DESIRE ME IF YOU CAN [EN] - Chapter 23

“Why do I gotta suffer just to mess with him?”

At the expected protest, Wilkins calmly persuaded him.

“You could just do it, sure. But we need something to absolutely crush him. We need a benchmark to show that no matter how good Miller is at seducing women, he's useless in the field.”

Gripping both of Dane's arms tightly so he couldn't escape, Wilkins continued.

“You're mandatory for this.”

Seeing the dark glint in his eyes, Dane grimaced.

“Ugh. Creepy.”

“If you have to force a ‘mandatory condition’, isn't the plan already a bust?”

As Dane tried to wriggle out until the very end, Wilkins persuaded him with a seriousness unlike before.

“Dane, I didn't plan this just to screw with Grayson Miller. He needs to learn he's not in our league. Maybe then he'll become a bit more obedient. A year is a long time. Who knows what he'll do in the future? Shouldn't we assert dominance early on?”

Of course, as the captain, managing Grayson Miller was his top priority. Since expecting him to obey orders was unimaginable, forcing compliance like this was a natural thought for a leader, but...

While Dane still looked reluctant, Ezra suddenly jumped in.

“You should cooperate, too. Think about it. What if that bastard goes out on a call and gets isolated? Someone's gotta go save him. Who else can do that?”

Dane grimaced silently pointing a finger at himself, as if asking, Do I really have to save him? Ezra nodded firmly.

“Exactly. Of course, the others and I would go in too, but you're essential. Why? Because your physical ability is the best among us! You're the only one who could drag Grayson Miller out!”

The whole speech was total bullshit, yet escaping this solid trap seemed difficult.

“So, Dane Stryker.”

Following the cruel reality check, Wilkins called Dane by his full name. Glaring at him with a graver expression than ever, he asked.

“You in? Or out?”

“...Hah.”

Eventually, Dane covered his face with one hand, letting out a deep sigh. That decided everything.

3

It was a brilliant, sunny afternoon.

The sky stretched out in vivid blue without a single cloud, strong sunlight illuminating the earth. In the distance, building windows sparkled blindingly, and the breeze made the air feel refreshingly cool. It was perfect weather. The moment Dane saw the scene unfolding at their destination, however, he felt an urge to block out that sun with his hand.

Other team members were already waiting. Seeing a group of female staff gathered as well, befitting the purpose of this absurd test, Dane sighed involuntarily. The team was already high on adrenaline. Watching them pump their fists, chanting his name and booing Grayson, Dane seriously considered turning around and going home.

“Alright, come here. I'll explain the course. Dane, Dane! I said get over here!”

At Wilkins' shout, Dane reluctantly shuffled toward him. Grayson was already there, waiting. Once the two men stood on either side of him, Wilkins unfolded a map.

“Okay, here is our fire station.”

Wilkins tapped the map with his finger as he explained.

“You start here and loop around like this. Got it? If you're fast, you'll be back in thirty minutes. Look, you pass through here, go like this...”

Dane listened indifferently, standing idly and glancing down at the map. The course was already familiar. Looping around the low hill behind the fire station wasn't much different from their occasional physical training route, so there was no need to memorize it. The only difference might be a secluded curve off the main path. Clearly, it was added to increase the difficulty beyond their usual tests. Since the ‘fitness test’ was just an excuse to mess with Grayson, the modification was understandable.

Not that it matters.

Standing with one hand on his hip, watching apathetically, he suddenly felt uneasy. Looking up, Dane met a pair of purple eyes staring intently at him.

How long has he been watching?

He couldn't tell, but the gaze had definitely lingered for a while. Staring contest? Another waste of time. Not intending to look away, however, Dane met his gaze directly.

At that moment, the deep purple irises darkened even further. Along with eyes turning nearly black, the sweet scent that always hovered faintly around Grayson intensified several times over.

The air itself felt thick. The intense pheromones sweeping through the area caused an instant change.

“Ah!”

“Jane, are you okay?”

“Mark, what's wrong? Mark!”

“Anyone got suppressants?”

The Omegas wavered under the influence. Some gasped for breath, looking panicked. Hah. Dane let out a short sigh of disbelief. It was because of the scent overflowing from this damn Extreme Alpha.

A sickeningly sweet pheromone scent.

For someone so ridiculously huge, his pheromones were excessively sweet.

Like biting into pure sugar—enough to rot your teeth instantly.

Of course, Dane wasn't entirely unaffected, but thanks to his long experience and biology, he could brush off such situations easily. The problem was the ordinary Omegas who were affected. Leaking pheromones so recklessly showed he didn't have a shred of consideration for others. Just like all Extreme Alphas.

He felt an impulse to just knock this annoying guy out but suppressed it. Solving things that way every time wasn't good.

For the first time, he thought that humbling him a bit, as Wilkins suggested, might not be a bad idea. Guys like him usually built muscles on protein shakes in a gym; faced with rigorous training that required every muscle in the body, they often panicked or fell behind. His provocation wouldn't last much longer. With that thought, Dane decided to be generous.

“...so, got it? You both understand?”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

Dane and Grayson answered in succession, their gazes still locked. Wilkins looked between them, shrugged, and rolled up the map.

“Alright, let's start. Go to the starting line. Move it.”

As he followed the urging Wilkins, someone called him.

“Dane, Dane.”

It was DeAndre, whispering. Checking his surroundings, he pulled a ten-dollar bill from his pocket and pressed it into Dane's hand.

“Beat his ass where no one can see. And go for the face.”

He was dead serious. Looking down at DeAndre's fierce expression, Dane glanced at the bill, folded it, and put it in his pants pocket.

“Ten bucks' worth? That's it?”

DeAndre paused at the nonchalant question. Immediately rummaging through his pockets, he hurriedly pulled out crumpled bills from everywhere, piling them haphazardly onto Dane's palm. As DeAndre waited, looking like he was awaiting sentencing, Dane silently unfolded each bill to check the amount, then nodded.

“Thirty-eight dollars... and twenty-five cents. Got it.”

When DeAndre shook out the last coins from his pocket, Dane added them to his own, patted his client's arm, and turned away.

“I trust you, Dane! I believe in you!”

Leaving the frantically shouting DeAndre behind, Dane waved one hand without looking back. He walked toward the starting line where everyone was waiting.