"Le An?"
Silent footsteps drew closer, and then a face appeared on the other side of the bed. This time, it was Theo. He didn't call out again, not wanting to wake Le An, and instead sat down quietly beside his sleeping form.
The shadow watched him from mere inches away, unseen, unnoticed. Theo gazed down at Le An with eyes that seemed to burn from within.
"Le An…" he whispered, his voice barely a breath.
Then, the shadow caught it, a surge of pheromones, thick and heavy, leaking from Theo and curling toward Le An like an invisible hand. These were alpha pheromones, strong enough to blanket the omega's entire body. Taras felt a twist of disgust deep in the shadows, another alpha's scent, invading this room. Instinctively, the darkness pulsed and deepened, but it stayed where it was.
The omega's body flinched at the scent, responding even in sleep. His shoulders trembled, breath catching in his throat. "Hgnh… Ha…" A soft sound escaped him as his hands weakly gripped the sheets, but he didn't wake.
The scent spread, saturating the entire room before fading again. Theo's shadow fell over Le An's face as he leaned closer, his lips brushing against the omega's skin. He breathed in deeply, filling himself with the omega's scent. But that wasn't enough, his gaze dropped lower, locking onto Le An's exposed neck. The shadow recognized that look instantly. Theo's teeth, sharp canines glinting in the low light, hovered dangerously close to the vulnerable skin.
But just then, a voice called out from behind the door.
"Mister Theo?"
Theo slowly pulled back from Le An without looking toward the door, irritation flickering across his face at the interruption.
"Yes?" he replied curtly.
"If the treasure is asleep, may I come in for a moment to check his condition?"
"Come," Theo said, shifting away from Le An and settling back on the bed. The door opened, and a doctor in a white coat stepped inside, an insignia of the GAC visible on his chest. Taras watched the figure approach the bed in silence.
The doctor's expression changed the moment he entered the room. The potent swirl of the omega's pheromones hit him like a wave, and though he tried to keep his professional mask in place, his eyes glowed with something raw and hungry. He stumbled slightly under the weight of the scent. Theo shot him an impatient glare.
"Quiet," Theo ordered sharply. "You'll wake him."
"Ah… yes," the doctor whispered back, pushing his glasses firmly up his nose as if to anchor himself to reality. Together, they transferred some data from Le An's wrist monitor to the doctor's device, murmuring to each other in low voices.
"It may be troublesome to make him swallow pills each time," the doctor said, swallowing as he watched Le An's trembling form tilt unconsciously toward Theo. "We should continue with injections. He trusts your pheromones," the doctor added, glancing at Theo.
Theo nodded once, throwing the doctor a smile that looked more like a cold warning than anything friendly. "Yes. He only accepts mine."
"Must be due to your pheromone exposure practice," the doctor said, clearing his throat awkwardly. Theo tilted his head, offering no real response, just an unsettling smirk.
Meanwhile, the doctor's eyes were already glazing over under the omega's scent. He pressed a hand to his nose and murmured, "Excuse me," inhaling deeply as if he couldn't resist. "Him being asleep will make the drug work more effectively. With the injection, if he doesn't regain full awareness within twenty-four hours, he'll be left dazed and barely conscious. Then, we'll move to the next phase."
Theo's eyes drilled into Le An's closed lids, nodding in agreement. "You can leave," he said without turning to the doctor.
"And you?" the doctor asked.
"I'll give him a bit more pheromone," Theo said calmly. As he released his scent again, the doctor shivered visibly but tried to hide it. Theo's pheromones were suffocating for any other alpha in the room.
Once the doctor left, Theo was alone with Le An again, or so he thought. Just behind Le An's back, buried deep in the thin shadow lining the bed, Taras was still there, listening, watching.
From his hidden vantage, the shadow noticed Theo's eyes fixating on something, Le An's robe strap, half-slipped off his shoulder from when he'd shown his wound earlier. This alpha had been suppressing his real feelings for this treasure for far too long; now, watching him inch closer again, something dangerous stirred inside Taras. This man might try something irreversible.
Theo reached out, fingers brushing the fallen strap. The shadow shifted slightly, darkening further as if daring to break its form and intervene. But Taras forced himself to stay still. No, this was the treasure's problem. If something happened now, then maybe this helpless omega would learn what his weakness could cost him.
