The rain had cleared, and though the temperature had dropped even further, the sky was unusually clear. The cold air brushing against his cheeks felt momentarily refreshing.
“Are you okay?”
At the sudden voice from above, Yu-jin opened his eyes. Reluctantly lifting his gaze, his eyes immediately met the pair staring down at him. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Yu-jin was in the man’s arms—but he couldn’t hide the discomfort he felt and quickly looked away.
“Y-You didn’t have to go this far…”
“You need to be careful. You’re pregnant.”
Before he could even finish speaking, Winston cut him off without hesitation. A fresh wave of headache washed over Yu-jin, forcing him to shut his mouth. His memories dragged him instantly back to that day.
Winston had released his pheromones relentlessly through the night. And the moment his rut ended, he passed out cold, remaining unconscious for nearly another day and a half.
The problem was, Yu-jin had been dragged into that storm and passed out right along with him. He had woken up a bit earlier than Winston, but even so, he couldn’t move. Winston had him pinned down so heavily with his body that no matter how much Yu-jin struggled, he couldn’t escape from beneath him.
Thankfully, the bodyguards had caught on to the situation and managed to help him a little. Not that it made much of a difference—they just had the medical staff administer a shot, and he’d fallen asleep again right after.
When Yu-jin finally opened his eyes, he had no strength left to do anything. Winston was still tangled up with him. The only silver lining this time was that Yu-jin was the one lying on top of Winston instead.
“Nnngh…”
As he carefully tried to lift his body, a pained groan escaped his lips. His face twisted instinctively, eyes shut tight, and suddenly, the arm that had been loosely draped over him tensed with strength.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
At the low voice, Yu-jin sucked in a breath with a startled gasp. His body flinched, instinctively trying to rise, but was immediately trapped between those strong arms—he couldn’t move at all. Wasn’t he asleep?
Flustered, Yu-jin looked up and was met with a pair of piercing violet eyes glaring straight into his. For some reason, he couldn’t find any words, his mouth just opening and closing uselessly. An awkward silence settled between them, and his heart thudded anxiously in his chest.
“I wasn’t trying to go anywhere…”
He finally managed to get the words out, but they were followed by a dry, hacking cough. Only then did Yu-jin realize how parched his throat was. His shoulders shook with each shallow cough, and at the sight of him struggling, Winston suddenly bolted upright.
“Ah…!”
Yu-jin gasped, startled—but it was over in an instant. Before his body could topple over, Winston swiftly wrapped one arm around him, supporting him with ease. Then, reaching out over the side of the bed, he grabbed the kettle sitting on the side table. Leaning weakly against Winston’s chest, Yu-jin simply watched as the man poured water into a cup.
“Drink.”
Winston pressed the cup directly to Yu-jin’s lips as he gave the order from above. Yu-jin had the childish urge to turn his head away, but his thirst overpowered his pride. He tried to salvage a shred of dignity by drinking on his own, but Winston didn’t care—he simply pushed the cup insistently against Yu-jin’s mouth.
With his fingers awkwardly resting along the rim, Yu-jin reluctantly parted his lips. As the lukewarm water touched his tongue and trickled down his throat, the tension in his body slowly began to ease. He couldn’t remember water ever tasting this sweet. He drank slowly, his throat rising and falling with deep swallows, until he’d emptied the entire cup. As Winston pulled the cup away, he asked,
“More?”
Yu-jin hesitated, then shook his head. If he said yes, it felt like the same humiliating scene would just repeat. The slight furrow in Winston’s brow made that intuition feel all the more certain.
“L-Let me go.”
Twisting his body, Yu-jin belatedly tried to slip out of Winston’s arms. During the rut, his emotions had spiraled out of control, but now he was thinking clearly again. It was broad daylight outside, sunlight pouring through the windows—and here he was, naked, pressed flush against Winston’s bare skin. The shame was suffocating. He scrambled, fumbling to pull away, but the arms around him didn’t budge.
As if mocking his desperate struggle, Winston calmly reached over and set the cup back on the side table, then slowly wrapped his other arm around Yu-jin’s body as well. His movements were unhurried, leisurely, as if to say he had all the time in the world. The nonchalance only made Yu-jin’s anger boil over, his face twisting in frustration.
