Chapter 4

* * *

　　Jujak gazed down at Yeojin’s sleeping face for a long time. From the rumors she had picked up over the years, she could easily guess what kind of life awaited an Alpha sold at auction.

　　Happy endings were rare. Stories of living happily ever after with one’s owner were far too unrealistic, better suited for fairy tales.

　　Beauty was fleeting, and the dominant Omegas surrounded by every luxury imaginable tired of it even faster.

　　Willingly putting oneself up for auction despite knowing abandonment was inevitable was just another survival tactic for an Alpha—nothing to be proud of, and certainly not a stroke of good luck.

　　Had it not been for her sick younger sister, Jujak would never have dreamed of standing stripped bare in front of a crowd bidding to buy her. If Jinjin ever found out she had done such a thing for her sake, the girl would never forgive her. She might even despise her for it, call her filthy. Yet as Jujak looked at the Mistress who had chosen her, her gaze wasn’t sad at all. Instead, a quiet thrill flickered in her crimson eyes.

　　Jujak slowly pulled herself out from inside Yeojin. As Yeojin twitched slightly in her sleep, Jujak gathered the blanket around her. She gently wiped the sweat from Yeojin’s forehead and pressed a lingering kiss to the damp skin.

　　In that moment, Jujak felt proud of herself, impossibly lucky. If she could stay beside a Mistress like this, if she could hold her and leave her own offspring in her Mistress’s womb, then her life would be well worth living.

　　Slipping out of bed, Jujak listened for Yeojin’s calm breathing before stepping quietly into the adjoining living room. She washed up quickly in the bathroom off the living area. Without even drying off properly, she walked over to the sofa where her belongings were kept and sat down on the floor. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out her phone.

　　“It’s already two in the morning…”

　　Staring at the numbers on the screen, Jujak sank deep into thought. She leaned against the sofa and looked out the window. One hundred twenty-three floors below, the cityscape stretched out in a sea of darkness and blinding neon. Somewhere down there was the hospital where her sister was admitted.

　　After hesitating a moment, Jujak finally hit the call button. Before it could even ring twice, a youthful voice chirped brightly through the speaker.

　　—“Jujak!”

　　“You’re still awake? Do you know what time it is? What were you doing up so late?”

　　—“You said you’d call, so I waited.”

　　Jujak’s expression softened instantly. The young voice over the phone was heavy with sleep. Jujak curled up on the carpet, wrapping her arms around her long legs. She huddled tighter, keeping her voice to a low whisper so as not to disturb Yeojin.

　　“Work ran a little late. I’m sorry, sweetie. Did you wait long?”

　　Jujak smoothly recited the lie she had rehearsed. Aside from working for the agency, she scrubbed every detail of the slave auction from her story, substituting it with talk of fine art and high-end antiques. She spun the cover story into a tidy, reassuring narrative about standard auction work.

　　“I was really lucky today.”

　　Jujak smiled gently as she spoke. Young Jinjin drifted in and out, her responses slurred and trailing off. She was clearly half-asleep. In her mind’s eye, Jujak could clearly see her little sister curled up in the hospital bed.

　　“I called because I worried you’d be awake waiting. Now that you’ve heard my voice, get some sleep, okay?”

　　—“When are you coming?”

　　“I told you, it’ll take a little time.”

　　—“Can’t you just come see me for a little bit? An hour… no, thirty minutes?”

　　“Just count five sleeps.”

　　Jinjin asked if she meant it, her voice brightening. Jujak nodded heavily as if the girl were standing right in front of her.

　　“Just count five sleeps. Once those five days pass, it’ll all be over.”

　　Jinjin giggled. Then she whispered that she missed her and loved her. Smiling warmly, Jujak brushed back the white hair trailing across her forehead.

　　“I love you too. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

　　Overflowing with tenderness, Jujak’s voice sounded impossibly sweet. She kissed the phone just as she always did when tucking her little sister into bed, pressing her lips to the warm glass with a soft smack as if it were Jinjin’s cheek. Then she ended the call.