Although Taras thought that he would have preferred to be the one to teach him that lesson himself.
Theo's fingers trailed from the strap down to Le An's collarbone. Le An let out a faint whimper, turning slightly toward the shadow.
"Why are you… Uhh… I told you… a thank you is enough…" he murmured in his sleep. "I won't save you next time."
The shadow shifted again, startled. Taras hadn't expected Le An to talk in his sleep, much less to say something like that.
Theo, meanwhile, stiffened, confusion flickering in his eyes. Who was Le An talking to? And with that tone… A thank you? Saving him? None of that made sense. Theo's expression darkened with suspicion, which oddly made the shadow feel a flicker of smug relief. He spread wider, coiling around Le An's stomach, veiling him in darkness.
Trying to pry more out, Theo bent closer. "Who are you talking to, Le An?"
Silence. Then, a mumbled apology: "I'm sorry… of course…"
"Of course, what?" Theo pressed, while Taras echoed the same thought: Of course, what?
Le An furrowed his brow, curling tighter into himself. "I'm sorry…"
Theo watched him, unsettled by this side of Le An he'd never seen. He leaned in, staring at the sleeping face. Who was he apologizing to? Was it to him? But then, what was that about not saving him? The tone didn't match. Theo realized, with a flicker of dread, that whoever Le An was speaking to, it wasn't him.
"Why wouldn't you save… me?" Theo whispered near Le An's ear, fingers pressing lightly into his arm.
"…"
"Hm? Le An?"
Le An buried his face deeper into the shadows. Taras loomed over him in his hidden form, eyes fixed on the fragile, trembling lips. The treasure's mouth parted, a soft confession slipping out as if he still thought he was speaking to Taras alone.
"I wasn't serious… Ha… And… three slashes, you lied to me when you said… that didn't hurt…"
"What… slashes?" Theo muttered.
"Uhn… pheromones… I need…"
"Le An, who am I?" Theo tried again, voice like poisoned honey. "Tell me who I am and I'll give you my pheromones, hm?" Curiosity ate at him, clawing under his skin.
But Le An didn't say his name. Even half-conscious, he was docile, but not for Theo. Taras, coiled above him like a serpent, stared Theo down from the darkness.
When Theo got no answer again, he didn't push further and sighed. Maybe it was just a fever dream. Or some memory, something from a past he knew nothing about. Something trivial. "The medication must be working," Theo murmured, watching Le An's shivering back.
He stood, turning away. The shadow slithered soundlessly after him across the floor. Theo glanced back once, casting one final look at the sleeping, fragile treasure. The shadow did too, and Taras's mind churned. The drugs, the forced weakness, the secrets swirling behind Le An's back… This omega had no idea how deep it went.
What did they hope to gain by weakening his mind during his heat? To ease his suffering, since he couldn't take suppressants? That wouldn't be something to hide. No, there was something else. Something… darker.
The shadow's gaze turned to Theo's face in the hallway light, and there was no fear there. No guilt. Only that disturbing glint of certainty that left Taras with a sour feeling in his gut. He watched as Theo's lips curled into a smile before he shut the door behind him. The shadow slipped through with him, just in time to see another pair of feet appear in the hallway.
"I'm not sure about this," the newcomer said. He wore a lab coat, but without the GAC insignia, this was Le An's personal doctor.
"It'll be fine," Theo said, releasing the door handle and moving past him toward the stairs. The doctor hurried to keep up. "Once he's through this heat and recovers-"
"Emerald." Theo turned, cutting him off. "He will be fine. He'll be healthy. That's all that matters. Isn't it?"
Emerald didn't answer right away. But Taras saw the conflict blazing on the man's face; he didn't agree with any of this. Not at all.
"You're his doctor," Theo said, voice like a blade as he stared Emerald down. "Stay focused."
"I'm also his friend," Emerald shot back, lifting his chin.
Theo didn't look the least bit swayed by that. He fired back without missing a beat.
"Yes. The same friend who agreed to this in the first place. It's far too late for you to back out now, Emerald. And… he'll know it's for his own good."
They stared each other down, two people who would never see eye to eye. Then, they started down the stairs, a few tense steps apart.
The shadow lingered behind, watching them disappear. And a moment later, it slipped into the darkness and left the house.