“What are you doing? I said let go!”
He stomped his foot like a child, raising his voice, but Winston’s reply came back loose and relaxed.
“No.”
“What?!”
“Calm down.”
Winston said it like it was nothing, completely unfazed by Yu-jin’s outburst.
“It’s not good for you. You’ll startle the baby.”
Yu-jin froze. What… did he just say? His eyes fluttered in confusion as Winston continued.
“It’s in there, you know. Our baby.”
Narrowing his eyes, Winston slowly spread his hand and gently stroked Yu-jin’s belly with deliberate meaning.
“The one that’s going to make you a rich man.”
A cold shiver raced down Yu-jin’s spine. His thoughts tangled in a storm of confusion. Does this man actually believe I’m pregnant… or is he just pretending to?
A moment of hesitation was shattered by a voice laced with chilling clarity.
You said no one would ever believe me—and now you’re saying you believe me? It was absurd.
The answer was clear. There were too many suspicious clues to deny it. Winston must have realized the truth. He was just playing along now because of the miscarriage. But it was too late to come clean and say it had all been a lie. He’d dug this trap himself—and like a fool, he’d walked right into it.
Yu-jin wanted to slap Winston’s burning-hot hand away, the heat from it searing like a brand. But just like the arm still wrapped tightly around his waist, the hand resting on his belly refused to budge. Grabbing at Winston’s fingers, trying to pry them away, Yu-jin snapped back.
“T-The one inside me… it might not even be yours.”
So, what are you going to say now?
Yu-jin glared at Winston, heart pounding violently from the anxiety. Come on, call me a liar. Say it. Say what you’re really thinking!
Holding his breath, trembling subtly, Yu-jin waited—and slowly, Winston parted his lips.
“That’s my child.”
Yu-jin unconsciously stopped breathing. Winston’s voice had dropped, soft and low, as if confessing a secret.
“If I say it’s mine, then it is.”
A strange tension bloomed between them. What does that even mean? Was he saying Yu-jin might really be pregnant from what happened last night?
“This time, you’re going to carry my child, Yu-jin.”
The words, long forgotten, suddenly resurfaced in his mind. Why had Winston said that to him? Didn’t it mean he already knew Yu-jin wasn’t pregnant? That this time, he intended to make it real?
Extreme Alphas can fertilize at will.
But there was something Winston didn’t know. Regardless of his dominant traits, Yu-jin couldn’t get pregnant. He’d stake what little wealth he had left on that fact. If Winston had known, he’d have discarded Yu-jin the moment he became “useless.”
Then why hasn’t he said anything yet?
Maybe Winston didn’t care anymore—because in his mind, he’d already succeeded. And the result, after all, was the same. That reasoning lined up neatly. Yu-jin still didn’t understand why Winston hadn’t humiliated him by bringing it up, but that wasn’t important now.
What mattered was how to move forward from this point on.
“Right.”
Yu-jin slowly moved his lips.
“Fine. Then I guess it is your child.”
Good. This could work. If he went along with whatever this man wanted, maybe he could get the money he needed. He’d have to avoid things like jewelry—they’d be traced too easily. He needed a way to turn it into cash…
“Great. Then shall we go on a little family outing?”
“What?”
The sudden suggestion snapped Yu-jin out of his thoughts. Winston looked at him, his tone impossibly gentle as he continued.
“You said you wanted to leave the hospital, didn’t you? Let’s go buy some baby things together. It wouldn’t hurt to go in person, since you’ve been cooped up in the mansion all this time.”
“You… want to go out?”
“Yes.”
As Winston spoke, he abruptly began to move. Startled, Yu-jin instinctively clung to his neck. But Winston moved so carefully, so gently, that Yu-jin was caught off guard. He carried him to the bathroom and washed his entire body himself, tenderly and without haste.
From that moment on, Yu-jin never walked again.
Winston washed him, dressed him, and carried him the whole way. Even as they stepped outside the hospital and Yu-jin breathed fresh air for the first time in what felt like forever, nothing had changed—he was still held securely in Winston’s arms.
