But before, Zoe Pierce had never seen Nathan Lockwood and the others with such a look in their eyes.

They were like starving wolves who hadn’t eaten for days, their eyes gleaming as they locked onto their prey.

Aaron Xavier belatedly realized what he had done.

The gazes of the men behind him passed him by, now staring straight and silently at Zoe Pierce.

His reckless kiss had been on full display for the others to see.

The very thing that had made him lose his composure was also a powerful stimulant for Miles Sherman and the others.

The young woman nervously gripped one elbow, her back pressed against the wall. She kept her eyes averted, not daring to meet their gazes.

Her lips were now exposed, just as rosy and red as Aaron Xavier had imagined.

As his Adam’s apple bobbed, Chase Shaw pushed past his shoulder from behind and approached Zoe Pierce.

His large, rough hand cupped Zoe Pierce’s face, his thumb pressing against her rosy, flower-like lips.

"Does it hurt?" The Alpha looked down at her, his voice, hoarse as gravel, kept extremely low.

Zoe Pierce felt her cheeks burning, and a sense of losing control washed over her.

She quickly shook her head and whispered, "It doesn’t hurt."

The words had barely left her mouth when a sweeping warmth crossed her lips, his tongue nimbly tangling with hers.

The fingers gripping the inside of her elbow suddenly tightened, and her eyes flew wide.

"Mmph—"

"Chase—"

Her mind felt ready to explode. The man’s lips left hers, but he pressed his forehead into the crook of her neck.

"Zoe..." he panted, calling her name, completely ignoring the stares of the others behind them.

By now, Zoe Pierce’s mind wasn’t just blank; her whole body felt weak.

Her gland, perfectly concealed by the suppression patch, couldn’t release any scent, yet the air in the cramped dorm still felt thin.

It was becoming hard to breathe.

The back-to-back kisses had clearly caused the gazes of the remaining two men to darken intensely.

Zoe Pierce’s hazy eyes met Nathan Lockwood’s, which were as dark as ink, and she was instantly jolted back to her senses.

She stumbled back, pushing Chase Shaw away and dodging to the side. Biting her lip, she stood at the edge of the bed. Her tone was part warning, part plea. "This is a Starship... don’t do anything crazy..."

Her delicate face was flushed crimson, her lips and eyes looking thoroughly kissed, as if she’d just emerged from a passionate encounter.

Aaron Xavier’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He still had his reason, but his mind was starting to wander.

A faint, almost imperceptible scent of Alpha pheromones permeated the air.

And not just his.

Normally, such a mix of scents would be agitating, but his feet felt nailed to the floor, unable to move.

He watched as Nathan Lockwood and Miles Sherman took several steps closer to Zoe Pierce.

In the end, it was Miles who stopped first.

Nathan Lockwood walked over and simply took hold of both of Zoe Pierce’s hands.

He held them in front of him and took a step forward.

Zoe Pierce felt her back being forced against the metal wall again. She tilted her head back nervously to look at Nathan Lockwood. "Nathan Lockwood... Don’t... I’m scared..."

Nathan Lockwood sighed softly. The hands in his palms were still so tender, with only the slightest calluses on the fingertips.

His face drew close to Zoe’s. "We’re just a little jealous, Zoe."

They knew she had plenty of admirers on the StarNet, but this was the first time anyone had dared to make a move on Zoe Pierce right in front of them.

And it wasn’t some greenhorn from the academy, but an Alpha who was clearly older than them.

The fact that he was on the same Starship proved his capabilities.

They were proud—proud of Zoe Pierce’s appeal.

But they were also uncharacteristically jealous.

The smoldering embers had been ignited by Aaron Xavier, then fanned into a blaze by Chase Shaw.

"If only Chase and Aaron get to kiss her, isn’t that unfair to Miles and me?" He was the one most concerned with fairness, whether it was their secret intimacy, their blatant three-month claims of exclusivity, or the kisses Chase and Aaron had just stolen.

There always had to be fairness.

Nathan Lockwood’s face was now only inches from Zoe Pierce’s.

Zoe Pierce’s voice trembled as it escaped her throat. "Just a kiss?"

She didn’t dare to think about what everything that had happened today implied.

’I’m sinking deeper and deeper into an abyss of depravity.’

Nathan Lockwood hummed in agreement. "Just a kiss."

He murmured, coaxing the Omega before him.

And so, the three men standing to the side watched as the Omega’s eyelashes fluttered anxiously a few times before she finally relaxed the hands pressed against his chest.

Then, with a flustered look, she rose onto her tiptoes and brought her soft lips to the Alpha’s.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Alpha’s large hand clamped onto the back of her head.

His fingertips dug fiercely into her hair as his broad chest crushed against the Omega’s own.

They stood to the side, watching and listening.

The wet sounds of their breaths and the slick noises of their intimate kiss.

The kiss lasted much longer than Zoe Pierce had expected. Nathan Lockwood was nothing like his gentle tone from before; his kiss was filled with plunder and possession.

By the time Nathan Lockwood finally released her, Zoe Pierce’s legs gave out, and she collapsed.

Nathan Lockwood caught her, preventing her from hitting the floor and instead guiding her down to sit on the bed.

She gasped, taking deep gulps of air.

Her nostrils filled with the scent of pheromones—not just white tea, but hints of Cedar, bitter orange, and mint as well.

A chaotic mix drifted through the air.

A single glance was all it took to see the undeniable evidence of the Alphas’ arousal.

An uncontrollable tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

Even Miles Sherman, who always seemed the most serious and proper, had pulled down the zipper on his top, revealing his neck and a glimpse of his collarbone.

Her hands bunched the bedsheets.

After the continuous assault, her mouth ached.

"Miles..." After finishing his kiss, Nathan Lockwood didn’t bend over her. Instead, he stepped back, found the room’s air filtration system, and switched it on.

Some of the chaotic mix of pheromones began to be drawn out.

Only when Zoe Pierce seemed to have recovered enough to call his name did Miles approach.

He pressed one knee onto the edge of the bed, his other foot planted on the floor.

He rested his forehead against Zoe’s and apologized. "I’m sorry, Zoe."

Everyone present knew exactly what he was apologizing for. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

As the one who had always been the most rational, he couldn’t even promise her that he would do nothing.

The Omega’s hand was propping her up on the bed, but then her arm seemed to give out, and she sank onto her elbow.

The contact between their foreheads was suddenly broken.

A distance abruptly opened between them.

Whether it was Miles or the others standing nearby, the sight of this easily misunderstood position made them all hold their breath.

The tall Alpha and the incredibly delicate Omega.

Even though they were doing nothing, even though their clothes were still perfectly intact, the image was enough to spark sensual fantasies in their minds.

Because they had seen it before.

Because they too had been in a similar position.

And so, one by one, their mouths went dry.