Yu-jun

“Yu-jun, I can’t anymore. It hurts.”

“Shhh. It’s okay. I’ll move slower for now.”

“But—”

“I can’t get enough of you. You are my Omega, do you hear me? You are mine, Aoto.”

* * *

I wake up suddenly and sit upright, my head throbbing while a faint taste of alcohol lingers on my tongue. The mattress shifts underneath me, and I glance to my side to find a naked woman rolling over. She wraps an arm around my bare torso, but I carefully remove it without waking her.

“Shit. My head is killing me,” I grumble, getting out of bed and heading to the ensuite bathroom. A hot shower feels like the only thing that might make me feel human again, and I’m eager to leave this place before the woman wakes up.

As I step into the shower and turn on the hot water, I briefly wonder who my one-night stand is. But as she is just one of many who have shared that bed, the thought fades quickly. I shrug it off, uninterested in pursuing the matter further.

While washing my hair, fragments of a dream come rushing back. I have been having recurring, steamy dreams about the Omega I spent my rut with two months ago. At first, I couldn’t remember who he was. Over time, though, flashes would hit me in the middle of the day—his voice and glimpses of his face. A part of me already suspected his identity, but I fought hard to deny it because admitting the truth would crush me. However, last night, for the first time, I said his name aloud in my dream—Aoto.

It kills me to admit it, but the Omega whose pheromones drove me to madness, whose scent still haunts me and ignites my body… is Aoto, my ex-boyfriend Sota’s younger brother.

How could I be so stupid? How could I betray Sota like that? He already hated my guts when we broke up, but if he ever finds out what I did to his little brother, he will definitely castrate me. Probably kill me, too. And then I would never have the chance to win him back. Why did I have sex with Aoto? Why?

As I mentally berate myself for making the worst mistake of my life, Aoto’s face invades my thoughts—his beautiful, sweaty, flushed face and his disheveled hair falling in front of his eyes as he moans my name. The memory stirs a surge of lust within me, unbidden.

“Aoto,” I mumble, the name slipping from my lips like a forbidden prayer. Inhaling deeply, I am struck by the lingering scent of chocolate pheromones on my skin—a scent that has resisted dozens of showers and refuses to let me forget him.

Unable to contain myself anymore, I jerk off while picturing Aoto’s alluring face and body. The fact that we did it for three nights and two days straight is no joke, confirming how compatible we were and how much we wanted and pleasured each other.

“Fuck,” I curse as I cum, breathing heavily, my heart pounding in my chest. “What the fuck was that? I spent last night with a woman, and still, it seems like…” I trail off, not daring to finish the sentence because I don’t want to admit out loud that no woman or man has managed to satisfy me and erase this desperate longing for Aoto for the past two months.

Still annoyed by my unwanted thoughts and actions toward the Omega, I return to the bedroom where my one-night stand is soundly asleep and put on black briefs, dark jeans, a long-sleeved grey shirt, and a dark blue coat before grabbing my wallet and smartphone and leaving the suite—the same one I spent that wicked weekend with Aoto. I don’t remember exactly how I ended up bringing him here that Friday night, but I guess I am so used to bringing my sex partners to this place that I did it instinctively.

While entering the elevator, I send one of my bodyguards a text message, informing him that I am going home, to which he immediately replies, saying that he is already waiting for me with the car in front of the hotel’s main entrance.

“Young Master Yoon, are you leaving already?” one of the hotel staff approaches me, her cheeks blushing as she stares at me, her lips curling into a shy smile. I can smell her Omega pheromones, and they are disgusting.

Scowling and taking a couple of steps back, I force a small smile while replying, “Yes, I am. Thank you for your hard work.”

She reaches for my right arm and touches it lightly, suggesting, “Would you like to meet me tonight? We can have drinks and—”

Disturbed and completely disgusted, I slap her hand away, turn around, and shove my hands into my pockets, unbothered to look at her as I state dryly, “Stay away from me if you don’t want to lose your job.”

“A-Apologies, Young Master. I didn’t mean to—”

“Young Master.” My bodyguards and the hotel staff present bow as I get out of the building. One would say that this type of reverence is too much for a twenty-year-old man like me, but I am used to it, as everyone has been treating me this way wherever I go since I was a baby, which is only natural for the esteemed heir to the powerful Yoon group. Besides, this particular hotel is one of the dozens that my family owns.

