Chaika’s Poison 53

“Who taught you to seduce a physician with pheromones?”

Mihail, who had been sitting with one leg crossed over the other, watching Chaika’s behavior, bared one side of his teeth and spoke with a ferocious grin. Seeing Mihail’s expression, the physician subtly stepped backward, while Chaika put on a look of injustice. That sense of unfairness was genuine. Wasn’t Chaika someone who had lived his entire life swallowing poison, suppressing his pheromones? There was no way he possessed the skill to cleverly exploit his own pheromones to get what he wanted.

“Drink it. Quickly.”

Mihail urged him on without wiping the savage smile from his face. Chaika let out a deep sigh, as if he had no choice, then swallowed what could barely be called a mouthful of juice. After that, he tipped the bowl upside down and shook it vigorously, trying to drink even a single remaining drop.

“That was the last time. You no longer need to take Bellagie juice.”

Only after receiving the empty bowl did the physician drop that bombshell of a statement.

“…What?!”

Chaika cried out in shock a beat too late, while Mihail—who had known all along—burst into mischievous laughter.

“Then what am I supposed to do?!”

Chaika shouted, his expression suddenly grave.

“Lord Nile said… Lord Nile said I absolutely have to take it!”

At the name Nile coming from Chaika’s lips, Mihail’s laughter cut off abruptly. But Chaika had no room in his heart to notice Mihail’s reaction.

“I really have to take it!”

Chaika shouted forcefully, alternating his gaze between the physician and Mihail. His face looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment if they refused him. His dosage had already been drastically reduced, and the intervals between doses had grown longer, so no one had expected such a strong reaction.

“Lord Mihail…?”

Knowing that the physician had no authority to decide, Chaika turned pleading eyes toward Mihail. Even after having gone through an omega’s heat cycle, who would have thought he’d react this violently? Mihail gestured for the physician to withdraw.

Soon, only the two of them remained in the room. Still seated, Mihail beckoned Chaika closer. Though he cast a resentful glance his way, Chaika stood up and approached Mihail until he was right in front of him. Mihail caught Chaika by the waist and seated him on his own lap. Chaika was still as light as a rabbit.

Mihail lightly pressed his lips to the crown of Chaika’s head, where his blond hair had grown in quite a bit. Perhaps it tickled—Chaika shrank his shoulders.

“I clearly told you it wouldn’t matter to me whether you were an omega, a beta, or even some other kind of beast. So why are you so obsessed with that?”

Mihail asked, deliberately gentle. Chaika clamped down on his red lips and bowed his head deeply. He didn’t want to say the reason.

“You have to answer me, Chaika.”

Mihail spoke gently again, with patience. It was a kindness and restraint that had never existed in his life until now.

Mihail lifted Chaika’s small chin and met his gaze. Thankfully, there was no moisture in those violet eyes. Instead, they were filled with deep anguish and worry. No… it looked closer to fear.

“…I…”

Chaika finally opened the mouth he’d been clenching shut. After forcing out a single word, he fell silent again, but Mihail didn’t press him, waiting quietly instead. After a long hesitation, Chaika finally spoke.

“I don’t want to have a child.”

“……”

“I don’t want to get pregnant. I don’t want to give birth.”

Chaika’s voice was firm. Determination was etched across his face.

Caught off guard by the unexpected answer and Chaika’s resolute expression, Mihail felt a flicker of confusion.

“…You don’t want to have a child?”

“…Yes.”

Chaika nodded. For a fleeting moment, deep sorrow and pain crossed his face. Mihail didn’t know why.

“I’m so happy that you still treat me so well even though I’m an omega, Lord Mihail. I’ve never been this happy in my life. But I don’t want to have a child. I absolutely don’t want to.”

Chaika looked at Mihail with eyes full of guilt and apology. Mihail couldn’t bring himself to speak recklessly.

Mihail himself had been the same. At least until he met Chaika, he never would have had a child with an omega. Never. But now, things were different. Now, there was Chaika.

After accepting the fact that Chaika was an omega, Mihail had briefly imagined a child born between the two of them. Without a doubt, the child would resemble Chaika—pale, fair, and utterly adorable. If it were a child born from another omega, he wouldn’t have spared it a glance and would have sent it off to grow up in some remote villa on the edge of his territory.

But Chaika’s child would be different. A child born of Mihail and Chaika would surely be precious beyond measure. And Chaika, having given birth, wouldn’t even think of leaving Mihail’s side—for the child’s sake, if nothing else.

“Why don’t you want to have a child? Are you afraid of the pain of childbirth?”

Chaika silently shook his head.

