Chapter 4 : I Did It, I''ll Take Responsibility

When Lucas stepped into Avalon University at dawn, the campus was still sparsely populated. However, there were already some athletes on the field, mostly Alphas with a few Omegas. Their management was very strict; unless it was for training, all activities were conducted separately to prevent Alphas and Omegas from triggering heat or susceptibility periods, which could be risky.

Lucas withdrew his gaze. In his younger days, he also loved going to the field. Just wandering around would give him new insights into many theories. He liked to think in such an environment. Watching the falling leaves in the campus, he couldn''t help but sigh, feeling a bit of the autumn''s desolation. He tightened his coat and strode towards the office building.

His habit had always been like this: arriving at school early every morning. From his student days to his teaching career, rain or shine, he never missed a day. Even now, with fewer teaching tasks, he still arrived early to prepare for the next class''s content and outline.

He didn''t like bringing work home. He ensured he had ample work time in the office to handle everything. This way, he had plenty of time at home to do what he loved and wouldn''t feel like a spinning top, working non-stop from morning till night.

Today, he needed to discuss the content of the philosophy system.

As Lucas was reviewing materials, constantly circling, marking, and revising, he didn''t even hear Cody knocking on his office door.

Perhaps Cody got impatient with knocking and directly turned the doorknob, entering with a face that clearly showed he was in a bad mood.

"Mr. Smith, are you so engrossed in your books that you don''t hear anything outside?" Cody walked towards the desk, accompanied by a scent that was either from floral-scented body wash or his lingering pheromones. Cody picked up a book from the desk, flipped through it carelessly, and then tossed it aside haphazardly.

Lucas suppressed his inner anger and snatched the book from Cody''s hand. "Why are you looking at it? Don''t mess around!"

Lucas''s emotions were hidden behind his glasses, but his delicate eyes were slightly upturned in anger.

For some reason, Cody felt mischievous. Seeing Lucas looking like a bullied little wife, he pinched the frame of Lucas''s glasses with his long, fair fingers and gently pulled them down, revealing Lucas''s beautiful eyes, slightly shimmering.

"Mr. Smith, you look kind of cute without your glasses." Cody sat on the desk, holding Lucas''s glasses high with one hand and propping himself up with the other, displaying the typical mischievous nature of an Alpha.

Losing focus, Lucas''s mood immediately turned irritable. "Give me back my glasses, now." He stood up and reached for them, but Cody teased him by raising his hand higher, eventually stretching it to a place Lucas couldn''t reach.

Lucas, at 178 cm, wasn''t short among Omegas, but unfortunately, Alpha Cody was 187 cm, giving Cody the height advantage.

"Cody, are you out of your mind?" Lucas struggled to grab his glasses. Just when he was an inch away, Cody withdrew the hand supporting himself on the desk, causing both of them to fall onto the desk. Cody''s waist hit the edge of the desk hard, making him gasp in pain.

Lucas''s lips brushed against Cody''s neck, leaving a fleeting cool sensation.

Cody''s heart skipped a beat, but the physical pain was far more memorable than the brief moment of intimacy.

"Shit! Lucas! My waist!" Cody cried out in pain, dropping the glasses. Lucas quickly snatched them and put them back on.

With his vision restored, Lucas finally saw how awkward their situation was.

He was lying on Cody''s chest!

Cody was the first male Alpha, besides Harold, to be so close to him.

He jumped back as if he had touched a hot iron. "Are you... are you okay?"

Cody clutched his lower back. "What do you think? I seriously suspect my spine is dislocated, and my kidneys are about to fall out!"

Lucas didn''t expect it to be this serious. "Should we go to the hospital?"

"You think? Of course, we need to go!"

"Alright, alright, let me gather my things."

Cody initially intended to mess with Lucas, but Lucas took it seriously and insisted on taking him to the hospital. "Let''s go."

Before Cody could react, Lucas had already shoved him into his car.

"Don''t worry, I''ll make sure the doctor gives you a thorough check-up to ensure your kidneys aren''t damaged at all," Lucas said as he hurriedly got into the car.

Cody pouted, "What if I''m really injured? How am I supposed to live alone?"

Lucas instinctively blurted out, "I did it, I''ll take responsibility."

Did what?

Cody looked at Lucas, who was now in the driver''s seat, and couldn''t help but have some inappropriate thoughts.

"Deal!" Cody quickly agreed, as if afraid Lucas would regret it.

Lucas''s reaction time was slow, and his logical thinking was like a snail''s pace. It took him a moment to realize he might have fallen into a trap set by Cody.

Great, just when Harold was out of the picture, here comes Cody.

And they were family, no less.

Cody, satisfied, crossed his arms, showing no signs of the pain he had just been in. "Mr. Smith, can you cook?"

"No."

"Do laundry?"

"I can use a washing machine."

"... And you want to take responsibility for me?"

Cody clicked his tongue, "So how are you going to take responsibility?"

Lucas gripped the steering wheel tightly. "How about I hire a housekeeper for you? They can do everything, and you won''t have to worry about a thing. I''ll cover the cost."

Cody''s response was swift, "No. Isn''t there a saying in philosophy that every cause has an effect? You caused my injury, so it''s only right that you take care of me."

Out of professional habit, Lucas had to correct Cody, "It''s not ''every cause has an effect,'' that''s an internet meme. In philosophy, we call it ''tracing the effect back to the cause'' or ''tracing the cause back to the effect.''"

"Mr. Smith, can''t you have a sense of humor? Do you always have to be so pedantic? I was just joking. I know all this philosophy stuff; I minored in it abroad."

"I know."

Cody thought he was joking, "How do you know?"

Lucas was silent for a moment, then quietly said, "I looked it up..."

Cody felt a small sense of pride, even more than when he found out he was an SS-level Alpha. The fact that Lucas had looked him up?

"Are you curious about me?" Cody leaned closer to Lucas and blew gently in his ear. "Professor, do you want to know more about me?"

Lucas slammed on the brakes. "Wha... what? No!" His eyes darted around nervously.

Cody, being an SS-level Alpha, didn''t have the power to make unmarked Omegas completely submissive, but he did have a certain magnetic effect. Lucas knew Cody was testing him, so he had to hold his ground.

This was blatant dominance!

But why was his heart racing?

It must be because he''s an Omega and Cody is an Alpha.

Cody could easily see through his lie. He wasn''t a child; such a lie wouldn''t fool him. Besides, Lucas was terrible at lying, turning red like Pinocchio whenever he did.

Looking at Lucas''s flushed face, Cody felt an inexplicable urge to pinch his cheeks, but now wasn''t the right time. Lucas had just ended things with Harold, and if Cody moved in too quickly, it might hurt Lucas and make people think he was taking advantage of the situation.

That wasn''t his intention; he didn''t want to hurt Lucas. He turned away, no longer looking at him. "Mr. Smith, you should focus on driving."

"Oh... okay."

Cody was in a great mood. It seemed this bookish professor wasn''t so boring after all. Harold had surprisingly good taste in partners.

But why was he comparing himself to Harold?

Cody was a thousand times better than Harold! Harold was just a punk, nowhere near his level.

Ah, the strange competitive nature of an Alpha.