　　Clutching the warm device in both hands, she remembered Yeojin’s order to wake her in two hours. I still have time, so I should go back and hold her, she thought, just as a dark shadow fell over where she sat.

　　Jujak flinched and looked up, only for a hand to strike her cheek with brutal force. She collapsed sideways onto the floor with a loud crash, her phone sliding away somewhere across the carpeted floor.

　　“I love you…?”

　　Yeojin, her long hair tumbling over her shoulders, sneered down at her accusingly. Her pale face was twisted in lethal rage. Veins bulged violently along her forehead and temples, looking ready to burst at any second. The raised blue veins made her deadly expression look even more terrifying.

　　“M-Mistress… When did you wake up?”

　　“I try being nice to you, and you dare pull a stunt like this right under my nose? Who do you love?”

　　Bewildered, Jujak could only blink, her pale cheek flushing bright red. She had no idea why Yeojin had slapped her or why she was this furious. By the time the horrifying realisation dawned on her, it was already too late.

　　Infuriated by Jujak’s silence, Yeojin unsheathed her pheromones, wielding them like razor-sharp blades. Jujak gasped, her body doubling over as her face slammed directly into the floor.

　　“You’ve got nerve. Playing the innocent naive puppy was quite an act, wasn’t it?”

　　Yeojin couldn’t understand why she was so enraged either. But she was furious. The white-hot fury escalated until it was completely beyond her control. As Jujak crawled across the floor, choking and gasping for air, Yeojin walked over and stepped hard on her neck.

　　“I bought you. Did you forget that already?”

　　Pinned under Yeojin’s foot, Jujak struggled to shake her head. Her flushed, blood-engorged face looked ready to burst, and her ruby-red eyes bulged with pressure.

　　Extremely aggressive pheromones could be lethal to an Alpha. Unless she intended to kill or permanently paralyze her, she should have reined them in by now. But Yeojin showed no sign of stopping.

　　“You were shoving your dick inside me just hours ago, and now you’re sneaking around like a stray cat playing lovers? Where the hell did you learn such insolence?”

　　Jujak’s fully erect shaft throbbed and twitched. Forced into an erection by the overwhelming pressure, every slight movement radiated an agonizing, splitting pain. Tears streaming down her face, she wrapped both hands around the ankle pressing down on her throat.

　　“Should I ask for a refund? There’s still time left. Why don’t you just get the fuck out?”

　　Jujak mouthed ‘no.’ Clutching Yeojin’s ankle, she shook her head, sobbing uncontrollably.

　　“A million dollars. A whole fucking million dollars for your worthless body. You haven’t even been here a single day, you arrogant little—”

　　Yeojin yanked Jujak’s hands off her ankle, then kicked her fully erect, pre-cum-dripping shaft with full force. Jujak screamed, curling into a ball and rolling across the floor. Only then did Yeojin abruptly draw back her overwhelming pheromones. Swaying slightly from the massive surge of energy she had expended, she sat heavily on the sofa armrest, breathing heavily as she glared at Jujak with sheer disgust.

　　“I shouldn’t have bought a piece of trash like you in the first place,” Yeojin spat.

　　Trembling in every limb, Jujak dragged herself across the carpet. Crawling to the sofa, she grabbed Yeojin’s feet and begged for mercy. Sobbing, she pleaded that she was entirely at fault, desperately begging not to be discarded. It didn’t even occur to her to explain the truth. All she wanted was for Yeojin not to return her, to let her fulfill her purpose for those five days.

　　“I told you! I said I wouldn’t do something like this twice, so serve me properly! I told you!”

　　“I was wrong, Mistress! I’ll never make another call, I promise! My sister is just so young, that’s why—”

　　Yeojin, who had been angrily smoothing back her long hair, froze.

　　Jujak pressed her forehead flat against the carpet, babbling disjointed apologies. Her limp, battered frame shivered violently as if gripped by severe hypothermia.

　　Yeojin pieced together the fragments of Jujak’s desperate rambling. Sister… hospital… sick… waiting. The clear pieces clicked into place. She realized she had misjudged the situation and had clearly made a mistake. Yet she didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty.

