The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 62
“I think I’m starting to feel it… Haah.”
Leonid sighed as he downed another glass. At the same time, a faint but unmistakable surge of Alpha pheromones emanated from him.
Johanna flinched instinctively, her body tensing. She wondered if her own pheromones were leaking out as well, but thankfully, she couldn’t detect any. It seemed she wasn’t intoxicated enough to lose control over her pheromone regulation.
Just as she decided it was time to stop and tried to put the glass down, Leonid’s hand suddenly grasped her wrist. Startled, Johanna looked up at him. His sunset-colored eyes were no longer sharp but rather drowsy and unfocused.
That made him seem even more dangerous.
“Are you stopping?”
“Yes, I think I should…”
“Are you drunk?”
“…”
It seems you’re the one who’s drunk, she muttered inwardly, casting a glance at the table. Only now did she notice the many empty bottles. He had clearly been drinking long before she’d arrived.
“If you are drunk… let’s talk.”
“About what…?”
“Do you really have no ulterior motives with me?”
The sudden question struck her like a blow, leaving Johanna as stiff as a statue. Meanwhile, the Alpha pheromones thickened in the air, becoming even more potent. The seductive scent wrapped around her, making it impossible to move.
“Sometimes, it’s strange, you know… The way you look at me. It’s almost like those Omegas who’d die for just a glance from me.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. When his hand reached out to caress her cheek, Johanna flinched. His long fingers, like those of a pianist, slid down to her neck, brushing against the spot where her pulse raced beneath the skin.
“But despite that… you draw a clear line, never trying to cross it. You just stand there, watching me from a distance…”
“…”
“And that look in your eyes… it bothers me sometimes.”
She was afraid.
Afraid that he might see through the carefully hidden feelings she harbored. If Leonid discovered that an Omega like her had such personal emotions for him, he might reject her entirely.
If that happened, everything would fall apart. Her father’s debt, Daniel’s tuition…
‘I told you I’d buy you for a high price. Did you forget that…?’
‘Are you planning to bear another alpha’s child?’
Without Leonid’s support, the only path left for her would be to sink into Ilian Rediess’s clutches. The fate of those burdened with insurmountable debt was usually tragic.
Johanna realized once again how fortunate she was. She couldn’t afford to lose this opportunity. She had to cling to it, no matter what. Lying about her feelings, wrapping them up in falsehoods, was a small price to pay.
She had never expected to grow close to him, never hoped to become someone important in his life. Choosing her words carefully, Johanna hurried to respond.
“I have no ulterior motives toward you, my Lord. None at all.”
“…”
“You remember that it was a condition of our contract not to harbor or expect any personal feelings, yes?”
Leonid’s hand rested lightly on Johanna’s neck as he stared at her, his gaze piercing as if trying to strip away every layer of her soul. It felt as though he could see right through her. But Johanna held his gaze, refusing to look away. To do so would imply she had something to hide, and she couldn’t afford that.
“Of course, I’m always grateful to you, my Lord. Thanks to you, I can repay the debt, and Daniel’s tuition is…”
Then it happened.
The pheromones in the room became suffocatingly thick.
“Ahh…”
A soft groan escaped her lips. Heat slowly spread throughout her body, a tingling sensation stirring in her lower abdomen. She could feel the dampness between her legs. Gasping for breath, Johanna looked up at Leonid.
The rationality in his eyes flickered like a dimming flame. Could it be… Is this a rut?
…No, it wasn’t a rut cycle. But his pheromones surged wildly, threatening to spiral out of control, as if all the pent-up tension from years without an Omega was finally demanding release.
And now, right in front of him, there was a very tempting Omega.
One who was slowly becoming intoxicated by the Alpha’s overwhelming pheromones, her defenses crumbling as she struggled to keep herself together.
“N-No, ah… ngh…”
She tried to fight against it, but before the words could leave her lips, his weight shifted onto her, pushing her down. With the grace of a predatory feline, he moved over her, gazing down at her with an intensity that made her shiver .
There was no trace of rationality left in the Alpha’s eyes. The way he looked at her—pinned beneath him—was as if she were nothing more than prey. Those eyes gleamed with a chilling, predatory light.
