Chapter 15

Haah.

Josh let out a deep sigh from within. The sounds of celebration never ceased. Shouldn’t they be heading home by now?

Checking his watch, he realized that only a couple of hours had passed since he arrived at the party. But none of that mattered. Until Chase decided he was ready to leave, Josh’s shift wouldn’t end.

Even so…

Another sigh escaped from deep within his chest. The garden was absurdly vast—so much so that he wanted to curse out loud. Just scanning its size made him feel like he’d be stuck patrolling all night. He recalled Chase’s nightly patrols of his own mansion, but this place was even bigger.

Might as well build a house inside a national park at this rate.

Grumbling internally, he moved along the path he had mapped out in his head. So far, nothing stood out. Spotting a group of security guards chatting idly, he walked past them just as his radio buzzed with Henry’s voice.

[All clear?]

“Yeah, for now.”

Josh kept his reply short. Henry exchanged a few casual remarks before cutting the call. The party seemed to be proceeding without any issues. Josh figured that after making a round, he’d ask someone to prepare a meal so he could eat quickly. Maybe he’d send Henry and Isaac off with food while he and Mark stayed with Chase.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he noticed a shadow crouched beneath a tree.

His instincts nearly made him draw his gun. His body tensed instantly as he quickly assessed the situation. The moment he made out the figure, his shoulders relaxed.

The person wasn’t a threat. In fact, they hadn’t even noticed Josh’s presence. A man, slumped against the tree, was struggling to catch his breath. His condition looked terrible.

Is he sick?

Josh remained cautious but took a step closer. With each step, his concern grew, overshadowing any sense of danger. The man’s breathing was shallow, his curled-up posture radiating vulnerability. He looked utterly defenseless.

Josh ran through his options. Should I call an ambulance? Was he a guest? A staff member?

The man still hadn’t noticed him. His ragged breathing was the only sound in the quiet garden. Without hesitation, Josh reached out.

“Hey, are you okay?”

As he spoke, his hand landed on a thin shoulder. He barely had time to react before something else caught him completely off guard.

The man slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Josh with a hazy, unfocused gaze.

For a split second, Josh forgot to breathe.

Slightly parted lips revealed a glimpse of a damp tongue. An Omega?

Josh focused, trying to pick up a scent, but there was nothing. Either the man had taken suppressants, or—like Josh himself—he had a naturally faint scent.

But in the end, pheromones didn’t matter.

Even a Beta would have a hard time resisting eyes like these.

If Josh had any interest in men, he would have scooped this one up and carried him straight to bed. No, scratch that—there wouldn’t even be time to find a bed.

Humans had found ways to be intimate long before beds were invented, after all.

Of course, that only applied if the other party consented.

“You don’t look well. Should I call 911?”

Josh kept his tone calm. He wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s affairs, but helping someone in distress was a different matter entirely. There was no way he could walk away and pretend he hadn’t seen this.

Wait—he is a man, right?

Josh’s gaze swept over him again. Thin, but the firm structure of his shoulders and the straight lines of his body confirmed it. Definitely male.

“...No, I’m fine…”

The man barely managed to get the words out. His voice was weak, but it confirmed his gender.

Oddly, Josh felt both relieved and disappointed

at the same time.

Clearing his throat to shake off the thought, he helped the man sit up and handed him a bottle of water. The guy drank over half of it in one go before his breathing steadied. He even muttered a quiet thank you.

Josh felt slightly reassured, but not enough to leave just yet.

This man… he looked like a deer that had run itself to exhaustion, finally giving up and offering its neck to the hunter.

…A deer?

For a second, Emma’s face flashed through Josh’s mind.

Now that he thought about it, this guy was exactly her type—like someone had taken her ideal man and placed him right in front of him.

Good thing Emma isn’t here.

She would have made a fool of herself the moment she saw him.

Josh sighed, relieved at the thought. The man looked much better now, even offering to bring something for the security team to eat. Josh had been about to agree and escort him inside to make sure he got somewhere safe.

Until someone interrupted them.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

A sharp voice cut through the air.

Josh turned toward it and was met with an unexpected sight. A tall man with violet eyes was standing there, watching them.

Keith Knight Pittman.

The man beside Josh reacted immediately.

“Mr. Pittman…” he murmured in a surprised voice.

Josh looked between them, suddenly flooded with questions.

He had assumed this guy was a staff member, but was he Pittman’s secretary? Why was Pittman here in the garden? Had something happened at the party?

And why the hell

did he look so pissed off?

Josh glanced at the pale man beside him.

He still doesn’t look great. Should I say something?

But he was an adult. It wasn’t Josh’s place to interfere. The worst had already passed.

The man must have thought the same, because he spoke first.

“Thank you for your help. I won’t take any more of your time.”

A clear dismissal.

Josh accepted it. Even if something didn’t sit right with him.

“…Alright. Take care.”

Just as he was about to leave, Josh realized something.

They had never introduced themselves.

Before he could speak, the man gave a faint smile.@@novelbin@@

“Yunwoo. Yunwoo Seo.”

Josh nodded.

“Joshua. Everyone calls me Josh. Nice meeting you, Yunwoo.”

The introductions ended there.

Josh turned to Pittman and gave him a brief nod. Which Pittman ignored completely.

There was tension between the two, that much was obvious. But that wasn’t Josh’s problem. He had other things to deal with—like whether Henry had gotten his hands on food yet.

If not, Josh was going to have to personally head to the kitchen and demand some sandwiches.

Or had it already been taken care of?

He wasn’t sure about the others, but Henry was definitely losing his temper by now. The guy had a bad habit of turning violent when he was hungry.

Josh was just about to send a message when—

“…Oh.”

He barely caught himself from making a sound.

His body froze in place.

A few steps away, standing in the shadows with a cigarette in hand—

Was Chase.