Bondage and Marriage - 36

“…Medicine?”

Noah unconsciously glanced down at the tea he had just been drinking. The tea in the cup was of excellent quality, no less than the dessert served alongside it. It didn’t seem much different in color or aroma from what he usually drank. Besides, he didn’t feel anything strange in his body yet. While Noah stared fixedly at the tea, Sasha, her face almost drained of color, waved her hands frantically in denial.

“Don’t misunderstand! It’s not spiked… Look, here…”

Sasha hastily pulled something from the pocket of her gown. She placed it on the table—a small packet of white powder. The plastic bag was so crumpled from her nervous handling that it looked worn out. Noah blinked at the powder in silence, making Sasha even more flustered. Her face turned pale, then red, reflecting a storm of regret and anxiety as her expression changed by the moment.

Judging from the drug Sasha presented, Dmitri was clearly… a man of very poor character. Even if someone desired another person to the point of wanting to be with them, most people stopped at mere thoughts and didn’t resort to using drugs—especially in someone else’s mansion! Was he bold, or just plain stupid?

“What kind of drug is this?”

“…Well, um…”

Sasha began to sob, frightened. Noah quickly tried to calm her down. From the look on her face, as if she was on the verge of breaking down, and the fact that she had confessed rather than going through with spiking the tea, it didn’t seem like this was her own idea. People shouldn’t be judged solely by appearances, but Sasha was clearly a young woman who had barely reached adulthood, still with a hint of youthful innocence. She was clearly not the type to willingly carry out such a plan.

“Really, I didn’t want to do it…”

With Noah’s gentle demeanor, Sasha felt safe enough to open up. Starting to talk was always the hardest part, but once she began, the rest followed more easily. Sasha admitted she didn’t know exactly what the drug was, only that Dmitri had told her it would make the person who consumed it extremely compliant. She didn’t understand why Dmitri would instruct her to use it when he wasn’t even there. However, Dmitri was more cunning than she had imagined.

“And after giving the drug… he told me to… take a picture of you somewhere private.”

“A picture of me?”

Sasha nodded, unable to meet Noah’s gaze, staring at the table instead. It was clear what kind of photograph Dmitri wanted without her needing to say it explicitly.

Noah thought Dmitri was both foolish and despicably cunning. Ordering Sasha to do it instead of acting himself wasn’t just out of laziness; it was to shift the blame onto her if something went wrong.

Noah had heard about drugs that could make someone docile or completely incapacitated. In the club Tear where he used to work, the rules were strict—no drugs were ever allowed. Even slightly intoxicated individuals were prohibited from renting a room for play. While he had never used or encountered such drugs himself, he had heard plenty of stories from acquaintances.

For instance, there were news reports about people taking “sobering pills,” only to wake up the next morning in a strange place with no memory of what had happened. Or they’d be conscious but unable to move their body, helplessly subjected to harm. Some stories came from people who had experienced it themselves, while others heard about it secondhand.

“Thank you for telling me, Sasha. But… will you be okay? If he finds out you didn’t follow through…”

“I-it’s fine. It’s not like it’d be the first time I’ve been hit.”

Sasha tried to smile despite her pale complexion, but she looked pitiful. Surely she hadn’t willingly married such a man. Noah felt grateful that Sasha had overcome her fear of Dmitri to help him, so he handed her a slip of paper with his contact information. Sasha’s eyes widened in surprise.

“If you ever need help, please contact me. Just like you helped me, I’ll help you.”

For a moment, Sasha stared blankly at Noah before whispering her thanks with a choked voice. It felt as though no one had ever treated her kindly, and perhaps, no one ever had. After bowing her head and sniffling for a bit, Sasha composed herself. Though her eyes were slightly red, she seemed much calmer than earlier. Noah realized that Sasha’s anxiety wasn’t just about avoiding a beating; she was also weighed down by guilt.

After apologizing once more, Sasha left. Noah, left alone, took a bite of the remaining dessert and rolled the drug packet in his hand. Hmm… What should he do with it? After some thought, he slipped it into his pocket. It might serve as evidence later.

That evening, Ian and the others returned from their secretive “horse-riding” meeting. Dmitri alone seemed displeased with the results. Upon noticing Noah, who appeared perfectly fine, Dmitri’s expression turned suspicious. Clearly, he expected Noah to have been drugged and subjected to something during his absence. Noah smiled sweetly at Dmitri, as if mocking him.

Before dinner, everyone changed into comfortable clothes in their respective rooms. Dmitri, as usual, was the last to arrive in the dining room, where an extravagant final feast awaited. Noah, however, noticed something others didn’t: Sasha was limping slightly. Dmitri must have hurt her again.

Throughout the meal, Dmitri treated Sasha rudely, far worse than one would treat a lover. Although others occasionally frowned, no one intervened. Despite recent improvements in the treatment of Omegas, the unspoken rule remained: others, particularly Betas, had no right to interfere with how an Alpha treated their Omega. Whether the Alpha was rude, violent, or disregarded the Omega’s will entirely, outsiders had no say.

