Chapter 64

The GP clinic, located about ten minutes away on foot, was crowded.

Wedged between a European woman trying to soothe her crying children and an Arab man venting his frustrations to no one in particular, Alex waited five minutes before he finally reached the reception desk.

“I’m here for a suppressant prescription. Alex Yeon.”

As he spelled out his surname, the nurse, her face etched with exhaustion, tapped at her keyboard. She scanned the screen for a moment, then looked him up and down.

“Dr. Sellman isn’t in today. He’s on leave.”

“I don’t mind seeing someone else,” Alex replied.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. Dr. Sellman is the only one authorized to handle secondary trait prescriptions here.”

Alex nodded as the nurse offered him a sympathetic but helpless look. He glanced at the wall clock; it was already past five. Even if he tried another clinic, it was too late for a walk-in.

The nurse studied his ashen face. “You look quite unwell. Perhaps you should try a larger hospital? Queen Elizabeth or the Royal London should be able to fit you in if you don’t mind a bit of a wait.”

Alex blinked sluggishly, rubbing his forehead. “Do I really look that bad?”

“Yes.”

He realized then that the nurse was an Omega. The fact that his pheromones were unstable enough for her to notice, even as his cycle was supposed to be ending, was deeply unsettling.

Abandoning his plan to just go home and suffer through it, Alex thanked her and left the surgery. He checked the distances on Google Maps; there wasn’t much difference between the two hospitals, but considering the transport links for his return journey, the Royal London made more sense.

Alex pushed his damp hair back, his heart heavy with hesitation. Nathan’s command to never show his face again acted like a physical barrier, making every step forward a struggle.

Nathan just does research at the institute, he’s not a specialist in the clinics. It should be fine, right?

After an eternity of circular logic, he finally made a decision. Even if Nathan were there, Alex would simply avoid him or stay out of sight.

Despite the practicality of the decision, a thick shroud of guilt enveloped him. Even as he boarded the Overground toward Whitechapel, the weight in his chest didn’t lift. He couldn’t deny the selfish motive hiding behind his excuses. Even if he couldn’t see him, even if he shouldn’t see him, he simply wanted to be in a place where Nathan existed.

Just for today. After this, I truly won’t go near him again. But today… today is just too hard.

As he neared the hospital, the fever intensified. Suppressants only acted on the primal lust that paralyzed the mind; they did nothing to vent the accumulated internal heat.

The days when a simple pill allowed him to function normally were a distant memory. For the past two years, the fever had become so severe that leave was mandatory. And yet, the rut had always broken within seventy-two hours. Until now.

With his head swimming, Alex trudged toward the hospital.

He took a route opposite to his usual path, constantly scanning his surroundings. The rain had turned into a fine, misty spray, and most people were walking without umbrellas. Feeling too weak to even hold his own up, Alex closed his eyes and let the mist settle on his skin. It was absurd, a man capable of subduing criminals being reduced to this by a biological cycle.

The towering hospital building loomed ahead. As he rounded a long wall toward the entrance, he caught sight of someone walking toward him from the other side. He stopped dead. His heart stuttered, and he felt a sickening lurch in his gut.

Nathan was walking toward him. He was in civilian clothes, draped in a long black coat. In his tailored suit, tie, and with his hair swept back, he looked like the perfect, polished gentleman.

Alex’s gaze reflexively shifted to the person beside him. It was a woman. Alex recognized her instantly, the doctor he had seen in the conference room. She looked different out of her scrubs; her auburn hair was styled in a chic bob that brushed her shoulders, and her sharp outfit complemented Nathan perfectly.

They weren’t holding hands or touching, but they walked in close proximity. Nathan appeared to be listening intently to whatever she was saying.

The moment the woman smiled and reached out to touch Nathan’s arm, Alex recoiled. If Nathan glanced away from her for even a second, he would see him. Nathan’s icy warning echoed in his skull, sounding more like a command than a request.

—Get out of my life.

His pulse quickening with panic, Alex spun around and began to retreat the way he had come. He tried to duck into an alley, but a crowd of people spilled out at that exact moment, blocking his path. Panic flared into desperation.

He’s going to see me. And if he does… he’ll be disgusted.

Driven by the need to escape, Alex stepped blindly into the road. The light hadn’t changed yet, but the street looked clear. He broke into a run, desperate to reach the other side.

The blare of a horn shattered the air just as he took his second step. Everything happened in a blur. A deafening, prolonged blast of a klaxon filled his ears, and he snapped his head to the left to see a red double-decker bus barreling toward him.

Move. I have to move.

Before he could react, he felt a violent jerk. Something wrenched him backward by the wrist, and Alex stumbled, his weakened legs unable to hold his weight.

Instead of hitting the pavement, he crashed into someone’s chest. He felt a solid, warm frame behind him, and the sound of ragged, frantic breathing filled his ear. Alex tilted his head up. He saw a mess of golden hair and eyes narrowed in a chaotic mixture of shock and anger.

He knew that face.

Faced with a person he could never fail to recognize, Alex tried to scramble to his feet and distance himself. But a hand clamped firmly onto his shoulder, pinning him in place. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t process the reality of the situation. His mind was a total vacuum.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Nathan’s voice was a low, dangerous rumble. He glared down at Alex with a look of pure incredulity. Alex fumbled for words, his voice a pathetic tremor.

“Nathan.”