CHAPTER 13
Lucian watched Rayne leave without even eating, and the guilt settled heavily in his chest.
That was why he finished all his work as fast as he could and now stood in front of Rayne’s company, waiting to pick him up.
But Rayne wasn’t answering his calls. Not a single one.
And that silence… hurt more than Lucian could admit.
After standing there for fifteen minutes, he finally saw one of the workers coming out of the building. Lucian immediately walked over.
“Excuse me,” he said, “is Rayne still inside?”
The worker, a beta, paused.
Normally, Lucian would’ve gone in himself without waiting, but after what happened that afternoon, he knew Rayne was still angry. He didn’t want to make things worse.
“No, our boss isn’t inside. He left about an hour ago,” the beta said before walking off.
Rayne had already left. That meant he must be home by now. Lucian should go back soon.
But when he reached home, Rayne wasn’t there. He wasn’t answering calls either. The house was silent, too silent.
Where did he go?
Fear crawled slowly up Lucian’s chest. What if something had happened to Rayne? The thought alone made his hands tremble. He tried calling again and again, but Rayne kept hanging up.
Lucian didn’t want to track his location. He really didn’t. But what if Rayne was in danger? What if he needed help right now?
It was frustrating, agonizing.
He pressed both palms against his head, trying to think, when suddenly his phone buzzed. A message. From Rayne.
[Rayne: I’ll be back home in twenty minutes, so stop calling me again and again. I’m driving right now.]
Reading the message, Lucian finally exhaled in relief and leaned back against the sofa. Rayne was safe. Rayne was coming home. That was all that mattered.
But still… where had he gone after work? Why was he only coming home now? Lucian would ask when he arrived.
Time moved painfully slow. Every minute felt like an hour. His eyes stayed fixed on the clock until he finally heard the sound of a car parking outside.
He sat up straight, heart pounding, watching the door.
When it opened, Rayne stepped inside, but the moment he did, Lucian froze. Another alpha’s pheromones clung to him, strong, fresh, and unmistakable.
That scent was everywhere on Rayne. Whoever that alpha was, he had been far too close.
It was only because Rayne was an elite omega that his body could handle it. If he had been an ordinary omega, those pheromones alone could’ve triggered his heat, or even started the marking process.
But that wasn’t the point.
Lucian’s jaw tightened. His fists clenched. His eyes stayed locked on Rayne as he began to release his own pheromones, filling the room to drown out that disgusting rose scent.
Rayne was his. His omega. How dare another alpha’s scent cling to him like this?
He stood up and took a few steps toward him.
“Rayne,” he said, voice low and strained. “Where were you?”
Rayne flinched.
Lucian felt jealousy twist in his chest. Was Rayne meeting another alpha behind his back? Did he really…? After all, Lucian was the one who said they wouldn’t have a physical relationship. But that didn’t mean Rayne could go to someone else.
It was already hard enough for Lucian to control himself around him, to stay close without touching him.
So why… why would Rayne go to another alpha?
“I just went for a drive,” Rayne said quietly, his hand moving nervously to the back of his neck. “Nothing special.”
But Lucian could hear the hesitation in his voice, see the uneasiness in his eyes.
And that alone made his blood boil.
He lifted his hands and placed them on both of Rayne’s shoulders, meeting his eyes directly.
“I’m taking back what I said about not having a physical relationship. We’re married, after all. Of course we’ll have one, but we’ll be careful about your pregnancy.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw Rayne’s entire expression shift. His face turned red, and his eyes darted everywhere, trying to avoid Lucian’s gaze.
“But you were the one who said that before… you wanted me to focus on my company, right?” Rayne asked softly.
Lucian took Rayne’s hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently.
“Why are you covered in rose pheromones? Which alpha bastard’s pheromones are these?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Then he remembered. Rayne’s ex had rose pheromones too. But no, Rayne would never meet him again, not after all that betrayal.
“Actually, I just bumped into someone while walking,” Rayne explained quickly. “I didn’t even realize another alpha’s pheromones were on me. They don’t affect me, but please suppress yours, it’s making me lose my breath.”
Lucian immediately suppressed his pheromones. Rayne’s words made him pause.
Did he mean that other alphas’ pheromones didn’t affect him, but Lucian’s did?
He swallowed hard. “If you’re scared, just say no. Because from today, I’m going to behave like a proper husband,” he said, brushing Rayne’s hair gently.
Rayne looked nervous but shook his head and held Lucian’s hand tightly.
“We’re married, so we should act like married couples,” he said. “But I’m still angry at you. How dare you shout at me in front of everyone? Is that how you show concern?”
Rayne was right. He was angry and hurt. Lucian just hadn’t known which words he should’ve used. If he had, he would never have made Rayne feel that way.
“I’m sorry,” Lucian said quietly. “I was just really worried about you. I wanted to talk to you, but you ignored me. I thought maybe you didn’t want anyone to know that we’re married.”
That was when Lucian realized, Rayne thought he was being ignored, so he kept his distance too. When Lucian raised his voice coldly instead of speaking gently, he ended up hurting him even more.
Lucian released a soft wave of his pheromones toward Rayne. Rayne probably didn’t notice it, but it was Lucian’s way of marking him, of showing everyone he was his, even if he couldn’t bite him yet.
“Should we sleep together instead of sleeping alone?” Lucian suggested. “Since we’re acting like a married couple now, we should live like one too.”
“No,” Rayne said, pouting a little. “I’m still angry at you. So tonight, I’ll sleep alone. We can start sleeping together from tomorrow.”
That was fine by Lucian. Even that small promise made him happy.
Rayne was angry, so angry he couldn’t even put it into words. When Lucian kept calling him, he didn’t want to answer at all.
After everything that had happened in the afternoon, the anger still hadn’t faded.
But Lucian wouldn’t stop calling. Since Rayne was driving, he kept hanging up every time. Within a few minutes, he reached his villa.
He got out of the car and stood in front of the villa with Losif.
“Losif, you stay here as long as you want. But I have to go back now since my husband is home, and he’s calling me. I can’t stay here with you,” Rayne said.
“Your husband? You’re married? And… I don’t want to live alone. Can’t you stay with me, please?” Losif asked in a low voice, watching Rayne’s face carefully.
Rayne knew he couldn’t stay with Losif, but he also didn’t want to go back.
“Losif, why don’t you look around?” he suggested.
Obediently, Losif started checking the whole house. Meanwhile, Rayne’s phone kept ringing.
In the end, he sent Lucian a message, knowing Lucian must be worried.
After sending the message, Rayne leaned back on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling.
Suddenly, Losif leaned over him, placing both hands on the sofa as he looked down from behind it.
“What the actual heck, Losif!” Rayne sat up quickly and looked back. Why did he pop out from behind the sofa like that? He really made Rayne flinch.