Chapter Text
The private elevator inside Nicholas’s luxury high-rise rose with agonizing steadiness. Nicholas stood with the heavy canvas grocery bags in hand, staring straight ahead at the polished metal doors. Beside him, Maki stood like a statue, his crushed mint and smoky vetiver presence filling the small space, dense with quiet, analytical focus.
Nicholas's phone vibrated twice in his pocket. A double pulse. It was the emergency signal he and Euijoo had agreed on. I’m inside.
Nicholas let out a microscopic breath through his nose. Euijoo had made it. But getting through the front door was only half the battle. Maki’s dominant alpha senses were incredibly sharp; if the apartment smelled like a vacant bachelor pad instead of a nesting space for a pregnant omega, the game would be over the second they stepped across the threshold.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime. Nicholas led the way down the carpeted hall, unlocked the heavy oak door of his penthouse, and pushed it open.
The moment the door swung inward, a wave of warmth and fragrance spilled out into the corridor.
It was a masterclass in deception. Before Maki could even take a step inside, his senses were hit with the thick, unmistakable atmosphere of a nesting omega. Euijoo hadn't just sprinted inside; he had instantly deployed a specialized, high-end synthetic nesting spray—a premium pharmaceutical product designed for high-society omegas to soothe their inner instincts during stressful periods. The air was heavy with an amplified, rich concentration of sweet tangerine, warm honey, and a dense, powdery undertone that mimicked pregnancy pheromones flawlessly.
To make it even more convincing, Euijoo had thrown Nicholas’s worn flannel shirts and hoodies across the living room sofa, scattering them in a deliberate, messy circle—a classic, primal biological nest.
Maki stepped into the entryway, and his inner alpha instantly paused. The sheer density of the scent slammed into his chest. It was warm, territorial, and deeply private. The primal wolf inside him recognized the space immediately as another alpha’s claimed sanctuary. The lingering, ghostly phantom of that yuzu scent from the hospital was instantly drowned out by the suffocatingly thick wave of tangerine and honey.
"Nicho?"
A soft, weak voice called out from the master bedroom hallway.
Euijoo stepped into view, and he looked the part perfectly. To simulate the exhaustion and pallor of severe morning sickness, he had quickly splashed cold water on his face, wiped his lips dry, and rubbed a bit of light powder under his eyes to look completely drained. He was wearing one of Nicholas’s massive, oversized sweaters that hung past his knees, his hands trembling slightly as he leaned against the wall for support.
"Hey," Nicholas said, his voice instantly softening with a fiercely protective warmth that wasn't entirely faked. He dropped the grocery bags on the counter and rushed over to Euijoo’s side, wrapping an arm around his waist. "I'm sorry. Maki insisted on coming up to check on you."
Euijoo looked up, his eyes wide, watery, and seemingly exhausted as they landed on Maki. He let out a small, shaky breath, instinctively tucking his chin into the collar of Nicholas’s sweater. "Maki... I’m sorry about earlier at the hospital. I just... I wasn't feeling well, and your scent was so strong, I panicked."
Maki stood in the center of the luxurious living room, surrounded by Nicholas's clothes, breathing in a room that smelled entirely of a nesting, pregnant Seo Euijoo. The physical evidence was absolute. The visual of Euijoo looking pale and fragile, wrapped in Nicholas's clothes, combined with the dense, synthetic pregnancy pheromones, completely rewrote the narrative in Maki's mind.
The final piece of his doubt crumbled into dust.
Maki’s shoulders dropped, the rigid, tense line of his posture finally relaxing. He felt a sudden, heavy wave of profound guilt washing over him. He had spent weeks letting his instincts run wild, obsessing over scents and timelines, practically accusing his best friend of lying—all while Nicholas and Euijoo were trapped in a terrifying, high-stakes battle to protect their unborn child from the elite world.
"No," Maki said softly, his deep voice carrying a genuine, somber regret. He looked at Euijoo, his dark eyes sincere. "I should apologize to you. I’ve been pressing Nicholas too hard, and I invaded your privacy at the hospital. I didn't mean to distress you, Euijoo."
Euijoo offered a small, weak nod, leaning heavier into Nicholas’s side. "Thank you. I just... I need to lie down. The nausea is getting bad again."
"Go ahead," Nicholas murmured, kissing the top of Euijoo's head before guiding him gently back toward the bedroom. He turned back to look at Maki, his expression hard, protective, and completely victorious. "You've seen him, Maki. He's safe, and I’m handling it. Now, please. Leave us be."
Maki took a slow, deep breath, letting the heavy tangerine scent settle in his lungs one last time, cementing the false truth deep into his subconscious. He nodded tightly to his best friend.
"I'll see you at the exam hall tomorrow," Maki said quietly.
He turned on his heel and walked out of the penthouse, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind him.
The moment the lock turned, the silence inside the apartment shattered. Euijoo instantly collapsed against Nicholas’s chest, letting out a massive, trembling gasp of air as the fake sickness vanished, replaced by pure, adrenaline-fueled relief. Nicholas held him tight, his knuckles white against Euijoo’s back as they both listened to the faint sound of Maki’s car engine roaring to life down on the street.
They had done it. Maki was purely, absolutely convinced. The shield around Taki was completely airtight—but as Nicholas looked around his scent-drenched living room, he knew they were running on borrowed time. The bigger the lie grew, the harder the crash would be when the real truth finally forced its way to the surface.