For a mont, he couldn’t say anything. It was only a few seconds of silence, but to Koi, it was all the confirmation he needed.
“Ah—no! That’s not it! You’re misunderstanding!”
Ashley shouted in a panic at Koi’s face, which looked like he was about to cry. Stamring in confusion, he hurried to add,
“You saw it too! I used an injection to drain my pheromones!”
“You can’t do that every ti,”
Koi pointed out. He still didn’t seem convinced, but the truth was, Ashley had been living like this for nearly a year already.
“No—I can.”
Ashley spoke firmly.
“You can remove them with injections too. Sex is just more convenient, so that’s why people go that route. But I used a shot because I have you.”
He told the truth. He didn’t ntion the side effects, but that didn’t make it a lie. He just didn’t say everything.
“It’s true, Koi. You don’t believe ?”
Ashley gave a faint smile. The look on his face was pitiful enough that Koi went quiet, then slowly opened his mouth.
“I believe you.”
Ashley let out a breath of relief without realizing it. Koi added,
“I trust you. You’re my boyfriend.”
“Yeah.”
This ti, Ashley offered a genuine smile. The familiar, clear smile sohow made Koi’s heart feel heavier.
“Then why use injections?”
“What?”
Ashley glanced at him at the sudden return to that question. Koi continued, his voice downcast.
“You said sex was easier. Then why the injection?”
“That’s...”
Ashley had to choose his words carefully, so he wouldn’t hurt him. But Koi already knew. His eyes were glistening.
“Because I’m a beta, I can’t, right?”
Ashley almost jerked the wheel. He gripped it hard to steady himself, glanced quickly at Koi, then looked back at the road. Koi pressed on.
“Is that it? I can’t help you because I’m a beta?”
“......That’s...”
Ashley opened his mouth, then closed it again. He had tried so hard not to hurt him, but it had co to this anyway.
Of course.
Ashley thought. Koi wasn’t clueless—just unassuming. He wasn’t stupid. Sooner or later, he would’ve figured it out. Ashley had just hoped that “later” would be much later. Not now. Not like this.
He nearly groaned but bit his lip to keep it in. After a short exhale, he finally forced out the words.
“That’s right. You can’t.”
He could feel Koi’s gaze on him, holding his breath. Ashley kept his eyes on the road and said quickly,
“I’d hurt you.”
Back then, he hadn’t known. What it ant to be an extre alpha—not even about his own body.
The image of those nights ca back to him—how they’d rotated, one after the other, through countless partners until dawn, driven wild by their own pheromones. Ashley had been no different. If he got drunk on his pheromones again, it could happen just like that. The only reason it hadn’t been fatal then was because they were all ogas. But if it had been a beta...
They’d die.
Just imagining coming to after a rut to find himself holding a corpse made his heart freeze. And if that corpse had Koi’s face?
He would lose his mind and end his life right then and there.
He’d rather let the pheromones lt his brain. He didn’t care if his arms rotted off. He didn’t care if he could never hold Koi again. As long as he could stay beside him.
...That’s all he ever wanted.
“Ash.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Koi’s voice broke through. Ashley flinched slightly, and Koi spoke again, his voice lower than usual.
“I know you’re trying to protect because you love . But I don’t want to be protected like that.”
There was emotion in his voice, but it didn’t waver. He was resolute. Koi declared clearly,
“If you’re hurting, I get sad. Just like how you got angry watching my dad hit , I get mad when you wear yourself down.”
Ashley was surprised—Koi wasn’t stamring. He was speaking clearly, firmly. That side of him, so different from the timid Koi who always second-guessed himself, caught Ashley off guard. And maybe his expression reflected that, because Koi quickly looked flustered and muttered softly,
“I’m your boyfriend too. I want to be soone you can rely on.”
...Ah.
That’s when Ashley realized sothing. He’d always thought Koi was too small, too fragile, and it was his job to protect him. But Koi was his own person, a man who wanted to protect the one he loved, too.
He was giving everything he had for Ashley. And realizing that made Ashley feel both ashad for trying to shoulder it all alone—and deeply touched.
“...Yeah.”
A faint smile crept onto Ashley’s lips.
“You’re right.”
“Right?”
Koi’s voice lightened, returning to its usual tone. Ashley nodded, confirming it again, and Koi lit up, eyes sparkling.
“Then—”
“Not now.”
Ashley cut off Koi’s excited suggestion. It hadn’t been long since the injection, and his pheromone levels weren’t in the danger zone. There was no need to rush.
Hearing that, Koi drooped, lowering his head and falling silent. Ashley chuckled softly and reached out, gently stroking his head a few tis. Like rewarding a well-behaved kid. But Koi wasn’t a kid. He ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) brushed Ashley’s hand off and said,
“Condoms have expiration dates.”
“I know.”
“Really?”
I just found that out recently...
The quick answer made Koi sulk, but not for long. He brightened up again and said with renewed determination,
“Let’s use them all.”
He was resolute. There was no backing down as he added,
“Before they expire.”
Ashley laughed again. It was an easy, relaxed laugh. And he replied,
“Okay.”
“You have to use them only with .”
Koi insisted again.
“Okay.”
Ashley nodded firmly.
“Of course.”
He lowered his hand and took Koi’s hand instead. Koi deliberately laced their fingers together, and Ashley gripped it tightly. The dark, empty road stretched out endlessly ahead.
It was only a couple of hours later that a police cruiser, sirens blaring, pulled them over on the shoulder.
The officers yanked Ashley from the driver’s seat and slamd him down on the hood before cuffing his hands behind his back. Koi scread in panic and tried to stop them, but of course, it was no use.
Ashley was being arrested for assault and kidnapping.
The school was in an uproar. The beloved idol of the campus, Ashley Miller, had committed a serious cri and been arrested—it was enough to send the entire student body into chaos. And the fact that it was all because of Connor Niles? That only made it more shocking. He’d been nothing more than a dull, invisible outcast at school.
As Koi appeared for the first ti in days, riding the bicycle Ariel had given him, murmurs followed him everywhere.
He’d expected all of this. Still, he had no choice but to return. It was the only way he could see Ashley.
“Koi!”
He reflexively turned at the call and spotted Bill running over. Relief and disappointnt hit him all at once. Bill reached him in a flash and stopped right in front of him.
“You okay? I an... everything’s alright?”
When he added the question a bit awkwardly, Koi nodded and managed a smile.
“I should be asking you that... Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Bill scratched his head.
“Honestly, I don’t rember much. I saw you and Ash together, and then... next thing I know, I’m waking up in the hospital. They said I passed out from Ashley’s pheromones or sothing?”
He was clearly trying to keep it light, speaking more casually than usual.
“I’d never slled pheromones before, so I didn’t realize it’d be... like that. Man, that was intense.”
As if struggling to find the words, he resorted to vague phrasing, then tilted his head and asked,
“You didn’t feel anything? I was the only one in the hospital.”
“Oh, yeah... I was fine.”
Koi gave a vague answer, and Bill accepted it with a casual “Huh, okay,” and moved on. Then, noticing the stares around them, he slung an arm over Koi’s shoulder and said loudly,
“Man, college prep is nuts, huh? When’s it even gonna end?”
He even laughed loudly on purpose—then lowered his voice.
“I need to talk to you.”
Koi flinched but nodded. Bill led him behind the school to a quieter spot and finally spoke.
“They’re saying Ash is going to the East Coast. Did you know?”
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