Desire Me If You Can Novel - Chapter 120

14

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Dane’s bitter gaze shifted to his coffee as Darling kept sniffing and scratching at the table with his paws. To humans, the aroma of coffee was wonderful, but it seemed different for the cat.

That’s how it is, I suppose.

Reluctantly conceding, Dane watched the cat persistently scratching the table, as if digging in litter, before standing up. He picked up Darling and placed him on the cat tower, and after confirming the cat was settled, he returned to his seat.

He thought he could finally enjoy a moment of peaceful tea time, but suddenly, lightning flashed outside the window. Fortunately, the cat, being both deaf and blind in one ear, merely twitched one of his remaining ears when the subsequent thunder rumbled, showing little reaction.

Dane sat in the armchair by the window, sipping his coffee and looking outside. The view that had captivated Dane when he first entered this room now exuded a completely different atmosphere in the dismal weather.

He watched the rain lashing down outside through the window. Since this was an area where it rarely rained, he wasn’t used to such downpours, but at the same time, he felt a sense of relief.

It’ll be a quiet day today… he thought absently as he drank his tea.

“Tch.” He then clicked his tongue briefly. I should have been on duty today so I could just kill time and go home, but of course it’s my day off. His luck hadn’t been good lately.

As he grumbled and finished his coffee, he thought he heard a sound mixed with the rain. He soon figured out the source. He could see Grayson’s car speeding away in the distance.

Where is that bastard going in this rain? The thought surfaced, but he quickly dismissed it. What did it matter?

A few days passed after that. Grayson had gone quiet, as if he had given up on trying to persuade Dane. Dane, too, continued to treat him as if he didn’t exist. They lived in the same mansion without exchanging a single word, completely ignoring each other as if they were in entirely separate spaces.

Dane intended to just ride out the remaining time and leave this place. It had been wrong from the start. Dane Stryker didn’t know what expectations Grayson Miller had placed on him, but dating or forming a deep connection with anyone was impossible for him. In the end, the predetermined conclusion had merely arrived sooner than expected.

Only one month was left now. In a month, Dane would leave, and Grayson Miller would search for a new partner, just as he always had. And they would never meet again for the rest of their lives.

That’s fine.

Dane thought this as he brought the coffee cup to his lips. It was only then that he realized the cup was empty.

He sat there for a moment, then took the empty cup to the snack bar. After washing and setting the cup down, he returned to his room, passed the time aimlessly, and went to bed. Once again, a chilling light illuminated the world, followed by a loud boom. Outside the window, the dreary sound of rain continued incessantly.

Even though he lay in the room farthest from the ongoing party hall, the scent of pheromones still thickly saturated the air.

Lying in bed with his eyes closed, Grayson gasped for breath. His heart, involuntarily aroused, kept pounding against his ribs. It was now reaching the point of giving him a headache. Looking down at him, the party host asked, his voice low with distress,

“Are you okay, Grayson? What happened? Your pheromones are so built up.”

“Forget it. Where’s Steward?” Grayson asked between ragged breaths. “Where is Steward?”

The host looked down at him with a confused expression. “He didn’t come today.”

Grayson’s brow instantly furrowed. The host looked bewildered, but couldn’t lie.

Norman Steward.

He was the mandatory doctor for Ultra Alphas when they had problems. No one knew more about secondary genders than this man. Especially when it came to research on Ultra Alphas, Steward was unmatched. Thanks to him, it had become a customary ritual to consult him for all issues related to constitution and resolution.

But he was especially useful when pheromones needed to be extracted. When pheromone parties were held, hosts often called Norman Steward in case of any potential accidents. That’s why the probability of meeting him here was high.

“They said he wasn’t at the lab, so I came here…” the host responded to Grayson’s mumbling, which was more of a monologue.

“That’s right, he said he was on vacation. He did say he’d have staff on standby for emergency treatment if something happened, but…”

“Call them.” Grayson didn’t wait for him to finish and cut him off. “Call them, now.”

“Grayson,” the host sighed and suggested an alternative. “Don’t do that. I’ll send in a few Omegas, just take care of it that way. It’s much easier and safer. Why would you come all the way here to have your pheromones extracted with a needle?”

He then added with a frown, “Chase did that so much, and now it’s you?”

I don’t want to sleep with anyone I don’t like.

A forgotten memory suddenly came to mind. Grayson recalled his brother’s tearful face and offered a weak smile. “I’m a bit of a pervert.”

“Ugh.” The host shook his head, looking exasperated, and left the room.

Grayson closed his eyes, feeling his head grow hazy. His whole body felt like it was floating. His heart was pounding wildly, but his limbs felt utterly listless. What was this heterogeneous sensation? His whole body was flushed, as if with fever, but he couldn’t feel his fingertips.

Haa, Grayson sighed faintly. Through his sluggish mind, someone vaguely surfaced.

I’m sorry, Dane.

As he murmured it again, he replied, It’s fine, you idiot.

Incredibly, Dane smiled and hugged Grayson’s neck. Ah. Grayson’s nose stung.

I love you, Dane.

You are my…

“Grayson Miller!”

Startled by the unexpected shout, Grayson managed to lift his heavy eyelids. His vision was hazy, and he couldn’t focus properly. As he tried to close his eyes again, the same voice called him once more.

“Miller, snap out of it! Grayson Miller, damn it!”

The curses mixed with the shout gradually brought his consciousness back. Only then did he faintly realize he had been wandering in a dream.

Forcibly opening his eyes again, Grayson was momentarily confused. He had clearly woken up from the dream, yet Dane was standing right in front of him again. What’s going on…?

“Shit, damn it.”

Dane felt a surge of internal panic at the sight of Grayson looking at him with unfocused eyes. He had no idea what was happening. Seeing the strong pheromone scent permeating his entire body, he knew Grayson had been at a party, but what kind of symptom was this?

Just moments before, Dane had been sound asleep. He woke up because the strong pheromone scent had pounded on his consciousness. He finally woke up properly and realized a sweet scent was filling the room. He briefly wondered if Grayson Miller had entered the room, but only Dane and Darling were there, just as before he slept.

If that was the case…

There was only one answer. The pheromone scent was leaking from the connected room. A scent this strong must mean Grayson was in a rut.

Dane sat there for a moment. He had only one choice to make: leave the mansion.

Grayson’s pheromones were already stimulating his instincts. Feeling his face flush and his pulse pound, Dane’s face twisted in distress. There was no more time to think. Dane immediately grabbed Darling and left the room.

However, the moment he stepped into the hallway, he realized he had misjudged. The hallway was already saturated with the pheromone scent. He would have been better off staying in his room. How could a scent this strong be pervasive in the hallway? What happened?

He soon found out the reason. Grayson had collapsed with the door open. The moment he saw that, Dane put Darling down inside the room and rushed toward Grayson.

“Grayson! Grayson Miller!”

He repeated his name several times, but Grayson wouldn’t wake up. What the hell is going on? Even if he’s in a rut, does his condition get this bad? This is almost like…

…like he’s been poisoned.