L*st and Death

“Just take him.”

Anna spoke while looking at Siron tapping on the window from outside the car.

“It’s dangerous. Leave him at home.”

“Because there might be another alpha there who can pick up Siron’s pheromones like I can?”

Lewis looked down at Siron, who was tapping on the window, lost in thought. Ever since they’d found him in a village near the Secreta swamp, Siron had barely gone out—he always stayed in Lewis’s house, on the third floor guestroom.

Somewhere in Baggers City, there could be another alpha besides Lewis with an overdeveloped receptor for pheromones. The thought that some unidentified alpha might react to Siron’s still-immature pheromones and start tailing him never stopped gnawing at Lewis.

And today, they were heading straight into alpha territory. To minimize the risk that someone might pick up on Siron’s scent, Lewis had taken a cold shower in the glass garden to wash away any lingering pheromones and even rented a car from an outside company. Anna, after much prodding from Lewis, had gone through the same procedures and gotten into the rental.

“Siron’s not a virus. It’s not like pheromones cling to you just from brushing past him.”

“You still sense them even when he brushes past. Did you forget the Curry King incident?”

Anna frowned after a long silence, recalling how Lewis first detected Siron.

“Yeah, I guess that happened... But still, alphas like you aren’t exactly common, are they?”

“They’re rare, but not nonexistent. I mean—look at me.”

Just then—knock, knock, knock—a polite tapping at the window again.

Both Lewis and Anna turned their gaze to Siron, who was looking up at them from outside the car. He looked at them with desperate eyes and motioned toward himself. When Lewis shook his head, Siron made a teary face and rubbed his palms together pleadingly.

“Doesn’t he look exactly like Molly?”

“What?”

Siron’s expression reminded Anna of Molly, the Yorkshire Terrier puppy their family had raised for years. Adopted a few years after Lewis was born, the dog had formed a deep attachment to Anna and would always cling to her leg in a sad farewell whenever she left the house. Seeing Siron’s eyes, Anna couldn’t help but picture Molly’s deep, dark eyes—and unconsciously unlocked the car.

“What are you doing?”

Lewis reflexively locked it again.

“You know I’m weak to dogs.”

“Siron’s a person, remember? And if we’re making comparisons, he’s more... feline than canine.”

“Still. You can’t lock him up in the house forever. Just bring him.”

Anna unlocked the car again and gestured with her finger to Siron. Afraid they’d change their minds again, Siron hurriedly climbed into the backseat.

“Seriously? You were going to leave me behind like cowards!”

Lewis sighed and shook his head at Siron’s sudden intrusion. He turned around and warned him:

“You could be putting yourself in danger. We’re not going to Disneyland.”

“I know that! But I’ve never been to Twin Tower Mall!”

Twin Tower Mall, where Lewis was scheduled to meet Hybris’s medical support team, was one of Baggers City’s new landmarks—a sprawling multi-use cultural complex with restaurants, department stores, and countless shops. It had been open for two years now, and the place was always packed. Siron, who preferred cities over quiet countryside and shopping over rest, had always wanted to visit.

But even after arriving at Twin Tower Mall, Siron didn’t get to enjoy himself at all. There was only about an hour left before Lewis’s appointment at 2 p.m. After scarfing down a quick meal in the food court, they rushed into the supermarket. The minute hand on the clock seemed to race past them, and it was already 1:30.

The three of them wheeled a cart recklessly through the aisles. With four adults living at the house, all their groceries had been wiped out, and they were completely out of household necessities too. They tossed in clothes, detergent, shampoo, frozen meals, canned goods—without hesitation. Time flew faster than they could keep up with. By the time they loaded everything into the car, it was already 1:50.

Anna looked nervously at the time and asked:

“Fountain plaza next, right?”

“Yeah.”

Lewis nodded with certainty. But then, a sudden flash of realization hit him, and his mind went blank. His heart dropped with the feeling that they’d forgotten something critical. Judging by the looks on their faces, the others had the same sinking realization. At almost the same time, all three of them let out a groan:

“Noble Orange Juice!”