“Young Master,” the bodyguard to whom I sent a text message minutes ago greets me while waiting for me to sit in the back seat of the luxurious car, which I do graciously without minding the people snapping photos of me and gossiping about how handsome I am.

“Take me home,” I order dryly once comfortable on the seat.

“Yes, Young Master.”

* * *

“Welcome home, Your Highness,” my roommate and best friend, Eiji, jokes as I step into the living room of my penthouse. “Judging by your wet hair and glowing vibe, I can say you had a fun night with that woman you left the nightclub with last night.” He shoots me a naughty smile from the couch.

“Fuck off. As if you didn’t hook up with her friend as well,” I smirk, flopping down onto the armchair and throwing my smartphone and wallet onto the coffee table.

“I did, but unlike you, I didn’t take her to a hotel. As a gentleman, I brought her here, made love with her, served her breakfast this morning, and sent her off with a kiss and a promise that we’ll meet again soon.” He winks, grinning.

I roll my eyes and snort, “Which you will never do because you don’t like to have sex with the same girl twice.”

“So what? Neither do you,” he claps back, turning off the TV and lying down. “So, how was the woman?”

I shrug in response, uninterested.

Eiji laughs. “Man, the only hook-up you show genuine interest in is that one from two months ago, whose identity you don’t even remember.”

I run a hand through my hair, annoyed, and groan, “Actually, it is Aoto Kikuchi.” I pause and let out a deep sigh. “My ex-boyfriend Sota’s little brother.”

Eiji stares at me with a dumbfounded expression. “Sota’s little brother? Are you telling me that the Omega you spent your rut with two months ago was Aoto-kun, the kid Sota would brag about for hours whenever we met?”

“Yes, that Aoto. To tell you the truth, I already suspected it was him from the beginning, but I wasn’t sure because the flashbacks wouldn’t show me his face. However, I had a dream about that wicked weekend last night, and for the first time, I saw Aoto clearly and even said his name. There is no doubt in my mind that the Omega with whom I felt such compatibility is him.”

“But didn’t you mention that you called Sota the next Monday afternoon, and he confirmed that his brother had come home safely on Friday night? Then, why did he lie to you?”

I lean forward and tap a finger against the surface of the coffee table, pondering Eiji’s question—I have stressed about it countless times as well. Why did Sota lie to me that time?

Eiji smirks, “Do you think Sota lied because he was angry that you slept with his brother? Perhaps he was jealous and didn’t want to admit what happened.”

I frown, unsure of how or what to respond, as I myself have no idea what was going through Sota’s head when we talked. I didn’t sense jealousy in his voice, which disappointed me because I expected him to blow up on me for betraying him again. However, he was relatively normal and just warned me to stay away from him and his brother.

As I remain silent, Eiji continues, “Do you think Aoto-kun would babble about spending the weekend with you to Sota? Would he confess he spent his heat with his big brother’s ex-boyfriend, who was also in rut?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t interact much with Aoto when I dated Sota because whenever I went to their apartment, the former would usually be in his bedroom or at his friends’ places. We barely talked, and the rare times we did, he was dismissive and rude,” I say, regretting that I did not make more effort to get to know Aoto better when I had the chance to. Although, I didn’t care back then because all I wanted was to be with Sota all the time—he was the only one who mattered to me.

“I’ve never met Aoto-kun, but I heard a lot about him from Sota, so I personally believe Aoto-kun would tell him the truth because they seem to be very close. I don’t think the kid would hide something like that from his big brother,” Eiji observes, sitting upright again. “Don’t you agree?”

Enraged that I cannot control my regret for hurting the one I love for a second time and my longing to embrace Aoto again, I throw a nasty punch onto the couch while snapping, “Fuck! Why did I do that? Why didn’t I control myself at that time? Why did I lose my senses to the point where my desire took over my entire being? That had never happened before. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Having sex with Sota’s brother was the worst mistake of my life.”

Furrowing his brows, Eiji points out, “Wait a minute. We’ve assumed that Aoto-kun told Sota about having sex with you, but what if the kid doesn’t remember you? I mean, what if he also lost his senses due to his heat and just did it with an Alpha without realizing that Alpha was you?”

I glance at him, hope surging in my chest, instantly lifting my mood. “Why did Sota lie to me, then?”

