CHAPTER 27
At the other side
Jora received the message from Lucian: she needed to bring back the angel-named boy who was with Rayne, retrieved from the slave organization. The moment she read the directive, she understood exactly who Lucian meant. Jora departed immediately.
However, when she arrived and began asking after the boy, she was met with cold silence.
The organization's rules were strict: she couldn't meet any slave unless she had purchased them, and direct inquiries were always ignored.
But luck was on her side. Tonight was the slave auction, a perfect, unexpected opportunity to find him.
In the blink of an eye, night fell, bringing with it a roar of cheers from the expectant crowd. Dominant Alphas and high-ranking Omegas alike had gathered to purchase slaves at the auction.
Before them, several cages were lined up. Inside, both Alphas and Omegas, some strikingly handsome, others breathtakingly beautiful, were imprisoned. Just gazing at the faces of the slaves made the crowd impatient, their excitement a fire in the air. They were ready to spend fortunes to own them.
Just then, a man strode onto the stage, a microphone in hand and a wide, predatory grin stretching across his lips. "Welcome, everyone! Tonight, you will witness the availability of truly amazing Omegas and Alphas. Now, shall we begin?" A thunderous "YESSS!" erupted from the crowd.
The man, a Beta, smirked. Though the intense mix of the crowd's pheromones did not affect him, the overwhelming scents of dominance and desire were immediately taking their toll on the frightened people inside the cages.
With a dramatic flourish, the Beta opened the cage door and pulled one Omega out. The Omega was dressed in nothing more than sheer, transparent lingerie.
At the sight of him, multiple Alphas immediately began shouting bids. The Omega, trembling but calculating, also played his part, swaying his body seductively to drive the price even higher.
He was eventually sold for $150 million. His new master, the successful bidder, demanded he approach him right away.
The Beta signaled the Omega to go to his new owner, as the Alpha had already completed the transaction, sending the payment in cash instantly.
When the Omega reached the Alpha, the master violently grabbed his hand, yanked him onto his lap, and, without hesitation, began kissing him.
Just then, the resounding clank of another cage door opening cut through the charged atmosphere. The crowd instantly shifted their attention forward. This time, an Alpha stood inside.
Many more Alphas and Omegas were sold off. Finally, the Beta brought the last slave forward. Jora’s breath caught: it was the Omega, Angel. The moment she saw him standing terrified on the stage, she knew she would buy him at any cost.
Jora was about to stand up when the Beta auctioneer was suddenly shot. Instantly, a troop of bodyguards flooded the stage.
The entire crowd erupted into chaos, turning into a panicked mess as buyers scrambled to exit, dragging their newly purchased slaves with them.
Jora watched the guards and realized they all belonged to Lucian. Then, she spotted Coral, Lucian's second-in-command.
Jora sighed, running a hand across her head.
This level of violence wasn't her style; she wasn't a mafia operative.
Her brother, Ren, was the one involved, as he was in a partnership with their mafia organization.
She decided she didn't want to create any more problems right now.
She had suddenly lost all interest in the Omega named Angel.Deciding to cut her losses, Jora quickly left the auction hall.
Coral moved swiftly, dropping to one knee beside the terrified Omega and gently touching his back. "Hey, are you okay? You are Angel, right?" Coral asked, needing confirmation.
Angel flinched violently at the touch. He slowly pushed himself up to sit, his eyes meeting Coral’s. At that instant, his heart skipped a beat. He had never seen an Omega so beautiful.
"T... tu al u?" Angel stammered, his words slurred and unintelligible due to his inability to speak properly.
Coral tilted his head, unable to make sense of the fragmented sounds. "Hmm, I didn't catch that. Could you try talking in a human language? It's just that I don't speak... alien," Coral quipped, scratching his head nervously.
Angel simply tilted his head, looking up at Coral with wide, innocent eyes.Seeing that fragile innocence, Coral quickly shrugged off his long coat and wrapped it entirely around Angel. He then gently took Angel's hand, scooped him up into his arms, and began to walk away.
"Boys, our work is done here. Let's go," Coral instructed the guards before carrying Angel out of the auction hall.
Angel kept his arms wrapped tightly around Coral's neck.
When Coral brought him out through the back gate and set him down in the passenger seat, Angel abruptly hugged him.
Coral understood that Angel must be scared, so he gently patted Angel's head, broke the embrace, and then slid into the driver's seat.
As soon as Coral buckled up, he froze. Angel was sitting there, pointing Coral's own gun directly at him.
In the rush of the hug, Angel had somehow taken the weapon from Coral's pocket without him realizing it.
Coral burst out laughing. "What the actual hell?
What is my gun doing with you? Give it back, will you? " he demanded.
He still genuinely believed the gun must have merely fallen out and that Angel had simply picked it up. But when he saw the intense, annoyed expression on Angel’s face, the truth clicked: this was Angel’s real personality.
"Hey, bastard. Where the hell are you taking me right now? Tell me, or else I'll kill you right here," Angel's voice was cold and hard, completely shattering Coral's composure.
Angel's eyes bored into Coral's. Then, slowly, Angel stretched out his free hand and reached for the back of his own neck, gently peeling away a bandage and a piece of synthetic skin.
The moment the false patch was removed, only powerful Omega pheromones emanated from the discarded fake skin. Angel, himself, released no scent at all.
He was a Beta, not an Omega.
Though everything was indeed shocking, Coral maintained his composure. "You're a Beta, not an Omega... Wow," he mumbled, a soft chuckle escaping him.
"You bastard, start driving now if you don't want to die. I won't show you any mercy, because you interfered with my work. I was seconds away from killing that bastard.”