“Or are you afraid I’ll abandon you once you’re pregnant?”

Chaika shook his head again.

Frustration surged up—no, it wasn’t just frustration, it was anger. Saying he didn’t want a child was the same as saying he didn’t want Mihail’s child. It was no different from rejecting Mihail himself.

“Then why?”

Mihail asked, his face hardened, no longer able to muster patience. When Chaika still didn’t answer, Mihail grabbed his arm, demanding a response.

“Answer me. Answer.”

He tried not to squeeze too hard, but his emotions had flared, and strength crept into his grip. A faint look of pain surfaced on Chaika’s face. He knew he should loosen his hand, but it wouldn’t relax. Instead, he had to scrape together every shred of restraint he had just to avoid tightening his grip further.

“Answer me, Chaika. I need to know.”

Chaika, who had been looking at Mihail with eyes full of sorrow and guilt, finally opened his mouth.

“What if I have a child and it’s an omega?”

“…What?”

“What if the child is born an omega? Then I’d have to watch them grow up and be sold off to bear another alpha’s child. Even if it’s not being sold for money like Lord Nile—whether it’s for politics, as a gift, or anything else… they’d still be sold to an alpha they don’t want, forced to have that alpha’s child. And once the alpha gets tired of them after they give birth, they’ll be sold off somewhere else again, or turned into a political gift. Then they’ll have to bear the child of another alpha they never wanted. Again and again, over and over! Being sold from place to place! Even if they want to run away, they won’t be able to abandon their child, so they’ll just endure it all in silence!”

His voice, quiet at first, grew increasingly heated. Clutching tightly at Mihail’s clothes, Chaika spoke as if coughing up blood.

“I can’t let my child live such a miserable life. If they’re born an omega, I’ll make them drink Bellagie juice. So they can live as a beta. So they can live a normal life. So they won’t be sold around like livestock… I’d even make them drink poison if I had to!”

Violent rage, hatred, and resentment swirled savagely in Chaika’s eyes. The boy who cried so easily didn’t shed a single tear now. The hand gripping Mihail’s clothes had gone white, trembling uncontrollably. Where, in this small body and pale, delicate face, had such ferocious emotions been hiding?

“So… I won’t have a child.”

As the storm of emotion slowly subsided, only guilt and sorrow remained on Chaika’s face.

“I love you, Lord Mihail. I really, really love you. But, Lord Mihail… I can’t give birth to your child. I won’t. I’m sorry.”

“……”

Mihail said nothing. He simply pulled Chaika into his arms and held him tightly.

“Even if they want to run away, they won’t be able to abandon their child, so they’ll just endure it all in silence!”

Chaika’s cry—drenched in rage, hatred, and resentment—rang loudly in Mihail’s ears.

Omegas, far fewer in number than alphas, were the only precious assets capable of producing heirs. Because of that, most omegas were married off for political alliances or sold back and forth for various gains, according to their family’s needs. Even when they were sold, they were usually treated well and lived comfortably while bearing children—but their own wishes were never reflected in the choice of partner. As a result, many omegas suffered from severe depression, and those with enough courage fled outright.

To prevent such incidents, the most common method alphas used was the child. Most omegas couldn’t bring themselves to abandon the child they had given birth to. And when they were sold elsewhere again, threatening them with their child was enough to ensure they never resisted.

“So don’t give them time to think about anything else—just get them pregnant as quickly as possible. Once they have a child, omegas always become noticeably more obedient. Pregnancy makes them vulnerable, and vulnerability requires protection.”

Mihail was no different. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that after hearing Ilya’s words, he had considered binding Chaika to his side by giving him a child.

“If you don’t want it, I won’t force you to have a child.”

Mihail stroked Chaika’s hair and pressed his lips to his forehead as he made that promise.

“…Really?”

Chaika’s expression brightened slightly. When Mihail nodded, deep relief spread across Chaika’s face. Mihail pulled Chaika tightly into his arms again, blocking his view of Mihail’s expression. He knew how sensitive and perceptive Chaika was—he couldn’t risk his false promise being exposed by his face.

Mihail was an alpha. And among alphas, he was a Dominant Alpha in whom alpha traits manifested with exceptional strength. Once an omega was marked as his, an alpha would never let go but seize them completely—and seeing offspring from that omega was the alpha’s strongest instinct.

Yes. He could wait, for a while. But someday, Chaika would have to bear Mihail’s child. Only with a child would he be able to keep Chaika by his side forever.

“Thank you, Lord Mihail.”

Cradled tightly in his arms, Chaika offered his thanks. Mihail gave a bitter smile and stroked Chaika’s hair.

Author: Levia