The silence in the car was sharp enough to make anyone uncomfortable. But that did not deter Joshua from maintaining his position and not dropping the question.
Ivan was equally as stubborn as him and decided not to speak a word. The silence would have gone on forever, but the unconscious person decided to break it.
"Ughh-"
The voice sounded almost pained, and Ivan's pheromones immediately filled the car.
The sudden onslaught of pheromones caused Joshua to almost crash the car, but he somehow managed to correct his course and park near a hotel at the last second.
"Hey, have you gone mad? Just what are you doing-?"
"The bunny seemed like he was in trouble, so I decided to help him out. Don't you think I'm quite the noble person?"
Ivan's voice was the same easygoing one as before. But the more he spoke, the angrier Joshua felt. He wanted to rip the person in Ivan's embrace apart…
But for some odd reason, he could not bring himself to do that. Something inside him told him that he needed to wait and see what was going on.
His own conflicting emotions scared Joshua enough to make him back off. He looked at Ivan with a guarded expression and finally asked the question bothering him.
"You…! Spill! What is going on here, and who is that person?"
Ivan did not move for a whole minute. But then he reached out to grab the mask on Daniel's face and pull it up.
As soon as Joshua's eyes fell on that familiar face, he flinched and immediately grew angry.
"That face-! Doesn't it belong to Daniel? Did someone find out about him and decide to imitate him? Is that why this beta approached you-"
"Use your head a little, puppy. Do you think I, of all people, would mistake someone else for Daniel?"
That shut Joshua up.
As much as he wanted to protest, he knew the Enigma well. And that was how he knew that Ivan would not have grabbed Daniel unless he was certain that the person in front of him was the real one.
"Shit-! How the hell-! Those old fools told us that he died. They even gave us evidence…Don't tell me…they fabricated it all. I am going to kill them…"
"Leave them alone…for now. I will deal with them in my own way, and once it's time, I will allow you to take your revenge as well. But for now, I should take my leave."
Ivan opened the door, and Joshua immediately reacted.
"Where are you going with my brother? You bastard, come back here-!"
"Unfortunately, my little show earlier managed to trigger your brother's heat early. I will take responsibility for it. Can you head back and cover for me?"
Ivan did not even give Joshua time to react to these words before he walked away. By the time it all registered in Joshua's mind, it was already too late.
He wanted to immediately go after Ivan and his brother, but the sudden phone call stopped him in his tracks.
Joshua could have ignored that call had it been anyone else. But the caller was Ren Obolensky, Ivan's father and also the one who told Joshua and Ivan that Daniel was dead.
The phone rang once, twice, and before it could ring thrice, Joshua cursed and picked up the phone.
"What happened at the meeting? I was told that Ivan never made it to the meeting spot."
The Alpha immediately questioned Joshua, and his voice commanded respect and obedience. Joshua wanted to ignore that question and ask one of his own, but his body refused to obey his command.
He had obeyed and feared this man for a long time, so the thought of going against his words felt like a world-shattering task. So he decided to do as Ivan had asked and pretend he did not know the truth about his brother.
"I…tried my best. But as you already know, I cannot control what Ivan does."
Finally, he gave the usual answer, and a frustrated sigh was heard from the other side of the phone.
"That idiot son of mine…! Ugh, just who does he take after to be like this…? Does he not realize how precious Enigma DNA is? I finally managed to have one after so many tries…"
Ren Obolensky muttered under his breath. But the phone carried all of his words to Joshua.
He had heard the same words so many times by now that he did not even feel fazed by them. Instead, he waited for the man to speak up once more.
"Bring that boy back home as soon as you find out where he went. And make sure to control him properly. We cannot have him spread his precious seed as he wants."
Ren Obolensky cut the call soon after, and anger filled Joshua.
"What a bastard. Was separating my brother and making it seem like he's dead not enough for you? Now you need to control your own son as well?"
But no matter how much Joshua complained, he knew the ugly truth of this world. There was no salvation, especially in the dark world that was the Den.
Those who were born here must die here. The same went for him as well.
However, he would make sure Daniel would not end up the same way as him and Ivan. And if Ivan had any common sense, he would make sure to do the same as well.
"Tsk, I better call and remind Ivan not to leave a mating mark on Daniel."
__________
"Hey, do you see that man? He's handsome, right?"
"He looks like a celebrity. I almost mistook him for one and snapped a photo. Should I post it online?"
"Are you an idiot? You will get sued. Do you not recognize that white hair and red eyes? He's Ivan Obolensky, the next in line for the Obolensky enterprise. They even announced that they would sue anyone who posts their pics online."
"But who's he carrying? Is that an Omega? But I don't smell anything, so maybe a beta?"
People gossiped as they pointed toward the tall and well-built Enigma. In the public eye, Ivan was a beta, and that alone got people admiring him. Even the hotel staff on register duty looked star-struck as she looked him up and down.
Her attention was not important, but as soon as her eyes started to linger down toward Daniel, he knew he needed to do something.
"Miss, I would like to rent a room tonight. It's for some 'private business.' Would you mind giving me one off the record?"
Ivan's smile worked like a charm. The worker knew she should not do as he had asked of her. But that smile was too charming for her to refuse. To sweeten the deal, Ivan also passed her more than a few dollars. It was more than what she would earn in a month.
When this much money and a face like this were involved, who cared if they had to look the other way once or twice?
"Please use this room. No one has booked it tonight, and I will make sure no one books it until tomorrow. Please have a pleasant stay."
The tag on the female's breast said Manager, and in the end, she chose money over honesty.
Ivan passed her a beautiful smile before he quickly headed toward the private room he had been given access to.
The staff tried to look at him and at the person in his arms. But the mask prevented Daniel's face from being seen.
Ivan quickly locked the door behind him and put Daniel down on the bed. The fever was finally subsiding, and the barest hint of Omega pheromones was starting to seep out of Daniel's body.
That familiar scent caused Ivan to close his eyes, and his mouth watered. He wanted to put his lips all over that neck. He wanted to lick and bite it, to leave his marks and tell the world that the man in front of him was his and no one else.
He almost leaned down to do just that when his phone rang.
That snapped him out of his daze, and he quickly looked at the caller.
[Joshua Park]
Ivan almost debated not picking up his phone, but a part of him told him that Joshua would come to find him if he did not pick up this call. So he decided to humor the Alpha and answer.
"Don't you dare mark Daniel. Your father is poking his head around us, and he even called me to ask where you were. If you drag Daniel into this mess for no reason-"
"I know. I won't mark him…this time."
Those words were like a wave of cold water being poured over Ivan's head. They reminded him that no matter how much he wanted to, he could not mark Daniel as his permanently. The best he could do was make sure Daniel's body carried his scent for a long time.
"Ugh, bunny, you make me lose my reason every time. I wish I could end it all and stay by your side…Alas, that reunion will have to wait."