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Chase only looked at him for a moment without saying a word. Josh rested his arm on the roof of the car and raised his cigarette to his mouth. Smoke clouded Josh's face, then quickly dissipated.

How would he react if this man refused? He saved him, but would he be mad at him? Or should he just scratch his head and back off? It was ridiculous that he was even thinking about this. Shouldn't he be yelling, calling out the nonsense Josh was spewing? Shouldn't he be furious at the audacity of this idiot?

While considering that, Chase simply watched Josh tilt his head. At this rate, their lips would touch. His intentions were obvious. But it would all end if Chase just sat down and slipped away. If Josh's attempt failed, Chase could mock him as much as he wanted.

Yet, even though he understood everything, Chase didn't move. He didn't tease, he didn't turn his head, he didn't push Josh away. All he did was wait for Josh to kiss him.

How could he refuse a man who was so hurt because of him? Chase's long lashes slowly fell over his eyes. Only after Josh closed his did Chase do the same. And then, their lips met. A sigh escaped Chase before he even realized it. Only then did he reluctantly admit—he would have kissed those lips even if this man hadn't risked his life for him. Chase reached out and pulled Josh's head closer. He wanted to deepen the kiss, to savor it.

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As soon as he opened his mouth and let his tongue slip out, it tangled with Josh's instantly. Josh's tongue caressed Chase's with as much skill as expected. Smooth saliva mingled as his slick tongue licked, stroked, and curled around Chase's.

Chase moaned into their kiss.

Jesus, he's good at this.

Josh pulled away briefly, then changed the angle before kissing him again. Chase bit down on Josh's lower lip in revenge for breaking contact. He felt Josh laugh against his lips. When Chase opened his mouth, releasing his brief bite, their lips pressed together again. Josh's tongue slipped inside, licking his lower teeth, turning seductively. Their lips shifted, their kiss deepened, and this time, Josh completely took control of Chase's mouth.

Saliva trailed from their lips as Josh pulled away momentarily, only to return. His thick tongue slid out, ran up Chase's chin, swept over the corners of his mouth, then dove back in.

Josh's hand found Chase's neck, his fingers grazing the sensitive skin there. Chase shuddered involuntarily. That wasn't the end. Slowly, those fingers wrapped around his neck, effortlessly undoing the knot of his tie. Soon after, they traced the collar of his fitted shirt, popping open a button with ease. Josh's hand slid inside without hesitation.

"…Ah."

When Josh bent down and bit Chase's neck, a deep groan escaped him. Meanwhile, Josh's fingers found a secret, sensitive spot. When his fingertips brushed against Chase's hardened nipple, Chase froze.

"Mr. Miller."

Josh's lips returned to his ear, biting down on the lobe before whispering softly, "Can I go further?"

Chase wasn't naive enough to ask, "What?" Instead, he stared at Josh's face with wide eyes. Under the bright moonlight, Josh's expression was as teasing as ever.

What the hell was this man thinking? Was he being serious, or was this just a game? Was he nervous, waiting for an answer, or merely toying with him?

Josh, seemingly waiting for a response, bowed his head again. Chase knew their lips would meet. Like before, they would kiss, their tongues would tangle. The difference was Josh's hand, which now boldly roamed inside his shirt, caressing his bare skin.

What would happen if I let this continue?

As if answering his own question, Josh's fingers reached for Chase's third button. Just before their lips could touch again, Chase let out a whisper.

"Stay away, you fucking idiot."

Josh's hand hesitated. He could have ignored Chase's words, could have stubbornly continued undoing buttons. He could have slipped his hand further inside, touched more, taken more. And for a moment—only a second or two—Chase was sure he would. But then, Josh raised his head with a bitter smile, and Chase felt a moment of disoriented disbelief.

"That's too bad."

And that was it. Josh's hand withdrew from Chase's shirt as though he had never intended anything more. He reached into Chase's jacket, brushing against his chest. Chase stopped breathing.