　　“Do you usually tell your sister you love her?”

　　Yeojin had two older sisters and five younger sisters. Not once had any of them uttered the words, “I love you,” to each other. In Yeojin’s world, “I love you” was not something spoken among family. Therefore, the rage and betrayal burning inside her remained unchanged. No logical explanation could wipe away the surging anger and toxic irritation twisting her gut.

　　“Who says ‘I love you’ to their sibling? Is that bullshit supposed to be your excuse?”

　　Jujak had no reply to that. Her tear-drenched face stared up at Yeojin in utter confusion. As she parted her lips to speak, Yeojin cut her off with a sharp flick of her hand.

　　“Shut up. I don’t want to hear it. You’re pissing me off.”

　　The dismissive commands flew out in rapid succession. Then she reclined against the sofa cushions and spread her legs open to Jujak.

　　“Get in here.”

　　Not daring to look directly between Yeojin’s parted thighs, Jujak shuffled forward on her knees to the side of the sofa. She waited for her to release a trace of her pheromones, but Yeojin remained cold and detached, obstinately looking away.

　　“Get hard already. Are you planning to take all night?”

　　Jujak gazed sorrowfully at Yeojin’s averted profile. Bending her head, she took her limp shaft in her hand and began to stroke it. Still throbbing painfully from Yeojin’s brutal kick, it showed no sign of hardening. Panicking, Jujak’s breathing turned ragged, sweat pouring down her heaving chest.

　　Yeojin clicked her tongue in annoyance. Even after venting her rage like that, her heart refused to settle. The fire burning in her chest wouldn’t cool, roaming wildly and setting her whole body ablaze.

　　Helpless and struggling to get hard, Jujak pressed her lips to Yeojin’s thigh and deeply inhaled the scent of her skin. Without pheromones, she needed any form of arousal she could get, so touching Yeojin was her only option.

　　Stroking herself with one hand, Jujak pushed more aggressively between Yeojin’s legs. But as she leaned in and took the tender flesh of Yeojin’s inner thigh into her mouth, Yeojin shoved her shoulder back hard with her foot.

　　“Are you insane? Where do you think you’re putting your mouth? Did I give you permission?”

　　“Mistress… then please, just a little pheromones…”

　　“What kind of useless Alpha can’t even get hard without pheromones? Are you really that pathetic?”

　　It was blatant verbal abuse and a petty, cruel display of spite. Distraught and humiliated, Jujak whimpered.

　　“If you’re just going to keep whining like a pathetic dog, get out. I won’t ask for a refund, so just get the fuck out of my sight.”

　　Jujak shook her head frantically, biting her lip to muffle her pathetic whimpers. Shielding her semi-erect length, which had finally reacted to the taste of Yeojin’s skin, she shifted her position. Crawling between Yeojin’s legs, she awkwardly positioned herself on the narrow sofa. Constrained by the tight space, she tentatively took one of Yeojin’s legs, watching her Mistress’s face nervously as she draped it over her shoulder.

　　Yeojin’s intimate center filled Jujak’s vision. Staring at that slick, glistening pink flesh, Jujak felt her length swell to full hardness. She rubbed her tip gently against Yeojin’s entrance. Just as Yeojin glanced down, opening her mouth to snap another insult, Jujak drove her fully hardened shaft deep inside her.

　　“Ah!” Yeojin’s face twisted in pain. Though she had ordered her to put it in, her unaroused passage was too dry and tight to easily accommodate the Alpha’s size. Knowing full well the tightness was her own fault, Yeojin vented her irritation by kicking Jujak square in the chest. Jujak’s upper body jerked backward.

　　“That hurts! I told you I hate pain! Are you fucking stupid?”

　　“I-I’m sorry, Mistress!”

　　Jujak quickly recovered her stance and bowed low between Yeojin’s thighs. Just as she had done earlier, she began licking Yeojin’s wet folds with her tongue. Her soft, hot tongue lapped at the tight, burning entrance, causing the pain to rapidly melt away.

