“I’ll help you.”
Curled tightly in the hollow of a tree, Haram shrank even further at the chill in Tae-yi’s voice. In the darkness that had settled over the mountain, he silently begged the crying owl overhead to drown out Kang Tae-yi’s words.
I’m not falling for it. Not again. He’s lying—just like before.
Haram squeezed his eyes shut, ragged breaths escaping as he tried to steady his dazed mind. Ever since he’d come face to face with Tae-yi, something had felt off. A strange, inexplicable sensation was flooding his entire body, and it felt like he could shift into human form at any moment against his will. Clutching his silvery-gray tail tightly in both arms, he let out a heated sigh.
“Come out already. You’re in heat.”
At that word—heat—Haram inhaled sharply, shaking his head with all his might as if to reject the cruel truth.
Tae-yi, meanwhile, was brazenly releasing pheromones that mirrored Haram’s, as if mocking the fact that he was cowering inside a tree. He probably assumed Haram was just trying to hide—but the truth was even more troubling. Tae-yi didn’t even realize he was unintentionally seducing the innocent omega curled up inside. There were countless things that naïve little creature needed to be taught. And that’s exactly why Tae-yi had to take him—without delay. Letting out a quiet, weary sigh, Tae-yi stood before the hollow and spoke in a calm, composed voice.
“You’re definitely in heat. You’re leaking pheromones like a faucet.”
“Tcheek, tcheek, tcheek!”
No! No! No!
In his animal form as a flying squirrel, Haram couldn’t speak, so he shook his head violently, letting out weak, protesting cries. Then, as Tae-yi’s voice grew closer, Haram began to fidget nervously, gripping his tail even tighter. He couldn’t understand it. He’d been so desperate to get away from Kang Tae-yi—so why, the instant he saw him again, did he feel like he’d go insane if he couldn’t throw himself into his arms? Why had the tingling inside him refused to stop?
“Hoo…”
Tae-yi’s patience was running thin. Haram still hadn’t let even a single tuft of fur show—completely hidden. The urge to shove his hand inside and drag him out was growing unbearable. Tae-yi was reaching his limit.
Placing his fingertips at the edge of the tree hollow, he slowly released a stream of pheromones—strong enough to completely cloud the senses of his small omega. Then, he reached his palm inside.
So his flying squirrel could climb up.
It didn’t take long for the silvery-gray ball of fur he’d been searching for to emerge onto his large hand. Haram, panting in short, heated breaths, had already lost all rational thought. He collapsed onto Tae-yi’s palm and began rubbing his body against it with urgency. At the sight of that pitiful gesture, Tae-yi’s lips curled upward in a pleased smile.
“You’ll have to shift if you want my help.”
Without hesitation, still writhing against the warmth of his hand, Haram transformed into human form at Tae-yi’s words.
“Nngh…”
His bare, porcelain-pale body collapsed straight into Tae-yi’s arms. With a faint smile, Tae-yi slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around the heat-flushed figure. Then, cradling the omega’s soft, rounded backside, he began carrying him down the mountain.