This time, he thought—

But his expectations were dashed. Josh simply pulled out a cigarette case from the inside pocket, as if that had been his goal all along. That was it. As though he had no interest in the bare skin that had been exposed to him, he carefully extracted a cigarette, tossed the old one away, and placed a new one between his lips.

Wait. Why am I embarrassed?

Chase realized he was beyond dumbfounded. If he was just going to back off like this, why the hell did he even ask if he could go further? Chase gritted his teeth. Josh, catching his expression, misinterpreted it.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

With a half-smirk, Josh lit the cigarette, took a slow drag, then—without warning—leaned in and bit Chase's lip. Chase froze for a split second, but Josh remained unconcerned. He took another cigarette from the box and popped it into his mouth, his face unreadable as he smoked.

What kind of idiot is this?

For a moment, Chase almost felt like he had been tricked. But then, his gaze fell on the blood smudged on Josh's cheek, and his frustration eased.

Josh looked exhausted. No wonder—he had fought off several coyotes alone to protect Chase. That man had been through hell, and to Chase's surprise, he himself hadn't even suffered a scratch. If anything, Josh deserved to be smoking like a chimney right now. The thought that he had done nothing, while Josh had suffered so much, suddenly hit Chase like a ton of bricks. His cold irritation melted away.

"…Why?"

Josh, who had turned his head, caught Chase's expression and asked in surprise. His tousled hair, his entire body covered in dust and blood, his beautiful face marred with bruises—it all unsettled Chase. He wanted to curse, but instead, he just ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

Josh was still smoking. Chase narrowed his eyes, exhaled slowly, then just watched him. This man had protected him, despite Chase losing himself over something meaningless. The realization left Chase with an unfamiliar emotion.

"Mr. Miller?"

Josh called his name again. Chase, jolting back to reality, hesitated. Josh smiled, that same charming, unshakable grin that made it impossible to hate him. Chase wanted to reply nonchalantly, but he realized the cigarette Josh had left in his mouth was still between his lips.

For a moment, Chase just looked at him—the man who had placed it there. Josh waited patiently for his words.

Chase pulled the cigarette from his lips before speaking.

"…Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

His voice cracked slightly, forcing him to cough. Josh answered without teasing.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

"But they bit you."

Chase's voice wavered. Josh took another drag of his cigarette, exhaling slowly before speaking.

"It's my job to protect you."

Chase turned to face him, eyes full of doubt. Josh simply smiled.

"I just did what I had to do, so you wouldn't get hurt."

"Who is injured?"

Chase gritted his teeth. Once again, Josh made it seem insignificant.

"I'm glad you didn't."

"…"

Chase stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"Do you do everything they ask of you?"

"To the extent possible?"

Mimicking Chase's speech, Josh replied with ease. Chase narrowed his eyes, determined to shatter that relaxed demeanor.

"Can you kill people too?"

For the first time, Josh's smile faded. Instead, he locked eyes with Chase, mirroring the same detached expression. Chase was oddly satisfied by the emptiness in his gaze.

"I can't be a criminal."

The firm, unyielding response made Chase smirk.

"I knew it."

Josh didn't say anything. He took a deep drag from the half-burned cigarette between his lips, exhaling a slow stream of smoke before finally speaking again.

"Who do you want to kill?"

His expression was serious.

"You're going to do it?" Chase asked, eyes narrowing.

"No."

Josh's immediate refusal made Chase chuckle. But it was too soon to celebrate victory. A familiar, mischievous grin returned to Josh's face.

"If you kiss me in return, I'll think about it."

Chase was dumbfounded, his face twisting in disbelief.

"Isn't that a bit too cheap?"

It had to be a joke. That man had never been serious about anything. The thought annoyed Chase even more. But Josh remained at ease, holding the cigarette between his fingers as he spoke again.

"I think your kiss is worth it."

"Stop talking nonsense…!"

As Chase grit his teeth, Josh blinked in surprise before smirking.

"If I said it wasn't enough, what else would you give me?"

His tone shifted effortlessly. In that moment, Josh seemed like a worn-out playboy. As if to confirm it, he narrowed his eyes slightly and whispered, his breath brushing against Chase's skin.

