L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 108

His body moved before he could even think. With a roar, Ashley threw a punch at him. The rage he had held back for so long finally exploded. He had endured everything when it came to himself. But calling Koi a mongrel—that was something he could never let slide.

He was going to smash that disgusting face in. Kill him. Kill him. Grinding his teeth, Ashley lunged at his father with everything he had.

The man looked like he smiled, just briefly.

“...Ugh!”

His punch sliced through nothing but air. His body staggered violently. Just by taking a half-step back, Dominique had effortlessly dodged the full-force blow. And before Ashley even realized it, he was already crashing to the floor.

Crash! The sound echoed in his ears. His entire body slammed against the marble floor, but he didn’t even feel the pain. Half-conscious, he struggled to get back up—

“......!”

A sudden kick slammed into his face, sending him rolling again without even a chance to cry out. Before Ashley could rise, Dominique stepped in and pressed a foot against his throat.

“Kh...!”

Ashley gasped painfully as his windpipe was crushed. The man’s towering figure looked monstrous from where he lay. Ashley clawed at the leg pressing down on his neck, but Dominique didn’t budge.

He only pressed harder. The weight on his throat grew unbearable, and darkness crept into Ashley’s vision. Still, his arms flailed in vain, and Dominique calmly looked down at him.

“I let you get away with this behavior because you’re ‘Ashley.’”

‘Because you’re Dominique too.’

Ashley recalled the thought, but he couldn’t even speak. The pressure on his neck cut off all air completely. Even the strangled groans disappeared, and Ashley’s eyes rolled back.

If this continued, he would die. Fading fast, Ashley wondered—would this man stand trial for murder?

Of course. Like anyone else would.

But the outcome would be different. Guilt or innocence came down to whether you had expensive lawyers. The only question was whether this man would represent himself or unleash an army of corporate attorneys. A meaningless thought to have on the edge of death.

...Koi.

He saw Koi’s face one last time—and suddenly, Dominique lifted his foot.

“Kh—! Kh, haah!”

Air rushed back into his lungs, and Ashley broke into a fit of violent coughing. It felt like someone had squeezed both lungs at once. He panted, coughing uncontrollably, then began dry-heaving.

But nothing came up but bitter stomach acid. The burning in his throat brought fresh pain, and Ashley bit his lip to keep from crying out.

As his breathing finally settled, Dominique leaned over him.

“...Ugh!”

His hair was yanked, and a choked sound escaped his throat. Kneeling beside him, Dominique looked down at his twisted expression and said,

“You should’ve just used him for fun and thrown him away.”

His voice was lower than usual. Ashley reached up to pull his hand away, but Dominique only gripped tighter, jerking his head even closer. Ashley let out a sharp cry, and Dominique whispered menacingly into his ear,

“I didn’t raise you to mate with some mongrel.”

Ashley struggled to break free, but his body was bent awkwardly and pinned to the floor—he couldn’t move. All he could do was glare.

“Don’t insult Koi.”

He growled through clenched teeth, and Dominique looked down. Still gripping Ashley’s hair with one hand, he reached out with the other—grabbing his son’s arm. Only then did Ashley realize what he was looking at.

“You left this behind, trying to protect that mutt?”

On Ashley’s arm was a large scar. A mark he’d earned when he bit himself during his manifestation to protect Koi. Dominique’s brow furrowed slightly—something Ashley had never seen before—and that alone gave him a flicker of satisfaction.

Good. I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I protected Koi.

“I’d do it all over again if it happened again.”

Ashley declared through ragged breaths. Dominique shifted his gaze from the scar to Ashley’s face. His expression had already returned to its usual coldness, which disappointed Ashley slightly.

Dominique let go of his arm, tilted his head, and spoke softly, like whispering a secret:

“No matter how much pheromone you pour into that defective thing that can’t even manifest, you’ll only end up regretting it.”

“...Tch!”

Before Ashley could say anything, Dominique shoved him away and stood up.

“Treat him.”

As he turned and gave the command, the secretary—who Ashley hadn’t even realized was in the room—finally moved. She had been standing by the wall like a shadow. Still dazed, Ashley stared after his father, who disappeared out the door. The secretary approached and examined him.

“We’ll need to reinsert the IV.”

She spoke in her usual businesslike tone and pulled out her phone to contact the butler. Moments later, the butler entered with the household staff, who carefully lifted Ashley and laid him back on the bed.

The house physician arrived shortly after. Ashley, dazed, watched him press an alcohol swab to his arm and realized the IV had been pulled out—causing significant blood loss.

He stared blankly as the ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) staff frantically wiped up the pool of red from the floor. The doctor spoke to him.

“I’ll insert it into the other arm this time. Don’t pull it out again—or you really will lose that arm.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

After that grim warning, the doctor reconnected the IV and inserted the needle into his other arm. As the fluid began to flow, Ashley grimaced, remembering the pain and misery from earlier.

“Do I really need this?”

The secretary replied,

“Of course. Unless you want to go insane from pheromone-induced brain damage.”

Ashley swallowed his curse and kept his mouth shut. The secretary looked at him silently before speaking.

“If you’d just drained your pheromones, Mr. Miller wouldn’t have been this harsh.”

“...So I pissed him off by disobeying him, huh?”

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“That’s part of it.”

Ashley sneered, but the secretary continued in the same flat tone.

“He didn’t like how much you cared for that boy.”

Mongrel.

The word rang in Ashley’s ears again. That was it. What bothered Dominique was how deeply Ashley loved Koi—someone from an unremarkable family, someone far beneath their status.

Of course. Even Elle thought Koi wasn’t up to standard.

That was when Ashley finally understood why Dominique had thrown him into the pheromone party.

It was a test. To see how deep his feelings for Koi really went. And Ashley had failed—spectacularly. That failure had enraged Dominique.

The secretary kept talking.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just have a fling and move on? Mr. Miller wouldn’t care if it were just that.”

Ashley hadn’t meant to lash out at her, but her mocking tone pushed him over the edge.

“You can say that because you’ve never loved anyone like this.”

She didn’t know. No one could know—just how deeply he and Koi loved each other. How they were each other’s everything.

Unfazed by his rudeness, the secretary replied,

“Well, nothing’s more foolish than believing teenage love lasts forever.”

Not the response he expected. Ashley’s face twisted in frustration, but she continued in her clinical tone.

“Besides, you manifested. He didn’t. Do you really think a beta can handle an alpha or omega? Wouldn’t it be better to let go—for his sake?”

Ashley froze. Her words struck directly at his heart.

“A real adult knows how to let go of someone they truly love. Though, I suppose you’re not an adult yet.”

The doctor, just finishing the procedure, glanced nervously between them. The secretary ignored him and continued.

“Isn’t it strange? With that level of pheromones, he should’ve manifested or mutated by now. But he hasn’t changed at all.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

Ashley growled through clenched teeth. Her every word stabbed deeper and deeper, hitting his most vulnerable spot.

“Maybe he hasn’t manifested because he’s actively rejecting it.”

Her words dug up the one thought Ashley had tried hardest to bury. He had only recently manifested and didn’t know much about their species. He couldn’t help but be shaken.

“...Is that true?”

His voice came quietly, lacking any confidence. The secretary replied indifferently,

“Who knows? But it’s worth considering all possibilities.”

Why hasn’t he manifested? If he could answer that question, how much easier would this be? But no one had the answer.

The secretary turned to the doctor and dismissed him.

“Thank you. You may go now. Mr. Miller, if you need anything, call. Good day.”

Without waiting for a reply, she left the room with the doctor. Ashley was finally alone—but his heart was more unsettled than ever.