Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 122

“Thank you for the ride.”

As Koi bowed, the driver immediately drove off. Koi stood on the sidewalk, watching the car recede for a moment before turning around. His mind was still in turmoil.

Could all that be true?

He couldn’t believe it. That was how pheromones had to be released. He knew that True Alphas secreted far more pheromones than typical Alphas. But he had never imagined that the most efficient way to deal with them was sex.

<This is because he didn’t release his pheromones on time.>

The secretary’s words kept echoing in his ears. According to her, Ashley’s instability was due to his inability to properly handle his pheromones. No matter how he thought about it, there was only one reason.

Because I’m a Beta.

Koi unconsciously let out a rough sound and swallowed. If I were an Omega, it would have been simple. Because I’m a Beta, I can’t accept him.

Even though I said it was okay.

Hadn’t he clearly said it? That he was mentally prepared. He had even resolved that when Ashley returned, they would finally spend the night together.

Why hadn’t Ash tried to embrace him at all?

The memory of Ashley struggling even to kiss him when they met again made him unbearably anxious.

The question Ashley had asked him then seemed significant now. Why would he ask such a question, like what he would do if Ashley had sex with someone else? He had dismissed it as a joke, but it was strange that he would make such a joke.

Perhaps it’s related to pheromones…

As he thought of the frightening possibility, he arrived at his house.

The surroundings were quiet. It was well past midnight, but the lights in the motorhome were still off. Koi unconsciously clutched his chest, seeing the dark interior from outside.

He’s not home yet.

Thank goodness. He hurriedly moved to open the motorhome door. He needed to wash up quickly and lie down in bed. He could think later. He rushed to put down his bag and almost simultaneously reached out to turn on the ceiling light. After confirming the dim light flickered on, Koi turned around and unconsciously gasped as if to scream. His father was sitting in the table chair, looking at him.

Koi couldn’t say a word and unconsciously took a step back. His mind couldn’t process the unimaginable situation.

“F-father.”

He managed to mumble, but his father just stared at him without a word. Instinctively, Koi realized. That he had been waiting for him. As a chill ran down his spine, his father finally spoke.

“Until this hour, where have you been, and what have you been doing?”

His voice was hoarse and broken. Koi knew why. His father always spoke like that when he was drunk.

He’s been drinking.

Koi turned pale and froze. Like a frog before a snake, he couldn’t move, just stood there, as his father stumbled and rose from the chair.

“Making excuses about studying, about part-time jobs, day after day… You’ve been lying all along, haven’t you?”

Koi stared at him with wide eyes. His father took a step closer to him.

“How dare you deceive me.”

“F-father…”

Koi managed to utter his name. His face, illuminated by the dim light, was redder than usual, and his eyes were bloodshot. Seeing him drooling at the corners of his mouth and clenching his teeth, Koi could fully anticipate what was coming next. His father fumbled for his belt and began to unbuckle it. Koi’s breathing grew ragged.

“You rotten bastard, do you take me lightly? I told you not to hang out with that guy!”

His father roared roughly, wrapped the belt around one hand, and hit the wall. One end of the belt struck the wall with a loud clang. Koi flinched, covered his head with both hands, and curled up.

“N-no, it’s not, it’s not.”

He stammered in fear, shaking his head, but it was no use. His father immediately grabbed him by the collar with his other hand. His bloodshot eyes glared menacingly at Koi.

“What’s this smell! You’re covered in pheromones and trying to deceive me again? You piece of trash!”

Then his father pushed Koi. As Koi lost his balance and fell, his father began to mercilessly swing the belt at him.

“You ungrateful bastard, I should have thrown you away long ago! I should have let you die, I’m like this because of you! I should have strangled you right after you were born! No, your mother should have scraped you out of her womb when she was pregnant with you! I should have stabbed you to death with a knife, along with that bitch who abandoned me and ran away!”

Koi couldn’t even scream, just curled up his entire body and endured the belt blows. The old, thin leather strap whipped across his whole body. It was so hot and painful, but there was no one to help him. Koi, cornered, could only wish for this situation to end.

It was then. He felt a vibration in his pants pocket. Koi frantically pulled out his phone. He didn’t have time to check who it was.

“H-help… Argh!”

While he was speaking, his father mercilessly whipped him across the face with the belt. It missed a direct hit, but the burning pain was unavoidable. Thanks to that, Koi dropped his phone and could only curl up as much as possible, enduring the pain through the agonizing time.

Ashley, pale, stomped on the accelerator like a madman. It was the first time he had driven at such speed. Koi had barely answered the phone, only to leave an ominous scream before disappearing. Ashley’s heart pounded with urgency at the disconnected call.

His anxiety had been unbearable ever since Koi hadn’t answered the phone. He had told the secretary that he was going to see Koi for a moment and then left the mansion. Of course, he had tried his best to appear calm and nonchalant.

<I’ll just go see his face for a bit.>

Anyway, it was simple to find his whereabouts by tracking Ashley’s phone. It was better to reveal it openly and go. Moreover, she seemed to look down on Ashley and Koi as immature teenagers. If so, he had no choice but to play along.

As Ashley had guessed, the secretary let him go without much reaction. Perhaps she thought there wasn’t much Ashley could do anyway. It didn’t matter. Ashley just needed to confirm that Koi was safe.

While driving away from the mansion, he called several times. It seemed to connect barely, only to cut off again after a desperate scream. Ashley felt like his chest would burst from anxiety.

No way, Koi. That man again.

He could almost see Koi’s face, beaten to a bloody pulp, before his eyes. He sped down the road at full throttle, then pulled over to the roadside where he always dropped Koi off, and immediately ran like a madman. It was quite a distance to the motorhome. He sprinted, hoping he wasn’t too late, and quickly reached his destination.

A faint light flickered dimly through a broken windowpane, illuminating the surroundings. And then, a scream was followed by the sound of something being mercilessly struck. The moment Ashley realized that the sobbing voice was Koi’s, all reason completely vanished from his mind.

“Koi!”

He frantically called out the name and immediately flung open the old motorhome door. The rusty car door creaked weakly and swung open, and the narrow interior immediately came into view.

Then Ashley saw it clearly with his own eyes.

Koi, curled up and collapsed in the messy, cramped motorhome, and his father mercilessly struck him with a belt. Ashley then rushed into the motorhome and punched Koi’s father.

“Uh, ugh…”

A faint groan escaped his lips. The throbbing pain throughout his body forced Koi to regain consciousness. Hearing the sound, Ashley immediately spoke to him.

“Koi, are you awake?”

He had regained consciousness, but it took a little more time to understand the situation. Koi slowly blinked his barely lifted eyelids.

The first thing that came into view was the dark road, illuminated only by the car’s headlights. Only then did he realize he was sitting in the passenger seat of a car.

He lowered his gaze and then let out a sigh of relief. A large hand was tightly gripping one of Koi’s hands. A smile almost appeared on his lips, but his lips were torn and his face was swollen, so instead of smiling, he ended up frowning.

“…Ash.”

As he barely managed to say his name, Ashley took his eyes off the road and looked at Koi. Seeing him always holding the steering wheel with one hand and tightly gripping Koi’s hand with the other, Koi felt more at ease than ever.

“Where are we going…?”

Koi asked in a hushed voice. As he spoke the first thing that came to mind, Ashley looked straight ahead again and tightened his grip on Koi’s hand.

“Mexico.”

“…Huh? Why?”

He didn’t understand what Ashley was saying. To Koi, who was just blinking his eyes, Ashley added.

“I kidnapped you.”