　　Yeojin’s eyes widened at the intense, melting pleasure that coaxed her open far more masterfully than before. Feeling her body yield like this infuriated her. She resented Jujak for using the very lips that had just uttered, “I love you,” to lick her private places. It didn’t even matter whether the person on the phone was actually her sister. The mere fact that Jujak had spoken those powerful words to someone other than her drove Yeojin mad with jealousy.

　　“I told you not to put your mouth on me!”

　　Yeojin shoved Jujak’s shoulder with her foot again, but this time Jujak refused to budge. Gripping her hips firmly, Jujak pulled her deeper against her face, burying herself between her legs. The intense, suctioning pressure sent a sharp wave of heat straight to Yeojin’s core. She was appalled at how quickly her body was dissolving into breathless moans.

　　“I didn’t… permit this… Get off… Ah, ah…”

　　Reaching up, Jujak cupped Yeojin’s breast, her large, pale hand heavily kneading the soft mound. Yeojin’s eyes locked onto the sight of those broad hands working her body. Jujak’s other hand slid under her hips, lifting Yeojin’s rear slightly as she ravenously lapped at her interior with filthy, wet sounds.

　　“Ah… nnnh…” Cracks fractured Yeojin’s icy demeanor. Her moans turned thick and gooey. Her body automatically began leaking a faint, sweet trace of pheromones in the undeniable signal of total sexual arousal. Jujak knew from experience exactly what that intoxicating scent meant.

　　Sitting up immediately, Jujak wiped her wet lips on her shoulder and aligned her throbbing tip against Yeojin’s entrance, grinding hard against her sensitive flesh. Yeojin’s head fell back, her throat arching as her pheromones burst thicker into the air. Without a second’s hesitation, Jujak thrust home, impaling Yeojin to the hilt.

　　They both cried out at once. Hooking Yeojin’s legs over her shoulders, Jujak pounded her hips in a furious, relentless rhythm. Yeojin clawed frantically at the sofa, her manicured nails ripping into the fine leather with harsh scratching sounds.

　　“Ah! Ah! Slow down! Do it slowly!”

　　“You’re not in pain, ma’am.”

　　“What?”

　　Jujak didn’t answer, simply staring down at Yeojin through tear-filled crimson eyes. Swirling with a mixture of sorrow, injustice, and longing, her red eyes shone vividly in the dim light.

　　“You’re this wet… There’s no way it hurts.”

　　Jujak drove her hips even harder, slamming into Yeojin’s depths as if trying to shatter her from within. Yeojin lost the ability to formulate words. Letting go of the sofa leather, she wrapped her arms tightly around Jujak’s neck.

　　Yeojin’s body was folded completely in half, her legs draped over Jujak’s shoulders, her arms locked around Jujak’s neck. Gathering her folded form into a crushing embrace, Jujak buried herself inside with desperate, feral intensity.

　　A dominant Omega’s pheromones were not infinite. The natural scents released during sexual stimulation or light seduction took no toll on the body, but violent, weaponized pheromones were a different matter.

　　Like any attack, expelling a concentrated blast of lethal pressure burned through energy reserves that were difficult to restore quickly.

　　Yeojin was no exception. Having expended a massive dose of aggressive pheromones in a fit of inexplicable rage, she no longer had the strength required to crush an Alpha into submission or paralysis. Whether Jujak realized this or not was impossible to tell.

　　All Jujak knew was to relentlessly hammer into Yeojin’s core, as if determined to burn until her body turned to ashes.

　　“Stop… Stop it…”

　　“Just a little more, ma’am.”

　　“You said that earlier! Are you going to keep disobeying me?”

　　Jujak licked Yeojin’s lips with her tongue. Yeojin turned her head to dodge the kiss, but wherever she turned, Jujak’s lips pursued. In that tiny space, their lips engaged in a relentless chase. Captured, escaping, and captured once more.

　　“Stop… You’ve already come twice.”

　　“Just one more time, ma’am.”