[Agent H]: Twin Tower Mall, 890 Legacy Avenue, outdoor fountain plaza, August 19, 2:00 p.m.

Please be standing with one bottle of Noble Orange Juice in each hand.

They’d only remembered fragments of their conversation with the Hybris liaison. None of the three had remembered the Noble Orange Juice.

“Our combined IQ definitely doesn’t break 100,”

Anna muttered in self-disgust—and the others wholeheartedly agreed as they scattered in a rush to find the juice. It was a common brand, easy to get in theory, but frustratingly elusive now that they needed it. After scouring convenience stores and the supermarket, they finally found two 1.8-liter bottles of Noble Orange Juice.

With the juice secured, they moved to their pre-assigned positions without hesitation.

Lewis headed to the designated meeting point in front of the fountain plaza, while Siron and Anna went up to the 6th-floor sky garden, which overlooked the plaza. Thanks to the tall ceilings between floors, the view from there was about equivalent to the 10th floor of a regular building. Like soldiers securing a strategic vantage point, they settled into seats by the railing, caught their breath, and pulled a camera and binoculars from their bags.

“Feels like we’re filming a spy movie.”

“Yeah. I’ve never done anything like this—not even as a cop.”

Anna watched Lewis standing in the center of the fountain plaza and zoomed in with the camera. Wearing sunglasses, Lewis stood awkwardly with a 1.8-liter bottle of Noble Juice in each hand.

It was past 2:00, but no one approached Lewis. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Still no one.

“Why isn’t anyone approaching? ...Did they figure it out?”

Anna bit her nails, visibly anxious.

“Maybe we drew too much attention with our shopping spree.”

Siron suddenly questioned something more fundamental. Were they truly threatening enough to make the other side feel the need to be this cautious? They were just reckless shoppers, tossing anything and everything into their cart.

“Huh? Where’s Lewis going?”

Anna let out a hushed shout. Siron leaned slightly over the railing and scanned with the binoculars. Lewis was checking something on his phone and slowly began to walk away from the plaza.

“Should we follow him?”

Siron half-stood, unsure what to do, waiting for Anna’s call.

“Wait a bit. Let’s just see where he’s going first.”

Anna tracked Lewis’s movement with her camera. He walked out of the plaza, past the outdoor library, heading toward the exit—like someone following a clear order to walk straight ahead. At [N O V E L I G H T] the edge of her lens, she saw a vehicle parked across the road. A black Lincoln van, hazard lights blinking.

The van had no rear windows—metal panels had replaced them to block any outside view.

“Shit!”

Anna snapped a photo of the license plate and jumped to her feet. But by the time she made it down the elevator and sprinted to the entrance, both Lewis and the van had disappeared.

[Agent H]: Are you the man in a white shirt and black jeans, holding two bottles of Noble Juice? He’s wearing Michael Kors sunglasses.

“Huh?”

A sudden phone alert made Lewis switch the juice in his right hand to his left and check his screen. He scanned his surroundings, trying to spot anyone watching him—but the plaza was full of people, and none looked suspicious. With an uneasy feeling creeping in, he replied to confirm.

The response came immediately.

[Agent H]: Walk straight ahead. A black van with license plate FL-2794J is waiting outside the exit.

A wave of tension surged through Lewis. He gripped the bottle neck tightly, half-ready to use it as a weapon if it came to that.

Outside the exit, across the road, sat the black van Agent H had mentioned. Its frame was tall, and the back row had no windows—replaced by metal, completely sealing off the view. Even if a violent struggle broke out inside, no one would see it from the outside.

When Lewis knocked, the door smoothly slid open, revealing the van’s interior.

The one who greeted him was a blonde woman. Her hair was tied up in a refined bun near her nape, elegant and perfectly sculpted.

She was stunning—overwhelmingly so—and carried an unbelievable scent.

A mysterious, seductive fragrance that Lewis thought no longer existed in this world.

The kind of scent that stirred something deep in him.

“...Pheromones?”

The woman smiled enigmatically and spoke in a metallic, alluring voice:

“Welcome. I’m Agent H.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!