Yu Jin’s POV
I was halfway out the door, heart thudding so hard against my ribcage, when I heard it, the voice over the phone, sharp and sickeningly precise.
"Madam Park," the guy said, the one on the call, "I’ll break Park Min. He won’t even know what hit him."
I froze. Every instinct in scread: Get out. Now. My legs moved before my brain even caught up. I moved so fast I wasn’t even thinking.
Then everything went black. Or rather, soone’s fist did the thinking for , smashing into the back of my head so hard I could taste the faint copper in my mouth.
The next monts were a blur; rough hands, muffled curses, and the world tilting sideways until I wasn’t even sure which way was up. My brain floated in a haze of pain and panic, half-conscious and spiraling, knowing only one thing: I’m being taken sowhere, and it’s not good.
Sowhere between being dragged and slipping into unconsciousness, I felt a hand on my arm that wasn’t threatening. I wanted to recoil, wanted to fight but my body was betraying .
Then the voice ca. Soft. Calm. A lifeline in the chaos. "Hey. Hey, look at . You’re okay."
I opened my eyes only slowly and nearly groaned because the guy in front of , shouuuu, the guy in front of was ridiculous. Ridiculous in the way that made Alpha’s stomach flip and their heart dumbly skip beats. Little, pretty, average shouldered, but... and I don’t even know how to say this without sounding insane... he looked like a baby. Like a giant, angry, confused baby.
"You’re safe," he said again, crouching slightly to et my eyes. "Just breathe. I’ve got you."
I blinked. Breathe? Yeah, right. I was in the middle of so kidnapping fiasco, my head hurt, my stomach was all weird, and so big baby was telling to breathe. But for the first ti in what felt like forever, I did.
He stayed there, just watching , eyes wide, focused, like I was the only thing in the world worth looking at. I don’t know why it made feel safe.
"I... uh," I croaked, trying to form words but my throat was dry and raw. "Who... what...?"
He smiled; small, careful, patient and sat back on his heels. "You’ve been kidnapped. Don’t worry, I’m not the one who did it."
Kidnapped. That explained the unconscious drifting and the very-strong, slightly alarming hands dragging sowhere. "Oh. Fantastic. WHAT THE HELL?," I muttered, trying to push myself up and imdiately failing.
He chuckled, low and amused, but not mocking. "Yeah, well, you’re alive, which is more than so people can say. Just lie still. You’re going to be okay."
I wanted to argue, wanted to insist that of course I could handle myself, but the truth was, I was exhausted. My limbs felt like jelly, my head was pounding, and I’d never felt so... oddly relieved in my entire life.
Then ca the words that made my head tilt, half from shock, half from... oh hell, was that pheromones? My brain refused to decide.
"I should probably tell you sothing else," he said softly, leaning in just a little. "I... I’m pregnant."
I stared. And I an stared. Blinked. Stared again. My brain attempted to file that under "new information" but it got stuck.
"You... what?" My voice was probably ridiculous. High, squeaky, panicked, and questioning all at the sa ti.
"I’m pregnant," he repeated, calm, patient, like it was okay for a pregnant oga to be caught up in this basent. "And... yeah. That’s why I need your help."
"What?" I croaked again, because seriously, what did this an? Help jim how?
He leaned closer, and I noticed details the slight curve of his lips when he spoke, the way his breath shifted, how he slled... safe, warm, sohow intoxicating, and now, my body felt like it connected with his baby and my pheromones were being released, even if not alpha pheromones. My soul in the back of my mind twitched and hissed, confused, but... alert. Interesting. I was literally saving his baby. No wait this wasn’t interesting, I gasped.
He noticed my hesitation and chuckled softly. "You’re emitting pheromones. Don’t fight it. You’re helping , plase."
I froze. "I... I am? Wait... but I’m not alpha?"
"Really? You looked small to be one but I need it. Doesn’t matter," he said lightly. "It works. Just... trust ."
And I did, reluctantly, because the sll, the warmth, the attention, it was like I was a soft shield around him and my bruised, panicking brain wanted to save him desperately.
Then he smiled again, small and exasperated. "I miss my baby daddy," he admitted, almost shy, almost... human in a way that made want to hug him for just existing. "He’s... he’s the reason I can get through this day without panicking completely. And now...thank you for your help. I miss his scent so much though."
"You’re so lucky your baby daddy loves you like that. I was a single dad who used artificial pheromones all though before I gave birth. You’re so freaking lucky and I think you know it, also no need to thank , I’ll help any mama in need."
And the way he looked at like I wasn’t broken, like I mattered, like he had the patience and the strength to hold space for when everything else in the world had been chaos.
I rembered Park Min. Couldn’t not rember him. All those tis he called cute, teased , and sohow made feel alive and safe in my little ss of a life even if there was a monster breeding in him. But... Park Min was taller by a little, stronger, and even if he was mine in a way, he wasn’t here. Not now. Not while I was half-conscious in soone else’s arms, being cared for in a way I hadn’t realized I’d needed so badly.
And now? Now I only wanted one thing: to survive. To figure out a way out, I wanted to hold my son in my arms again. And maybe, just maybe, hold onto this guy who looked like a big baby but slled like safety and radiated a calm I hadn’t realized I was craving.
He helped sit up fully, brushing my hair from my face, checking over like I was fragile porcelain and he wasn’t afraid of breaking . I didn’t want to admit it, but... I felt cared for. And that was dangerous, because the second you let yourself feel cared for in a situation like this, your brain goes: stay alive, pay attention, survive, survive.
"Okay," he said finally, moving back slightly. "You’re conscious enough. We need to move. Now. They won’t leave us alone for long."
I nodded, trying to get my brain to focus.
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