L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 121

There was still time left until graduation. On top of that, he had to prepare for college. He wasn’t in a position to move out, and it wasn’t something he could do even if he wanted to. Either way, he was still just a high school student.

But something continued to gnaw at him.

“Still, I promised...”

He looked down at Ashley with a hesitant expression, but Ashley showed no signs of regaining consciousness. Suddenly, he remembered the last time Ashley had manifested. Even then, he’d been unconscious for a long time.

What kind of state is Ash in right now?

“Um... when someone becomes an extreme alpha... do they lose consciousness like this often?”

Koi asked cautiously. She was the only one who could give him an answer. Trying to find information on his own hadn’t been easy. All he’d learned was that after manifestation, their eyes turn purple, they have several times the immunity of normal people, and if pheromones aren’t regularly released, their brains can melt.

Maybe Ash doesn’t know much about it either.

He wasn’t even managing his pheromones properly, so it seemed entirely plausible. When Koi asked, hoping to glean even a little information, the secretary answered indifferently.

“Not necessarily. Ashley Miller is a special case.”

“How so?”

Koi asked quickly, and she looked down at Ashley as she replied.

“It’s because he didn’t release his pheromones on time.”

For a moment, Koi didn’t understand and blinked.

“Why didn’t Ash release his pheromones on time?”

Even Koi knew that if an extreme alpha didn’t release their pheromones, their brain would deteriorate. So why hadn’t Ashley done it? Koi asked, bewildered, and the secretary added with an expressionless face.

“You should ask Ashley Miller that later. The car is waiting downstairs. It’s best if you go before it gets any later.”

Koi looked at Ashley, then down at their still-interlocked hands. He squeezed his hand tightly, and the secretary spoke again.

“Sometimes, you won’t be able to keep a promise. You two need to start growing up.”

“Breaking promises is what it means to grow up?”

Koi asked. If that’s what being an adult meant, he didn’t want it. But the secretary looked him straight in the eye.

“No, understanding that is what it means to be an adult. If Ashley Miller is your boyfriend, then of course you should understand.”

There was no flaw in her logic. Koi couldn’t say anything else and looked back down at Ashley.

He was quietly disappointed that Ashley still hadn’t woken up, but he quickly reminded himself. Ashley wasn’t well. This was exactly the kind of thing he needed to understand.

“There are a lot of people here besides you.”

The secretary spoke again to the still-hesitating Koi.

“You staying here like this doesn’t help any of us.”

Her words cut deep. She was right.

When Ashley had manifested or was in pain, Koi had been the only one there. But now, that wasn’t the case. When Ashley woke up, he’d be treated to a much better, more nutritious meal than the instant soup Koi had brought, and doctors or other staff would immediately attend to him. Koi staying there, offering nothing helpful, would only be a burden.

Unable to bear the harsh reality any longer, Koi gave Ashley’s hand one last squeeze before letting go and standing up. He picked up the bag he’d left haphazardly on the floor and straightened his posture. The secretary turned around first. Koi looked back several times before finally following her out of the room.

“Come on, get in.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The car waiting outside the mansion was a black sedan Koi had never seen before. At the secretary’s signal, a man who seemed to be a bodyguard opened the door, and Koi muttered a hesitant thank you before getting in. The door shut, and the car started moving. Alone in the silence, Koi held his bag tightly to his chest.

Oh, right.

As the car pulled out of the estate, something suddenly came to mind. He pulled out his phone, which had little battery left, turned on the internet, and quickly typed in a search.

how do extreme alphas release pheromones

He remembered the secretary’s words as he typed. The results quickly loaded.

He didn’t really know how normal alphas or omegas released their pheromones.

Maybe it had come up in class, but it had nothing to do with him, so he must have tuned it out. And from the secretary’s reaction, it seemed that extreme alphas were a different case altogether. He skimmed the search results quickly, trying to grasp the general idea. As he clicked through a few linked pages, Koi’s face gradually turned pale.

*

His head hurt like it was going to split open. As his consciousness returned, his entire body felt soaked and tingling.

Feeling that familiar yet unpleasant sensation, Ashley slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times as the unfocused world around him began to brighten. And along with it, his memory returned.

Koi.

He thought of him first and quickly turned his head—only to freeze. The hand that had been holding his up until he lost consciousness was now empty. Instinctively, he tried to get up, but his body gave out, and he collapsed again, gasping as he curled into himself.

Only after managing to calm the dizziness a bit did Ashley lift his head to look around the room. There was no one else in the spacious room.

Just him.

He was used to that, but this time it was different. He remembered the things Koi had said and the promise he made before falling asleep, and he quickly went pale. Right on cue, there was a knock at the door.

“You’re awake.”

The secretary entered, speaking in her usual indifferent tone.

“He was sent home. It was too late. He’s still a student, and his parents would’ve been worried.”

“Worried?”

Ashley repeated her words with a sneer. Remembering what Koi had told him earlier made his stomach churn.

It was just an unavoidable accident.

But they pushed all the blame onto Koi, who was just a kid, and unleashed all their rage on him. Is that something adults—parents—are supposed to do?

Imagining how Koi had accepted all that as normal made Ashley feel sick. He should’ve comforted him more, held him tighter.

Thinking that he’d sent Koi back to that violent father because he couldn’t control his wretched pheromones made him feel like he was going insane.

“...Give me my phone.”

Ashley finally forced out the words. The secretary, as if she’d expected it, pulled the phone from her pocket and handed it over. But Ashley didn’t make the call in front of her. He desperately wanted to hear Koi’s voice, but he held back, suppressing the urge, and waited for her to leave the room. She checked his IV, called a doctor to remove it, and asked one last thing.

“Do you need anything? A meal?”

“I said get out. All of you.”

Ashley snapped, the restraint he’d held onto breaking at last. Thankfully, they left without protest. Once he was alone, he hurriedly pressed Koi’s speed dial. A dial tone rang, and Ashley waited anxiously to hear his voice.

But after only a few rings, the call ended. A machine voice followed.

—Unable to take your call...

The color drained from Ashley’s face.