"Sleep together?"

"…"

Chase couldn't respond right away. He should have lashed out, insulted him, gotten angry—something he regretted not doing much later. But right then, a dangerous thought flickered in his mind. A temptation he couldn't ignore.

Was he really going to say it? Would he admit that he wanted to sleep with him?

Josh lowered his head slightly. Chase thought they were about to kiss—but he was wrong.

Instead, Josh raised his cigarette to his lips and reached out, his empty hand brushing against Chase's ear. A faintly reddened fingertip traced his earlobe.

The cold, firm touch sent a shiver through him. Chase wanted to blame the chill in the air, but he knew that wasn't it. Josh's eyes, half-lidded, moved slowly along his skin.

The lingering touch meant something.

This man is a Beta.

He can't leave a mark or anything like that. It's impossible. For him. For me. For anyone.

And yet, Chase thought absently, he looks like he's trying to carve one.

His heart pounded wildly. His vision blurred.

As Josh leaned in, lips barely a breath away, Chase felt the moment stretch—

Then Josh suddenly let out a short exclamation.

"Uh."

Startled, Chase opened his eyes just as Josh pulled back, looking up. A loud noise rumbled overhead. A helicopter.

"I thought it wouldn't be until tomorrow, but I got lucky," Josh said with a grin.

Chase, still dazed, watched him. Then, as if losing all interest, Josh turned and waved his flashlight at the sky.

"Over here!"

The helicopter, which had been moving slowly across the field, hovered overhead. A ladder descended. Without hesitation, Josh grabbed hold of it, securing it.

"Let's get inside."

Josh was back to his usual self, ignoring the tension from before. Chase let out a breath, feeling an odd sense of defeat.

Slowly, he stepped out of the car and looked up at the aircraft. It was the same one that had always been parked behind the mansion. Josh steadied the ladder from below to make it easier to climb. His arms trembled slightly from the vibrations, but he didn't show it.

Chase had climbed two-thirds of the way when Josh suddenly leapt onto the ladder.

"…Ah."

A sharp pain flared in his arm. He grimaced, a small groan escaping. His fever was getting worse. Chase was almost at the top.

Josh took a deep breath, steadying himself before climbing faster than ever.

"Crazy bastard—how is he so fast?"

Watching from above, Henry clicked his tongue. Isaac, sitting in the cabin, remained silent.

As Josh neared, Mark—who had been waiting—widened his eyes, just like Henry had.

"Josh, come on—"

Before Mark could help him, someone else grabbed Josh's arm first and pulled him into the helicopter.

It happened so suddenly that Mark barely had time to react. His eyes widened further as Josh landed in Chase's arms. He wasn't the only one shocked—Henry, Isaac, and Laura all stared.

But Chase didn't care. He held Josh tightly, as if unwilling to let him go.

And that wasn't the end of it. Chase scanned the others with a fierce glare, gritting his teeth.

"Where the hell is your hand, you son of a bitch?"

"…?"

Everyone froze. No one knew what had just happened. The only strange thing now was Chase himself.

What the hell did we do wrong?

Mark looked around in confusion. Henry and Laura exchanged glances and shook their heads. No idea.

Josh was the only one who understood.

Well, he hadn't expected Chase to overreact like this, but… he had to fix it.

"Oh. Thank you, Mr. Miller. I'm fine now," Josh said awkwardly, pushing Chase away.

Chase's face hardened, but Josh pretended not to notice. He turned to Mark.

"It took longer than I expected, but I'm glad everyone's okay. What about Seth?"

"He's in the middle of treatment. Luckily, the bullet only grazed him… I'll explain everything later, but—Josh?"

Mark suddenly called his name, looking confused. Josh blinked.

What's wrong?

It wasn't just Mark. Henry and Laura also looked at him strangely.

But Josh couldn't hear them.

The sound of the helicopter. Their voices. Everything faded into silence.

The most alarmed of them all was Chase.

Staring at Josh's pale face, he saw the moment his eyes unfocused—

And then, Josh collapsed.