After the rain, the temperature dropped even further, but the sky was unusually clear. The cold air touching his cheek only briefly refreshed Yujin’s mood.
“Are you okay?”
At the sudden voice from above, Yujin opened his closed eyes. Reluctantly raising his gaze, he immediately met the eyes looking down at him. As if it were the most natural thing, Yujin couldn’t hide his discomfort in the arms holding him and quickly looked away again.
“T-There’s no need to go this far...”
“You have to be careful. You’re pregnant.”
Before Yujin could finish speaking, Winston concluded sharply. Yujin felt his head start pounding again and could only keep his mouth shut. His memories flashed instantly back to that day.
Winston had emitted pheromones continuously for a whole night. As soon as the rut ended, he passed out and remained unconscious for about another day and a half.
The problem was that Yujin had been swept up in it as well and fallen asleep as if fainted. Although he woke up earlier than Winston, he still couldn’t move an inch. Winston was pressing down on Yujin with his whole body so tightly that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free.
Fortunately, the guards who noticed the situation were able to offer some help. Still, it was only enough for medical staff to inject him with medication, after which he fell asleep again.
When he finally opened his eyes, he had no strength left to do anything. Yujin was still tangled with Winston’s body. The only relief was that this time, Yujin was lying on top of Winston.
“Ugh...”
A groan escaped from his lips as he tried carefully to lift his body. His face twisted involuntarily and his eyes closed, but suddenly, the arm that had been resting formally on his body tensed.
“Where are you going?”
Startled by the low voice, Yujin unintentionally gasped and almost sat up, but he was immediately trapped in those two arms, barely able to move. Wasn’t he asleep? When he looked up in confusion, he immediately met Winston’s purple eyes glaring at him. For some reason, Yujin couldn’t find words and parted his lips. An awkward silence fell, and his heart pounded uneasily.
“I’m not going anywhere...”
He barely made a sound but soon started coughing. Only then did Yujin realize how dry his vocal cords had become. As he shuddered with coughs, Winston suddenly sat up sharply.
“Ah...!”
Yujin swallowed in surprise, but it was just a moment. Winston wrapped one arm around Yujin’s body just in time to catch him from falling. Without hesitation, he reached out with his free hand beyond the bed and grabbed the kettle on the side table. Leaning against Winston’s chest, Yujin just watched as Winston poured water into a cup.
“Drink.”
Winston commanded from above, even bringing the cup to Yujin’s lips himself. Yujin felt the impulse to turn his head away like a child, but he couldn’t resist the thirst. Clinging to his last shred of pride, he tried to drink on his own, but Winston pressed the cup against his lips without caring. With his fingers awkwardly resting on the cup’s edge, Yujin reluctantly parted his mouth. The lukewarm water moistened his mouth and passed down his throat, gradually easing his tension. It felt like the sweetest water he had ever drunk. Slowly, his Adam’s apple moving up and down, he finished the glass, and Winston withdrew the cup and asked,
“More?”
Yujin hesitated briefly, then shook his head. He had the feeling that drinking more would lead to repeating the same situation again. Seeing Winston’s brows briefly furrow, he felt a sudden certainty.
“L-Let me go.”
Late to the realization, Yujin twisted his body, trying to escape from Winston’s embrace. During the rut, he had been emotionally broken and out of his mind, but now it was different. The broad daylight outside the window poured in, and they were pressed together with not a thread of clothing between their bare skins. This situation made him restless. He hurried to pull away, but the arms holding him didn’t budge. As if mocking his desperate resistance, Winston leisurely placed the cup on the side table and then, with slow and relaxed movements as if in no hurry, wrapped his remaining arm around Yujin again. Yujin grew even more frustrated, his expression turning fierce.
“What are you doing? I said let me go!”
He stamped his foot like a child and raised his voice, but the answer was lazy.
“No.”
“What?”
“Calm down.”
Winston said casually to the highly agitated Yujin.
“It’s not good for your body. The baby will get scared.”
For a moment, Winston hesitated. What did he just say? Flustered, Yujin blinked, and Winston continued.
“The baby’s inside here.”
He narrowed his eyes meaningfully and slowly caressed Yujin’s belly with the palm of his hand.
“I’ll make you rich.”
A chill ran down Yujin’s spine. His thoughts twisted confusingly. Did this man really believe I’m pregnant? Or is he just pretending? The fleeting hesitation was cut by a cold voice.
You said no one believed you, yet he does? Nonsense.
The answer was clear. There were too many suspicious points to deny it. This man must have noticed. He was only pretending to be fooled because of the miscarriage. But now it was too late to say it was a lie. He set the trap himself and stupidly fell into it on his own.
Despite the burning heat that seemed like it would scorch him, Yujin wanted to push his hand away, but Winston’s hand resting on his belly did not move, just like the arms holding his waist. Struggling to pull Winston’s fingers off his skin, Yujin said,
“W-What’s inside my belly might not be your child.”
Well, what will you say to that?
Feeling his heart pounding wildly with anxiety, Yujin glared at Winston. Say I’m lying to you. Come on. Tell me your true feelings!
Holding his breath, trembling faintly as he stared, Winston slowly moved his lips.
“It’s my child.”
Yujin instinctively held his breath. Winston whispered in a voice lowered even more, as if confessing a secret.
“If I say so, then it is.”
A strange tension flowed between them. What could this mean? Could he be thinking that I got pregnant from that night?
“This time, you’ll have my child, Yujin.”
Suddenly, a forgotten phrase came to mind. Why did Winston say that to me then? Didn’t that mean he knew there was no child inside me? So this time he intended to impregnate me for real.
Because an extreme alpha can conceive as he wishes.
But Winston didn’t know one thing. Regardless of his trait, Yujin cannot get pregnant. Yujin could bet his entire remaining fortune that Winston never knew this. If he had known, he would have discarded useless Yujin long ago.
Then why doesn’t he say it now?
Maybe he thinks it doesn’t matter because he impregnated me anyway. Either way, the result is the same. This explanation made sense. The reason why he didn’t bring it up to insult Yujin remained unknown, but it didn’t matter. The important thing was what to do in this situation now.
“That’s right.”
Yujin slowly parted his lips.
“Okay, then it must be your child.”
Fine. Whatever this man does, I’ll pretend to go along and try to get money. Jewels will be traced immediately, so I have to find a way to make cash...
“Alright, then shall we go out as a family?”
“What?”
Startled by the sudden words, Yujin snapped back to full alertness. Winston looked at him and continued in an absurdly gentle voice.
“You wanted to be discharged, right? Let’s go buy baby things. It wouldn’t be bad to see them in person since we’ve only been inside the mansion.”
“Y-You want to go out?”
“Yes.”
Winston spoke and suddenly moved his body. Without realizing it, Yujin hugged Winston’s neck. Winston moved so softly and carefully that he carried Yujin to the bathroom and washed his whole body himself. Since then, Yujin didn’t walk even once. He was held in Winston’s arms the entire time while being bathed and /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ changed. And even when they finally stepped outside the hospital and breathed fresh air for the first time in a long while, Yujin remained wrapped in Winston’s arms.