Eiji shrugs. “Perhaps he was at university and assumed his brother was fine at home. Considering how badly you and he parted ways three years ago, he probably didn’t want to bother checking whether Aoto-kun had really gone home that Friday night. He just gave you whatever answer came to mind to end the conversation quickly because he still resents you for cheating on him.”

I tap my lips with my index finger, pensive. If Eiji’s speculation is accurate, then not everything is lost—I might still have a chance to win Sota’s heart back. I just need to keep my mistake a secret and prove to him that I still love him.

As my lips curl into a smug smile, a sudden memory of Aoto’s flushed face, crying and begging me to thrust harder, flashes through my mind, disrupting my conviction regarding Sota.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I curse, punching the sofa cushion repeatedly in an attempt to vent my frustration and anger.

“Wow, wow, calm down, stud. Why are you so mad? Did you suddenly remember you didn’t use condoms with Aoto-kun and now think you might have impregnated him?” Eiji teases, laughing.

I freeze, my entire body tensing as realization dawns on me.

Did I use condoms that weekend?

Noticing my panic, Eiji’s expression mirrors mine. “Wait, are you serious? Did you actually forget to use condoms with Aoto-kun?”

Feeling increasingly anxious, I reply, “I am not sure. I don’t remember seeing condoms in the suite when I woke up Monday morning.” A wave of dread tightens in my chest as the words leave my mouth. I always, always use protection with my sex partners to avoid unwanted pregnancies. I am meticulous about it, refusing to engage with anyone who insists on going raw. The mornings after, the suite is usually littered with used condoms. I have never forgotten before—not even when I was with Sota.

“Shit, man. You’re screwed, Daddy,” Eiji mocks, bursting into laughter.

“Shut the fuck up, Eiji. There is always the possibility that Aoto cleaned the suite before leaving.”

“Well, did you see condoms in the trash?”

I scowl, pressing my lips into a thin line. “No,” I grumble, running my hands through my hair nervously. “I remember seeing dirty tissues, but that was it.”

“Did you knot Aoto-kun?”

I slam a fist against the surface of the coffee table, furious at myself. “Yes, I did. Fuck,” I curse again, confused as to why I knotted Aoto, as it was the first time I had done something like that with anyone.

But shit, it felt so good that even now, I want to hold and knot him again.

Eiji rises from his seat and slides down next to me, an arm wrapped around my shoulders as he taunts, “You better start buying diapers for your kid and prepare your parents for the news, Daddy.”

I push him away, hissing, “Stop calling me Daddy. It disgusts me.” Standing up, I add, “If Aoto is pregnant, I am convinced he will—or already has—aborted it. He isn’t stupid enough to go ahead with it. He is entering university this year. He would never allow an unwanted, unplanned baby to destroy his dreams or interfere with his Arts course.”

“And what if he remembers you’re the daddy and contacts you to take responsibility for the baby?”

I shove my hands into my pockets and head to the kitchen in silence.

“Yu-jun? What will you do if Aoto-kun tells you he’s pregnant?” Eiji insists.

I turn my head to face him and assert, expressionless, “I will order him to abort the bastard.” I continue walking toward the kitchen.

I hear my roommate’s footsteps behind me as he says, “You’re heartless, man. How can you say that so casually?”

“Heartless? I am Yu-jun Yoon, the heir to the Yoon Group. Do you think I can afford to have a heart toward those I don’t care about? Everyone aside from you, Sota, and my sisters is disposable trash. Besides, can you imagine what my parents would do if Aoto were really pregnant?”

Eiji laughs. “They would definitely pay him to abort the kid, and if he refused, they would make him disappear in the blink of an eye.”

“Which would be the right thing to happen,” I conclude, taking a water bottle from the refrigerator. “Aoto may have been the best sex I have ever had, but he was also the worst mistake I have ever made. I don’t have time to worry about him. I want his brother.”

Leaning against the counter, Eiji eyes me intently before snorting, “Keep saying that to yourself, Daddy. I bet your mind will change when you see Aoto-kun again.”

I drink the entire water bottle in one go, silently acknowledging that Eiji is right—I will definitely have a hard time not approaching Aoto with naughty intentions if I meet him again. All I can think about is having sex with him over and over, making him moan my name. Besides, as a chocolate lover, his chocolate-scented pheromones are intoxicating.

Aoto is a type of poison, waiting to ruin my life even more than he already has.

* * *