Chapter 2

　　Lightning flashed. A brilliant white streak tore through the gloom, striking down toward the earth, followed instantly by a deafening clap of thunder. For a heartbeat, the dark room was illuminated, revealing the man’s face—a mask of primal instinct, as menacing as a cornered beast—before plunging back into blackness.

　　Johanna scrambled backward until she hit the window frame, the cold glass a shock against her back. Winter air seeped through a crack, chilling her skin.

　　"Sir! I don’t care if you’re a nobleman, you can’t just barge in here like this…" Mrs. Dreville’s protest trailed off as she took in the charged atmosphere.

　　Leonid paid her no mind, his attention fixed solely on Johanna. His crazed, sunset-colored eyes raked over her, a strange mix of the way one might look at a mortal enemy and a precious, long-lost treasure. He took a slow step forward, finally breaching the boundary of her room. Johanna couldn’t find the words to tell him to stay back. He had always invaded her world with such devastating ease.

　　His scent, one she had never truly forgotten, sharpened all her senses. Every nerve cell, jolted from a long slumber, began to scream for the Alpha before her. She hugged the luggage bag to her chest, her shoulders hunched, her body trembling uncontrollably. Though she had a rare constitution that made her less susceptible to Alpha pheromones, he had always left her utterly defenseless. A terribly familiar heat bloomed in her chilled body. She bRinked, and tears welled at the corners of her eyes. Her breath came in hot, ragged pants.

　　Unlike the pheromones of other Alphas, his had never felt unpleasant. Now, with his child nestled in her womb, his scent was more alluring than ever, making her desire him with a fierce, primal intensity. Her Omega instinct, a poison to her reason, shrieked at her to drench herself in his scent, to drink it in until she was dizzy with it. With every ounce of her willpower, Johanna fought the urge to reach for him.

　　Leonid’s gaze dropped to the bag she clutched like a shield. A cold, cruel sneer twisted his lips.

　　"It seems all you can think about is running away from me." His first words were laced with mockery, his voice colder than she could have imagined. She could only blink, too stunned to process their meaning.

　　"How repulsive it must be for you. I’m sure you’re sick and tired of me, scouring the country like a madman to find you. Am I wrong?"

　　He was furious. Faced with his raw rage, her mind refused to work, but she managed to piece it together. He knew. Somehow, the news of her pregnancy had reached him.

　　Will he drag me away? She imagined a future imprisoned in his mansion, her freedom forfeit as her belly grew month by month. She would give birth, and the baby would be snatched from her arms before she could even hold it. Then, her purpose served, she would be cast aside like a broken, useless object.

　　A wave of misery rose in her throat—the despair of feeling utterly insignificant. It was the same emotion that had tormented her endlessly during her time with him, now resurrected and refusing to die.

　　"You…" He stalked toward her, his glare pinning her in place. His crimson eyes, which had sometimes held a flicker of warmth, now burned with nothing but hatred. The look was a physical blow, clawing at her heart. She bit her lower lip until it hurt, trying to hold back tears.

　　"Did you run from me just to live in this hovel? To live in rags? Huh? Answer me. Does living like a beggar suit you?"

　　He closed the distance in a single stride, cornering her against the window. His hand shot out, ripped the bag she was clinging to like a lifeline from her grasp, and hurled it to the floor.

　　Johanna’s hands fell limply to her sides, her lips parting without a sound. The reality of her situation felt as vast and hopeless as being adrift on an endless sea. She didn’t know what to say. For a fleeting, desperate moment, she wanted to let it all go. He had been her one and only, but that love had been hers alone. She had buried her affection for him under layers of resignation, knowing she was destined to be used and discarded. In the end, she had never been able to tell him the truth. There was no future for them together. She had dared to flee with the heir of the Elderic family; an endless abyss was all that awaited her now.

　　"Ah…" His pheromones surged, wild and violent. Johanna flinched, a sob catching in her throat. Leonid was unleashing his scent, drenching her in it until she was utterly saturated. An Alpha only did this for two reasons: they were overcome with arousal, or they wanted to brand an Omega as their property.

　　Her eyelids fluttered as she looked up. He was standing over her, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body. His gaze was so dark it made her heart stop.

　　"…Johanna. My Omega," he growled, the words like embers on his tongue.

　　She frowned, staring at him. My Omega? Was he insane?

　　"If I had known you’d be holed up here, cozying up to some other bastard, I would have tied you down and locked you away from the start."

　　Just then, another bolt of lightning illuminated his whiskey-colored eyes, making them shine like molten gold. A large hand clamped around the nape of her neck, yanking her forward.

　　"Mmph!" she gasped, her eyes wide with shock.