Perhaps that was why Ian had felt so at ease tormenting Noah.

As time passed, the perception of Omega as nothing more than Alpha’s property had started to fade, but only slightly. Recently, when reports of domestic violence were filed, the police would at least pretend to intervene, showing some improvement in the situation. Therefore, no matter how rudely Dmitri treated Sasha, people could do little more than frown and click their tongues in disapproval.

After an uncomfortable dinner for everyone except Dmitri, Noah headed to the marital bedroom with Ian, feeling a sticky gaze clinging to his back. (Though, in truth, he was being dragged, it looked like a loving stroll to others.) True to his warning that morning, Ian stripped Noah naked as soon as they entered the room and reattached the collar around his neck.

Well, by now, being naked in front of Ian wasn’t a big deal… Still, Noah feigned shyness, pushing aside his discarded clothes absentmindedly. As he did, he suddenly remembered the drug in his pocket. Glancing at Ian, who was busy changing clothes, Noah rummaged through his garments, searching for the packet. Where had he put it? After some digging, he finally pulled out the small bag. But just as he did, a voice came from right behind him.

“What’s that?”

Ian had been across the room just a moment ago, so when did he get this close? Startled, Noah turned around to see Ian standing right behind him, unbuttoning his shirt and watching Noah sift through his clothes. Flustered, Noah instinctively tried to hide the drug like a guilty person, but Ian had already seen it.

“I said, what’s that?” Ian repeated.

“It’s nothing…”

“Nothing? Then why are you hiding it?”

Scoffing, Ian easily snatched the packet from Noah’s hand. He frowned as he inspected the small plastic bag containing white powder. It looked suspicious even to Noah, so it must have seemed extremely dubious to Ian. Grabbing the chain of the collar, Ian yanked it sharply, causing Noah to stumble and fall to the floor.

“I asked what this is,” Ian demanded.

Noah hesitated. To be honest, he hadn’t planned to tell Ian about today’s events. What would be the point? Ian wasn’t going to take revenge on his behalf, and nothing had actually happened. He wanted to avoid unnecessary drama and let it slide quietly. But now that Ian had seen the drug, there was no way out. Deciding to be truthful, Noah started to explain.

“Well, today… Miss Sasha gave it to me…”

Before he could finish, Ian tugged on the leash, pulling Noah to his knees between Ian’s legs. Sitting arrogantly in a chair, Ian held the collar, forcing Noah to maintain eye contact. Noah, distracted by the tension in Ian’s grip, briefly drifted into unrelated thoughts. I really like dog play… But Ian’s displeased expression snapped him back to reality. It looked like Ian was angrier than usual tonight, which was oddly thrilling.

When Noah remained silent, Ian barked, “Keep talking!”

Coughing slightly from the pressure of the collar, Noah hesitated again. Should he just spill everything? After all, Ian saw him as a sweet, obedient, and innocent person—how could he fit his explanation to that image? As Noah debated internally, Ian’s frown deepened.

“You’d better talk now, or do you want to stay up all night?” Ian threatened.

Staying up all night didn’t sound bad to Noah. With no guests at the estate tomorrow, he could sleep in without worrying about anyone else. It often crossed his mind—when did Ian ever sleep? Even after nights of intense activity, Ian showed no signs of fatigue. Despite his curiosity, Noah decided against testing Ian’s patience tonight. With a frightened expression, he parted his lips nervously.

“Well, one of your guests… Mr. Solovyov…”

“What about him?”

Ian’s face contorted in distaste at the sudden mention of Dmitri. Come to think of it, Ian had disliked Dmitri from the moment he arrived at the estate. Dmitri wasn’t Ian’s type of person—assuming Ian even had a type. Inviting him must have been a business necessity. If Ian already disliked Dmitri, there was no harm in making him hate the man even more.

“He tried to make me… take the drug… and take photos of me. Miss Sasha told me,” Noah confessed hesitantly.

Ian listened in silence as Noah continued, fidgeting nervously. “So… somehow, I ended up with the drug… I thought it might be bad to just throw it away anywhere…”

Inwardly, Noah was curious about Ian’s reaction. He had expected one of two responses: either Ian would dismiss it with an indifferent “So what?” to maintain smooth business relations, or he would become angry at Dmitri for overstepping boundaries. However, Ian only furrowed his brows deeply, looking like he was lost in thought.

Noah knelt quietly between Ian’s legs, watching him mull over the situation. Just when it seemed like Ian was about to say something, he clamped his mouth shut again. It was an unexpected reaction—neither of the two scenarios Noah had envisioned.

Well, Noah supposed it made sense. To Ian, he was just someone to be rid of, an inconvenience. With a resigned sigh, Noah shifted his focus as Ian unzipped his pants, pulling himself out with a commanding tug on the leash.

“Now suck,” Ian ordered arrogantly.

At that moment, any thoughts about the drug completely disappeared from Noah’s mind.