Bondage and Marriage - 43

Noah regained consciousness due to severe thirst. His throat was so dry and painful that he instinctively wished for a sip of cool water. Even after opening his eyes, it took a while for him to fully collect himself. His head throbbed, much like the morning after heavy drinking, causing Noah to frown deeply. Come to think of it, he did “drink” in a sense last night. Ugh… so tired… I don’t feel like getting up.

The thirst was unbearable, but he also needed to use the bathroom. Reluctantly, Noah resisted the temptation to stay in bed and tried to sit up. However, he groaned and collapsed back onto the bed. His entire body, especially his lower back and legs, felt sore and stiff, as if he had overexerted himself. On top of that, he oddly still felt as though he were intoxicated. His body was slightly feverish, perhaps from the aftermath of last night.

After groaning for a while, Noah slowly rolled off the bed and crawled to the floor. But when the blanket fell away, he realized he wasn’t wearing a single piece of clothing.

“Did I… sleep naked last night?”

Frowning slightly, Noah tried to recall what happened after he got into the limousine last night. However, after being knotted by Ian, he had essentially passed out and remembered nothing. He couldn’t figure out who had undressed him. Briefly, he imagined Ian carrying his unconscious self to his room, stripping off his clothes, and laying him in bed. Hmm… can’t really picture that. But imagining Ian laying him down and then—doing it again—felt much easier to envision.

Well, anyway, that’s not the point. His body weak, Noah nearly crawled to the bathroom. Suddenly, he froze, feeling something trickling from behind him. At the same time, Ian’s pheromones from last night seemed to explode in his head, leaving him momentarily dizzy.

“Ugh…”

It was clear Ian had undressed him, considering nothing had been cleaned up. Well, at least he had taken off the clothes… Noah held his throbbing forehead and stumbled into the bathroom. When he glanced in the mirror, he was startled by his own reflection. His neck and chest were covered with red marks, as though something intense had happened while he was unconscious. And this time, it wasn’t just bite marks.

There were hickeys, bite marks, and traces of the knotting. Lately, Ian seemed determined to leave his mark all over Noah’s body. Was this something all Alphas did, or did Ian have a peculiar obsession? Noah felt a twinge of curiosity but was more eager to shower and rest. He turned on the hot water.

While the tub filled, Noah cautiously ran his fingers over his sore backside. Last night’s overuse had left it swollen and tender. When he spread the area to clean it, a stinging sensation accompanied the flow of something warm and thick, the sheer volume startling him. He’d heard about how much Alphas released during knotting, but experiencing it firsthand was overwhelming.

After a rough cleanup, Noah sank into the warm bathwater. The soothing heat began to ease his aching body, and he felt a bit more relaxed. Despite everything, Noah couldn’t deny that he liked knotting. It hurt just enough to be enjoyable and felt good overall. If only the cleanup weren’t such a hassle… or if Ian didn’t push him so hard, it might not have been this bad.

After soaking for a while, Noah groaned as he climbed out of the tub. His muscles still ached—his back, legs, and even his arms—but it wasn’t as bad as before. Hunched over slightly, he shuffled out of the bathroom. Pain was fine, but why did muscle aches have to be so unbearable? Feeling irritated by his aching body, Noah put on some comfortable clothes, opened a drawer, and fished out a contraceptive pill, which he quickly swallowed.

Male omegas had a lower chance of getting pregnant compared to females, but it was different when knotting was involved. Not that knotting always resulted in pregnancy, but Noah wasn’t willing to take any chances. He had been taking contraceptives regularly ever since he started going to clubs.

What should I do? Noah thought as he closed his eyes again. Ian’s birthday party… I have to go. But he didn’t feel like leaving the bed. Despite not eating since the previous evening, his headache dulled his appetite. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was 10 a.m. Just a little more sleep, and I’ll feel better, he thought, drifting into a deep sleep.

By the time Noah woke up around noon, his condition hadn’t improved—in fact, it seemed worse. His headache had lessened, but his throat felt sore and scratchy. Still with no appetite, his stomach felt unsettled, prompting him to crawl out of bed slowly. Even though the room was warm, he shivered and grabbed a coat before stepping out. Maybe he’d overdone it yesterday… It wasn’t unusual for him to get sick around this time of year, so catching a cold wasn’t surprising.

“Noah, are you all right?”

Upon entering the dining room, one of the staff noticed his tired appearance and asked with concern. Noah reassured them, but his hoarse voice only deepened their worry.

As usual, an array of delicious-looking dishes was served in front of him. However, unlike his usual habit of clearing every plate, Noah could only manage a few bites before putting down his utensils. The food was undoubtedly delicious, but he just couldn’t eat much. While sipping water, he noticed the staff and the chef eyeing him nervously from the kitchen.

“Did the food not suit your taste?” the chef hesitantly asked, visibly concerned. Noah was known for his hearty appetite and frequent compliments, so this sudden change was alarming.

“Oh, no. It’s not that. I’m just feeling unwell today, so I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Should we call a doctor?”

