We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 219

#24_ A New Beginning

The night Melissa returned, Ian was caught off guard by a sudden rut cycle. Startled at first, he quickly summoned the head butler.

“You called for me, Duke.”

“Hoo…”

The heat seeped through his gritted teeth. He forced himself to steady his voice and said,

“For the next three days, ensure that no one… hoo… enters the annex.”

“Your Grace?”

The head butler, unfamiliar with Ian’s rut cycle except for secondhand accounts from Henry, was momentarily confused.

“Kugh, damned rut…”

Ian, who rarely ever cursed, muttered through clenched teeth with a pained groan. The head butler jolted and understood it immediately.

“I will ensure your orders are carried out.”

“Dia… make sure to care for Dia properly.”

“Of course, Duke.”

“And…”

Ian hesitated, briefly picturing Melissa and Adella, who visited daily. A faint smile tugged at his lips before it faded as he realized he wouldn’t be able to see them during this time.

“Make sure Melissa and Adella are treated with the utmost care in my absence.”

“Yes. You need not worry.”

The head butler was well aware that they had come every day. The employees have been attentive to the two in a harmonious atmosphere. However, Ian staggered around only after giving the order.

It wasn’t as regular as it used to be, but the rut cycle kept coming and bothering him.

There was only one way for the imprinted alpha to blow off the heat of the rut, but he had no option. Even if he had eaten away at himself, he had been ignorant and endured it. He moved to the annex where Melissa had lived.

It was no longer a place where her scent lingered, but for him it was no different from a sacred place. It was a sacred place where what he had abandoned remained intact, but also a place that constantly reminded him of his mistakes.

After entering the annex, Ian moved silently, heading for the room.

Creak–

The unoiled door let out a haunting groan, but Ian paid no mind. Rather, the untouched state of the room brought him a strange sense of comfort.

The aftermath of the imprint often drove him to the edge of madness. Though it was less intense than it had been at its peak, he was still in pain. The annex served as both a sanctuary and a retreat for him—and a safeguard for Diers.

As an extremely dominant alpha, his rut released potent pheromones. No matter how much he loved his son, Ian couldn’t risk exposing Diers to the pheromones he emitted during his cycle.

“Hah…”

Ian exhaled deeply as he collapsed onto the bed. His trembling hands slipped beneath his trousers to dispel the heat that seemed to burn his brain.

After pulling out his painfully swollen member, he gripped it and began stroking feverishly. The force almost seemed like he was going to peel off the skin. Finally, a guttural roar escaped him as he released himself.

“Kugh, damn it…”

It had been far too long since he had s*x, and even longer since he had allowed himself to mas*urbate. Staring at the liquid coating his hand, Ian let out a hollow laugh.

Moments like this reminded Ian how alphas were little more than beasts. The thought left him feeling dirty. While he now understood that much of what was heard about omegas’ heat cycles was rumors deliberately spread, he couldn’t say it was vulgar. The one who is more primal and vulgar than omegas were alphas.

“Hah, aahh, Mel…”

His mind was slipping further, Ian curled in on himself, gripping his swollen member as his hips bucked reflexively.

Through his hazy vision, he thought he saw her, but he couldn’t reach out. Unable to take his dazed eyes from the empty air, Ian released himself for the second time,

The rushing pheromones of an extremely dominant alpha flooded the annex, signaling the full onset of his rut cycle.

* * *

After parting ways with Olivia, I returned to the magic tower and found myself alone in the room with Adella. To keep the child from being startled, I gently patted her back while subtly releasing pheromones.

“Oh?”

“Hehe, it’s unfamiliar, right? But you’ll get used to it, Della.”

I was reassuring the child, but it was also a reminder to myself.

Elixir was an incredible medicine. It was beyond anything that could be compared to any healing magic.

It wasn’t just a minor improvement. It had erased all traces.

The story of the extremely recessive omega, measured by the magic contained in her body, was no exaggeration. Even I was feeling the vast pheromones flowing out of me for the first time.

Before, my pheromones smelled fresh, like leaves, but now they spread through the room like the elegant and heavy fragrance of a fully bloomed rose. It felt as though the entire room had transformed into a garden filled with roses after just a slight release.

Since it had been years since I’d felt this sensation, I focused on controlling the pheromones, releasing and tightening them repeatedly. I practiced briefly to perfect it.

Meanwhile, Adella watched me with curious eyes. The unfamiliarity lasted only a moment, and she made a sound of delight, “Ah!” as her gaze remained fixed on me. Her shining golden eyes alternated between staring into space and looking at my face.

“Yes, this is the real scent of Mom’s pheromones. Isn’t it fascinating?”

“Mmaa! Mmaa!”

“Hehe, yes, it’s…”

As I spoke to the child, something suddenly welled up inside me. I felt sorry for myself, for only now realizing the pheromones that were always mine. And I also began to understand my mother’s wish to get rid of these pheromones.

When I first learned that my mother had damaged my pheromone gland, I felt nothing but resentment. But now, I thought I understood why she had done it.

“She must have been lonely and suffering…”

But then, imagine my daughter walking down that same path. Just the thought of it was enough to make me feel miserable. Though the feelings had twisted, it couldn’t be dismissed as anything but maternal love.

After spending the night alone with Adella, I moved on to the Duchy, where I had grown quite accustomed. I went straight to Diers room, where I found the child alone without Ian.