　　Before she could resist, his mouth was on hers. An ingrained, reflexive response took over, and her lips parted. His hot breath mingled with hers as his tongue thrust inside, wet and demanding. Pheromones laced his saliva, assaulting the delicate skin of her mouth, crushing her reason, and stoking a primal fire within her.

　　"Mmh…"

　　His eyes, boring into hers, were consumed by a raw, overflowing possessiveness. The madness trapped in his dark pupils gleamed. Only then did Johanna realize how terribly wrong everything had gone.

　　After what felt like an eternity, Leonid finally broke the kiss, his lips hovering a breath away from hers.

　　"I regret it every single moment," he muttered, his voice thick with heat. "So much that it feels like my insides are on fire. I was an idiot to have trusted you."

　　"Uh…"

　　"You were only after money from the start, weren’t you?"

　　It was too late to deny it. Even if her feelings for him were real, the fact remained that money had been her initial objective. She had no defense. Still, her heart ached as if pierced by a thousand needles. Johanna’s face contorted in unbearable pain, and she clenched her jaw.

　　His thumb brushed over her reddened lips.

　　"I’ll have to keep you on a much tighter leash, so you can never stab me in the back and run away like this again. If I have to," he paused, his teeth grazing her swollen lip as if it were ripe fruit, "I’ll break your legs."

　　He then spat the words out like a curse.

　　"Damn it all… I’m imprinted on you."

　　…Huh?

　　A tidal wave of shock crashed through her sea-green eyes. Leonid seized her face with both hands and crushed his lips to hers again, a twisted, destructive smile hanging on his mouth like a sharpened hook.

　　Johanna Lucerne’s family comprised of her mother and her younger brother. Her father, an alcoholic and gambling addict who neglected them all, was as good as absent.

　　"March 8th, 1891, at 10:42 and 36 seconds. She has passed."

　　The doctor’s pronouncement fell like a death sentence. Standing beside her brother, Johanna could only blink, numb. Her mother lay on the bed, sleeping peacefully, her tranquil face showing no trace of the pain that had tormented her for years. In a sleep from which she would never wake, she had finally found peace.

　　"For the funeral arrangements… there is a government assistance program. You can find information at the district office," the doctor advised gently, aware of their dire circumstances.

　　Feeling as though she’d been struck by a hammer, Johanna could only manage a faint nod. The doctor watched her with a troubled expression, then sighed and picked up his medical bag. He gave a small bow and was about to leave the room when a quiet sob from beside her made Johanna flinch.

　　Her brother, Daniel, was weeping, his small body shaking as he tried to stifle his sobs. Seeing her brother cry so brokenly, the reality of her mother’s death finally hit her. Her consciousness, which had been adrift in a nightmare, sharpened, forcing her to face the truth. She looked down at the bed again. Her mother was asleep. So deeply she couldn’t even breathe. And she would never, ever open her eyes again.

　　She bit her lip, suppressing a sob that threatened to tear from her throat. Cracks began to form on her blank, grief-stricken face, and at last, tears streamed down her cheeks. As she wept silently, crushed by the weight of her loss, she felt small arms wrap around her waist. Daniel was hugging her tightly, his own tears finally breaking free in a torrent of grief.

　　With a trembling hand, she hugged him back. Daniel, who was always so brave and mature for his age, hadn’t cried like this since he was twelve. Her heart ached for him, for the little boy who had lost his mother so young. As his older sister, all she could do was hold him and whisper that everything would be alright.

　　"It’s… it’s okay, Daniel. You have… me."

　　"Sister, Mother… Mother is…"

　　The siblings clung to each other, weeping in the sudden, vast emptiness of the room. A profound sorrow and fear washed over them, as if they were the only two people left in the world. The person who had been their anchor in a bitter reality was gone. She would never be there for them again, would never show them her smile. Had her last, whispered words of love reached them? Johanna closed her eyes, letting the darkness and the grief consume her. For a long time, the tears did not stop.

* * *

　　Her mother’s funeral was held in a small church near their home. Throughout the arrangements, made with the help of the district office, her father never appeared. By now, she held no expectations for the man, only a bitter taste in her mouth. Would he even be sad to learn his wife was gone? For all his faults as a drunken gambler, he had genuinely loved her. He would probably collapse and sob the moment he set foot in the funeral home.

　　"Sister… You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday, have you? Please, go get something to eat…" Daniel slid onto the hard pew beside her, his young face etched with concern.

　　Johanna, who had been sitting motionless for hours, felt a surge of love and pity for the brother who thought of her even in his own grief. She managed a sad smile, patting the back of his hand.

　　"I am alright. You should eat…"

　　Just then, the murmuring of several voices broke the quiet of the funeral hall. Johanna narrowed her eyes, peering at the group of three or four people who had just entered. The backlighting from the doorway blurred their faces for a moment, but she recognized them easily enough.

　　"Oh! Johanna!"

　　It was her aunt, her uncle, and their two sons.