The staff attending to him asked worriedly, but Noah shook his head. He just wanted to rest in his room. Relieved to know it wasn’t the food, the chef soon returned with a tangy and spicy pasta dish alongside onion soup to stimulate his appetite. This time, the food went down easier, and Noah cleaned the plates. If only he could hire this chef permanently, he mused.

Feeling somewhat better after eating, Noah returned to bed. But as soon as he lay down, he felt like he was glued to the mattress. Sinking into the comfort of his blankets, he drifted into a light sleep, occasionally groaning in discomfort. Midway through, the ringing of his phone startled him awake. His headache returned with a vengeance as he groggily answered the call.

“…Hello?”

“Noah? What’s with your voice?”

“Ah… Benny.”

Noah cleared his throat, trying to sound more coherent, but it didn’t help much. His voice, rough from sleep, was worse than earlier. He thought sleeping would help, but he only felt worse, his body aching like he had the flu. Placing a hand on his forehead, Noah sighed. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt feverish.

Are you feeling unwell?

Hearing his second brother Benjamin’s voice brought Noah back to his senses, reminding him of today’s party. He had promised to go to Tanner’s place, and Ian seemed likely to join as planned yesterday. However, Noah himself was too unwell to make it. Lying in the warm bed, he couldn’t even muster the thought of stepping outside.

“Benny… I’m not feeling well today, so I can’t go.”

– You sound like you’re really not doing well.

Benjamin clicked his tongue sympathetically. He knew well that Noah always fell seriously ill at least once during the transition from winter to spring. Advising him to rest without pushing himself, Benjamin hung up. Noah fumbled to place his phone back on the table and drifted off to sleep again. Now that he had canceled his attendance, he relaxed and sank into a deep sleep.

There were a few knocks on the door at some point, but Noah, feeling miserable, ignored them entirely. His fever was rising, chills ran through his body, and everything ached. His stomach churned unpleasantly, and based on experience, he knew the best solution was simply to sleep it off. As his illness dragged him into cycles of waking and dozing, he vaguely felt a cool hand touch his forehead and cheeks. His feverish, half-conscious state made him wonder if it was just a dream.

When Noah woke again, it was partly due to the sound of conversation but mostly because of a strangely irritating scent that made him tense. Groaning softly, he opened his eyes to see a stranger talking with Ian. While he slowly blinked, still trying to grasp the situation, an older man noticed Noah waking up.

“Oh, Mr. Frost.”

A man who seemed around forty smiled warmly in greeting. From the chart in his hand and the stethoscope around his neck, Noah realized he was a doctor.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Joseph Fisher, the Miller family physician. Feel free to call me Joseph.”

“…Hello, Doctor.”

Noah hoarsely replied in a cracked voice. Ian, seemingly just back home, hadn’t even taken off his coat and gloves. Glancing at the clock, Noah was startled to see it was nearly 10 PM. Ian must have had a very late workday. As Joseph approached him, Noah flinched slightly. The strange scent that had woken him earlier—it seemed to be Joseph’s alpha pheromones. Although subtle and not intrusive, they unsettled Noah more than they should have.

Ah, now Noah understood what William had meant when he mentioned that Noah and Ian weren’t in the best state. After knotting, it seemed one became overly sensitive to others’ alpha pheromones. Even though William had exuded his pheromones strongly when they met, it hadn’t bothered Noah at all. This must be why it’s an unspoken rule to suppress pheromones in public.

While Noah obediently let Joseph examine him, Ian stood with arms crossed, watching. Unlike Joseph, Ian’s alpha pheromones felt familiar, almost comforting. So this is the knotting effect, Noah mused in his fevered state, thinking absurdly that it sounded like a good term—knotting effect.

“What did you do to catch a cold?”

Ian had the audacity to ask. What did I do? Noah thought. If Ian considered last night’s events, he wouldn’t be able to say that. Noah, prone to catching colds during this season, couldn’t deny that half the blame lay with Ian. Fortunately, Joseph, examining Noah calmly, took his side.

“After a first knotting, it’s not uncommon for the partner to overreact to pheromones, leading to a fever.”

“…”

“Although, this is more like a cold with accompanying aches than an overreaction.”

Ian, silent with pursed lips, frowned at Joseph’s clinical response but said nothing else. Ian’s attitude toward Joseph resembled how he interacted with Hayden. Maybe it was an age thing. While Joseph wasn’t old, perhaps Ian preferred older people. Feverish, Noah drifted into another nonsensical thought.

“Get plenty of rest and drink lots of water and juice. For colds, restoring strength works better than medication.”

Joseph, laughing lightly, echoed advice similar to that of Noah’s usual physician, which made Noah take a liking to him. Joseph attached something to Noah’s arm—a patch inducing sleep—before saying he would stay on standby in case Noah’s symptoms worsened. Noah, who couldn’t keep track of how many times he had slept and woken, saw Ian glancing his way as his vision blurred again.

Maybe that’s why, when Noah woke up burning with fever and thirsty, he wasn’t entirely surprised to see Ian sitting between his legs, staring at him intently. For a moment, Noah thought he must still be dreaming.