapter 12

An alpha's rut was accompanied by pain. The body burned as if all the blood was boiling, and senses became extremely sensitive. Omega pheromones were what stabilized this state. It was natural for alphas in rut to seek omegas.

However, this alpha was clearly rejecting omegas.

'Is that why the manager tried to send in a beta?'

The problem was that Kinaine wasn't a beta but an omega.

"Ugh, let, go!"

Though he struggled to remove the hand choking his neck, it didn't budge at all, such was its strength.

This wasn't an opponent he could overcome with strength.

The moment he realized this, like a taut string snapping, pheromones began leaking from Kinaine.

'What's this.'

Kinaine was bewildered by what was happening against his will.

Even after switching bodies with Hasan, he had almost forgotten he had become an omega. Everyone treated Kinaine as a beta, and his recessive omega body's heat cycles passed so briefly they were barely noticeable.

But now. His omega pheromones, which even he had forgotten about, were being forcibly drawn out by the alpha before him.

Kinaine could feel it. His pheromones were begging for mercy, as if telling the alpha not to be angry, as if asking to be cherished.

However, what returned to those pitiful pleas was the alpha's cold mockery.

"You must be quite greedy to have crawled all the way up here."

"..."

"Even in rut, I'm not so far gone that I'd take an incomplete omega like you."

It was mockery of a recessive omega who dared try to mate with a dominant alpha.

The reason he didn't feel angry might have been because he lacked awareness of being an omega, or perhaps because his brain was numbed by the alpha's pheromones.

The man's voice sounded muffled, as if heard underwater. The alpha pheromones filling the enclosed space must act like poison rather than just a stimulant to recessive omegas.

"Hnng..."

Kinaine bit his lip trying to clear his mind. However, it had little effect. His senses were dull as if he'd been given a strong anesthetic. He couldn't even tell if his lips were bleeding.

Conversely, only the parts touching the alpha felt overwhelmingly sensitive. As if all sensory nerves were concentrated in one place. His neck in the alpha's grip burned as if scalded.

Kinaine managed to speak:

"I... didn't come here on purpose."

"I hate lies."

A low voice whispered. The tone was gentle and soft.

However, unlike words, pheromones couldn't lie. Kinaine could tell the alpha's killing intent was real.

Right now, this alpha's pheromones weren't rutting pheromones wanting to impregnate an omega. They wanted to tear apart the prey before him. Though it was fortunate he wasn't in danger of being raped, this was dangerous in a different way.

"And I hate lying omegas even more."

"Kuh."

Though it was just one hand, he couldn't escape the force choking his neck. Though he had met people stronger than himself before, wasn't this beyond common sense?

Kinaine struggled with both hands to remove the hand gripping his neck. The hand was so hot it felt like grabbing a ball of fire.

"...Let go!"

His nails, deformed from multiple breaks and fractures, scratched at the alpha's hand. However, as if immune to pain, the alpha wouldn't remove his hand until the end.

Physiological tears rolled down Kinaine's pale cheeks. His consciousness grew increasingly hazy from lack of oxygen.

Was this how he would die?

'I can't.'

He had things he needed to do.

'Not yet...'

At that very moment, the omega pheromones that had been faint burst forth.

"...What."

The strength left the alpha's hand. Kinaine didn't miss the opportunity and crawled toward the edge of the bed.

"Huk, kek, cough!"

He had to escape.

Without even time to replenish his lacking oxygen, Kinaine tried to get away from the alpha purely on instinct. His survival instinct had overridden the omega trait that craved the alpha.

However.

"Huk!"

A large hand instantly grabbed Kinaine's ankle.

Such strength... It was an unreasonable, truly brutal strength.

Before he could do anything, Kinaine fell back into the alpha's hands.

"Let go! Cough, I said let go!"

The alpha easily subdued the struggling Kinaine and pinned him down.

"Hah..."

A high, straight nose brushed Kinaine's nape. Kinaine's body stiffened as if he'd put his head in a beast's maw.

"You little rat."

Even while grinding out harsh words, the alpha inhaled deeply. As if trying to breathe in all the pheromones that had flowed out to the limit for survival.

If Kinaine had been able to pierce through the darkness, he would have seen golden eyes blazing as they looked at him.

"You, what did you do to me."

The voice that had been drowsy and languid until just now seemed like a lie. The alpha was enraged.

No, not just rage...

Kinaine froze at the bulk he felt from the body pressed against him. This... was this really that? He couldn't believe it. The size alone was impossible.

"Did you use an aphrodisiac?"

"What?"

"I knew something was off when you dared crawl in here, but to use drugs on me twice?"

Kinaine felt wronged.

"I didn't do anything like that. I clearly said I didn't come here of my own will..."

"Lies."

The alpha sneered. However, more than being misunderstood and insulted, the heat in that laughter made Kinaine shiver.

"Well... it doesn't matter. I can find out what you did later."

Large hands gripped Kinaine's belt.

"What, what are you...!"

However, the hands that seemed about to pull off the belt in one go kept missing.

Only then did Kinaine realize this alpha's hands were trembling slightly.

'This bastard's lost his mind.'

Until he had tried to kill him, he had just seemed a bit drowsy but still rational. But for whatever reason, this man was clearly not normal now. He couldn't even properly control his own hands.

Kinaine knew this was his chance.

After checking his hands trapped in the man's grip, he spoke.

"Wait! I-I'll undo it."

"..."

After a moment of silence, the alpha clicked his tongue.

"Just how experienced are you?"

There was no way to clear up the mounting misunderstandings.

He wouldn't believe him anyway. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to use these misunderstandings.

"It's getting boring waiting. I might fall asleep at this rate."

After another silence, the alpha removed his hand from the belt. Then he suddenly shoved his fingers into Kinaine's mouth.

"Mmph!"

Hot fingers grabbed Kinaine's tongue. Kinaine groaned at the pain that made his tongue root ache.

"...If you want your tongue to stay intact, you'd better not act vulgar."

"Mmph!"

He was insane. Compared to this alpha, even the dragon said to have a disastrous personality might be no different from a saint.

When Kinaine nodded to show he understood, the alpha finally removed both hands from him.

'Got it.'

Without even thinking to wipe away the drool that had leaked out, Kinaine hurriedly felt for the alpha's body with his freed right hand.

The alpha was silent for a moment.

"...Didn't I tell you not to act vulgar? Are you so stupid you can't remember what you just heard?"

Though he scolded, unlike before, he made no move to pull out his tongue. He merely watched, as if waiting to see how far this would go. Thanks to this, Kinaine could continue moving his hand without stopping.

Feeling with his hands, he could tell the body was much larger than he had expected. No wonder he couldn't match him in strength.

His hands moved gradually upward, groping. From the firm abdomen to the thick chest, finally reaching the neck.

The alpha growled like a pleased beast at the touch carefully caressing along his neckline.

"You..."

However, his words didn't continue.

Thunk!

"Ugh!"

Realizing he had done the job properly, Kinaine quickly got away from the alpha, practically rolling off the bed.

"Huh?"

Though he couldn't see his face, he could tell from the atmosphere that the alpha was dumbfounded.

"What is this."

"What else."

Kinaine answered as he stood up unsteadily.

"Suppressants."

This man didn't know. That Kinaine had been an alpha who had received suppressants to the point of tedium in the past.

He knew well where to inject for the fastest drug absorption. By now, the drug from the syringe stuck in the man's neck would have entered his bloodstream.