Zoe Pierce had been fooled by Nathan Lockwood. It wasn’t until she had escorted him to his cabin and watched him deftly shut the door that she realized she’d been tricked.

She had never been to his cabin before. A quick glance revealed that the layout of every room was nearly identical; only the placement of certain items differed, as if Nathan Lockwood had arranged them himself.

She lifted Nathan Lockwood’s arm to look again. Sure enough, where the horrifying, dark bruise had been, his skin was now smooth and clear.

It had healed completely.

"Zoe," Nathan Lockwood called her name.

Zoe Pierce tilted her head up. It wasn’t a total surprise. Her back was pressed against the wall, her chin lifted by a pair of long, pale hands, and his lips invaded.

He stepped forward, his long-fingered hands moving from her jaw to cup her neck.

Her body temperature was rising, but the heat radiating from his lips was even greater.

He drank her in.

"Hah—"

It was as if all the air had been sucked from her lungs. Her mind grew hazy, and her body went weak.

"Nathan Lockwood..." His lips left hers for a moment, and Zoe Pierce seized the chance to gasp his name. She turned her face away, panting heavily, a complete mess.

The sight only made the desire in his eyes burn hotter. Nathan Lockwood said nothing, his fingers just ceaselessly stroking her cheek.

With what little sense she had left, Zoe Pierce tried to push him away, to keep him from getting any closer.

’When we’re alone together, kissing seems to be a mandatory part of the program.’

’It’s like he has a natural talent for this, plundering everything—her breath, and all the rest.’

He lifted her with ease. With a cry of surprise, all she could do was cling tightly to his neck.

Nathan Lockwood continued to kiss her, a trail of light kisses dancing along her neck. He left no marks, just the constant pressure of his lips, planting and lifting, stirring a deep, ticklish yearning from within her.

"Zoe..."

"Zoe..."

He murmured her name over and over, the sound caught between his lips and teeth, laced with a sort of unfulfilled longing.

Zoe Pierce’s hands unconsciously clenched the fabric of his training uniform.

The cabin was spacious enough, but it felt as if all the oxygen had been burned away, leaving the air scorching and her breathing tight.

’Not enough...’

’Still not enough...’

’I want more.’

Nathan Lockwood took the initiative, his voice bewitching. "Zoe, help me, won’t you?"

A young man is in the prime of his life, full of vigor. With the woman he adores in his arms, engaged in such intimacy, how could he possibly keep things from escalating?

Zoe Pierce’s heart hammered like a drum.

She met Nathan Lockwood’s gaze. Looking into his deep-set eyes, her throat went dry, and she tensed up without realizing it.

A thin, sticky layer of sweat seemed to coat her back, and the sound of his breathing filled her ears, magnified and overwhelming.

’This isn’t right. It’s all happening too fast.’

’Zoe Pierce hadn’t even been in a relationship in her past life. When you were focused on survival, you could only struggle onward; there was no mental energy left over for romance.’

’And in this life, her first romance was this complicated.’

’Nathan Lockwood wasn’t like Chase Shaw or Erin Xavier. He’d always possessed a subtle streak of dominance. On the surface, she was the one leading their interactions, but in reality, Nathan had been making his own moves all along.’

’Take the kisses, for example. Time and time again.’

’He had gradually numbed her senses, to the point where he was now luring her toward the next step.’

Nathan Lockwood’s arms tightened around her waist.

They were pressed flush against each other.

Zoe Pierce’s breath hitched.

"Zoe, don’t ever believe the sweet talk an Alpha gives you in bed," Nathan Lockwood’s voice was audibly strained and hoarse. "And especially don’t let them convince you to tear off your suppression patch."

Zoe Pierce could feel his broad chest and hard abs, and the powerful thighs hidden beneath his clothes.

Nathan Lockwood had to explain this to Zoe Pierce. Otherwise, given her limited knowledge of these things, it was inevitable that something irreversible would happen in a relationship like theirs.

"There’s no bite inhibitor here," he said. "So we can’t afford to give ourselves any leeway."

A bite inhibitor was a protective guard designed specifically for an Alpha’s canine teeth.

It effectively prevented an Alpha from marking an Omega.

It was originally used to prevent Alphas from going into a pheromonal frenzy, but now it was a common accessory for Alpha and Omega couples.

In the heat of passion, Alphas often couldn’t control their strength. Paired with the most intimate of acts, one slip-up could easily lead to a full marking.

And once fully marked, an Omega would be irrevocably branded by that Alpha.

The scent of Nathan Lockwood’s pheromones, a light and clean fragrance of tea, wafted from between his teeth. He watched her expression carefully. She didn’t frown at his scent.

This proved that Erin Xavier’s pheromones were wearing off.

The temporary mark was fading. Otherwise, right after being marked, she would have instinctively rejected the pheromones of any other Alpha.

’Zoe Pierce cannot be marked.’

He held her tightly, the sound of their clothes rustling together.

Both of their breathing grew heavier.

But suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Zoe Pierce practically jumped, instantly pushing Nathan Lockwood away and scrambling to her feet.

"Nathan, it’s me." It was Erin Xavier’s voice.

He paused. "I need to talk to Zoe Pierce about something. Open the door."

The closed door was just like the training room that day, when he had furiously demanded Nathan Lockwood open up, sensing something was off.

Now, however, Erin Xavier found himself hoping Nathan would say Zoe wasn’t there.

But that mental preparation was for nothing.

It was Zoe Pierce who opened the door. She looked fine, for the most part—except her clothes were slightly wrinkled, her lips were a little too red, and she had an air of forced composure.

’Such terrible acting.’

Erin Xavier’s lips tightened into a thin line.

He did his best to ignore the sour tang of jealousy, looking down to ask Zoe Pierce, "Zoe Pierce, have you thought about who’s next?"

Nathan Lockwood cut him off. "Come in and say it."

This wasn’t a conversation for the hallway. The walls had ears.

Erin Xavier stepped inside. The moment he entered, he was hit by the strong scent of tea. He frowned instantly, his mind racing as he immediately guessed what the two of them had been doing in the room.

He strode to the wall and switched on the air purifier. As the scent of tea was drawn from the room, the tightness in his chest eased, and he felt he could breathe again.

The earlier intimacy had faded, and Zoe Pierce was clear-headed now. But with her clarity came a burgeoning headache.

’How could she tactfully tell Erin Xavier that Chase Shaw had already beaten him to it?’

’Although Chase hadn’t explicitly nominated himself, his intentions had been perfectly clear.’

Nathan Lockwood, sitting on the edge of the bed, gave a cold smirk. "It’s only the second day. Are you that impatient already?"

’He and Zoe had only been together for a few days, and already these guys were lining up.’

Erin thought, ’Anyone would be provoked by this, especially someone who knew the truth. Watching them act like strangers in public but kiss so passionately in private... it was both infuriating and enviable.’

’Would Zoe be this... special with the rest of them, too?’

Nathan Lockwood dashed his hopes with a bucket of cold water. "It won’t be you. Don’t even think about it."

Erin Xavier nearly jumped out of his skin. He snapped his head up to glare at Nathan Lockwood. "Why?"

’Why couldn’t it be him?’

Zoe Pierce also looked at Nathan Lockwood. She was sure she hadn’t told him that Chase Shaw had already approached her.

Two pairs of eyes stared at him, full of questions. Nathan Lockwood shot a glance at Erin Xavier. "You just temporarily marked Zoe. So don’t even think about it."

’Hah.’

’Does he really have no fear of things getting out of hand? He has a natural advantage. Even now, as she’s slowly processing his pheromones, it’s not like she’s completely unaffected.’