Angel's personality and profession were a complete contradiction of his name.
He was an assassin. His target was a major figure attending today's slave auction, a powerful Alpha known to favor fragile, innocent-looking Omegas.
Angel, being naturally short and slender, had used this to his advantage, allowing the slave organization to capture him a week earlier.
Today, the Alpha target had attended, and Angel would have successfully completed the assassination, but Coral had taken him away before anything could happen.
"Well, you're not making sense at all," Coral blurted out. "You want me to believe you're an assassin? How can I believe that after seeing how tiny you are?”
Angel gritted his teeth in fury. "Turn right at the next corner, fucker!" he shouted. Coral followed the instruction without hesitation, seemingly unfazed by the threat, acting as if he knew the situation wasn't truly dangerous.
"By the way," Coral said conversationally, "did I tell you why I came to get you? My boss's wife, Rayne, told him to free you.”
The words stunned Angel. He stared at Coral with wide, surprised eyes, momentarily speechless. He clearly couldn't believe it. Then, a memory must have surfaced, because his facial expression immediately hardened into one of cold indifference.
"Stop the car," Angel commanded.
They had pulled up to a massive, imposing hotel. Angel threw the gun onto Coral's lap and exited the car. As Angel walked away, Coral watched his figure until he disappeared inside the building.
As Angel vanished inside the hotel, Coral immediately sent a message to Lucian.
[Coral: Boss, that Angel guy was an assassin, and he left—refusing to come back. Honestly, I don't think we needed to rescue him.]
After sending the message, Coral leaned back against the seat, picking up the gun. He brought the barrel near his nose and inhaled. There was no trace of pheromones, but a distinct, expensive cologne scent lingered. Taking one last glance out of the car window, he started the engine and drove away.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Rayne’s four-hour surgery was finally complete, and he was now resting.
The doctors delivered a grave warning to Lucian: Rayne’s scent glands were severely damaged.
There was a strong possibility they would never fully heal, meaning Lucian might never be able to mark Rayne again.
This news was a massive shock, but Lucian swallowed it, relieved that Rayne was out of danger. However, the accident left a profound impact on Rayne. Even after being discharged, he remained silent, subtly altered. He had developed a deep fear of everyone except Lucian.
Lucian had no choice but to keep Rayne close, even taking him along to his company headquarters.
When they arrived, they stepped inside together.
Lucian’s eyes scanned their surroundings, constantly vigilant.
Rayne, clinging tightly to Lucian's arm, walked pressed against his side. As they reached the floor housing Rayne’s office, Lucian noted the staff were busily working and chatting normally.
Lucian's eyes were sharp, constantly scanning the surroundings. Simply his presence made many of the employees visibly nervous. One Alpha employee, however, stood up and approached them.
"Boss, I've finished the presentation. May I show it to you?" the Alpha asked.
"You can send me the presentation, and I will review it later," Rayne replied, and he and Lucian continued into the office.
Lucian noticed Rayne was subtly shaking while speaking to the employee, but Rayne successfully masked his distress, unwilling for his own staff to know what he was going through.
Once the office door closed behind them, Lucian pulled Rayne into a hug. "You were so brave out there. Here is your reward," he murmured, gently stroking Rayne's hair. "And believe me, you are safe now. I am here to protect you. No one can do anything to you.”
Rayne nodded, tightening his grip around Lucian. As they embraced, a sudden knock made them both flinch. They broke the hug and glanced toward the door.
"Boss, it's me, San!" a voice called from outside. "Come in," Lucian replied, guiding Rayne to sit down in his chair.
Lucian took the chair beside Rayne, his gaze fixed ahead.
The door opened and San stepped inside, his head bowed low, guilt written clearly across his face.
San felt terrible; he had been late returning from the parking garage, and Rayne had been kidnapped in the interim.
He closed the door behind him and took hesitant steps toward the desk.
Reaching it, he bent down, his head bowed in a deep apology.
"I am sorry, Boss. I made a mistake. I failed to protect you, and that's why you were kidnapped.
" Lucian grew worried, fearing these words would trigger Rayne's memories of the trauma.
He quickly shifted his eyes to Rayne. Surprisingly, Rayne was smiling faintly at San while gripping his own thighs tightly.
"San, it wasn't your fault, but can we talk about this later?" Rayne asked, cutting the apology short.
San, wanting to say more, caught the warning in Lucian's fixed gaze, which clearly instructed him to leave quietly. San nodded, quickly backed away, and exited the office.
As soon as the door closed, Lucian turned Rayne's chair to face him. "Rayne, you don't need to come to work if you're not up for it. No one is forcing you to work. You should focus entirely on your recovery right now.”
Hearing this, Rayne glanced down before grabbing Lucian's hand. "I don't know... I don't want to be like this. But every time I see someone, I remember what Iosif did to me." Rayne's eyes welled up with tears as he spoke the name.
Lucian gently stretched out a hand and wiped the tears from Rayne's eyes with his thumb. He then cupped Rayne's face with both hands, leaned in, and pressed his forehead against Rayne's.
"I am right here with you, so don't worry about things like this," Lucian said softly.
Just then, his mobile phone buzzed, but Lucian paid it no mind, entirely focused on Rayne. After a few minutes, they slowly parted. Lucian grabbed his mobile from the table with one hand.
The screen displayed a text message:
[Ren: Yoooo man, good news! Iosif, that bastard, is in our hands right now. The fucker was trying to run out of the country, but I tracked him down. Hehehe. Now praise me, you loser. Say thank you so much, god.]