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This was the last thing he needed right now, especially with his own rut dangerously close.

As Haeun's head lolled to the side, his breathing growing heavier, he whispered, "Yeongsoo, please… I need it."

Yeongsoo gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to keep his mind focused as they sped through the city. He'd always known Haeun didn't like him. Their interactions were always strained, filled with tension, and now this? The universe had a cruel sense of humor.

"You're not thinking straight," Yeongsoo muttered, eyes flicking between the road and Haeun, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, gripping the car's interior with trembling hands.

"Let me stay with you," Haeun pleaded, his voice raw with desperation. "Your pheromones… I need them. Just for tonight."

Yeongsoo's mind raced. He knew what could happen if he let this go any further. Haeun's heat was stirring his own pheromones, and his control was slipping. His thoughts were clouded, instinct pulling him toward something he shouldn't even be considering.

"Damn it," he whispered, knowing he was running out of time to make a decision. He couldn't leave Haeun in this state, not when he was this vulnerable. And sending him home alone would be a disaster waiting to happen.

Against his better judgment, Yeongsoo tightened his grip on the wheel and made the turn toward his own apartment.

"Fine," he muttered. "But don't say I didn't warn you. If this goes too far, neither of us will be able to stop."

Haeun didn't respond, his eyes fluttering closed as he leaned his head back against the seat, seemingly soothed just by being in Yeongsoo's presence. His breath came out in shaky bursts, his body reacting intensely to the pheromones that were now thick in the air between them.

By the time they reached Yeongsoo's apartment, the tension in the car was unbearable. Haeun was nearly panting, his heat making him so sensitive to every movement, every breath, and every inch of space that separated him from Yeongsoo.

Yeongsoo helped him out of the car, but Haeun's legs wobbled beneath him, making it clear he was barely able to stand. Without a word, Yeongsoo scooped him up again and carried him toward the building. Every step felt like a countdown to something both of them knew was inevitable if they didn't stop it soon.

Once inside the apartment, Yeongsoo set Haeun down on the couch, standing back for a moment to catch his breath. His own body was betraying him now, the instincts that came with his alpha status roaring to the surface. The air was thick with pheromones, and it was making it nearly impossible to think clearly.

Haeun looked up at him, his eyes glassy, his lips parted as he spoke again, softer this time. "Please… I just need to feel safe."

Yeongsoo cursed under his breath. This was a disaster, but looking at Haeun—so vulnerable, so open—he couldn't deny that something about this felt… right.

Yeongsoo clenched his fists, trying to rein in the whirlwind of emotions and instincts battling within him. Haeun's words hit him harder than he expected. "I just need to feel safe." It wasn't just the heat talking. Behind the haze of pheromones and need, there was something real. Something fragile.

But that didn't make this any easier.

Yeongsoo knelt beside Haeun, his expression conflicted. "You don't know what you're asking for," he said, his voice rough. "Once this starts, there's no turning back."

Haeun's breath hitched. His skin burned with heat, and it was almost impossible to form coherent thoughts. All he knew was the pull—this overwhelming need for the calming, protective warmth of Yeongsoo's presence. He'd never felt like this before, never wanted someone's pheromones so desperately.

"Then don't stop," Haeun whispered, his voice barely audible. "I've never felt safe around anyone… not until you."

Yeongsoo froze at those words. He hadn't expected that. Haeun, this stubborn, proud chaebol heir, who always kept people at arm's length, was letting his guard down in a way Yeongsoo had never seen. And that vulnerability… it stirred something deep inside him.

But it also made the situation even more dangerous.

He stood up abruptly, walking to the other side of the room, his hands gripping the back of a chair as he tried to calm his own raging instincts. His rut was so close, the pull toward Haeun almost impossible to ignore. If he let this go any further, he'd lose control.

"You don't even like me," Yeongsoo said, his voice low and strained. "Why me, Haeun? Why now?"

Haeun swallowed hard, forcing himself to sit up on the couch despite how weak he felt. His heart pounded in his chest, but he managed to meet Yeongsoo's gaze. "I don't know why," he admitted. "I don't even like you—at least, I didn't before. But your pheromones... they make me feel safe. And I need that. Just this once, I need that."

Yeongsoo cursed under his breath again, running a hand through his hair. He paced the room, trying to distance himself from Haeun, but it wasn't working. His body responded instinctively to Haeun's heat, and the more he resisted, the harder it became to hold back.

"You're playing with fire," Yeongsoo muttered, but his voice had lost some of its edge.

Haeun stood, though his legs trembled beneath him, and he took a step toward Yeongsoo. "Maybe I am," he said softly. "But I don't care. I've never felt this way before. If we don't do this… I'll never know if it's real."

There was a heavy pause, the air between them thick with tension and unspoken words. Yeongsoo's eyes darkened as he stared at Haeun, his jaw tight with restraint.

"Once I start," Yeongsoo said, his voice low and rough, "I won't be able to stop."

Haeun met his gaze, his heart pounding and he smiled "Then don't stop, you're what I need right now…Yeongsoo.."

That was it. The last shred of restraint snapped.

Yeongsoo pulled Haeun toward him, their bodies pressing together as the heat between them became unbearable. Haeun's heart raced, his mind overwhelmed by the flood of Yeongsoo's pheromones. He couldn't think anymore. All he knew was the comfort, the safety, the overwhelming desire to be closer.

Yeongsoo's scent washed over him, soothing yet igniting a fire inside that Haeun couldn't control. "I warned you,"