Chapter 229: Does This Count as an Affair?

Chase Shaw’s hand cupped Zoe Pierce’s cheek.

The touch of his rough fingers against her soft skin instantly left Zoe Pierce speechless, her eyes fixed on him in a daze.

’I’m at a loss.’

Chase Shaw’s tall frame completely blocked the light, casting a large shadow over her face.

In this atmosphere, Zoe Pierce’s heart began to beat faster, as if she could sense something was about to happen.

’But... something feels off...’

’Because this is supposed to be Nathan Lockwood’s time... right?’

The Alpha leaned down, his face drawing so close that Zoe Pierce could feel his breath on her skin.

Then, as if in slow motion, he whispered, "Zoe."

Zoe Pierce’s hands clenched unconsciously, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly.

"Chase... shouldn’t we..." ’We shouldn’t be doing this...’

His lips captured hers, and something pried her teeth apart.

Zoe Pierce’s body went rigid, her fingers instinctively clutching the front of Chase Shaw’s shirt.

His body pressed her against the wall, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.

Her legs were going weak.

Though the kiss lasted only a few seconds, when Chase Shaw pulled away, Zoe Pierce felt too unsteady to stand.

"Three months is so long," he said. "I can’t wait, Zoe. What should I do?"

’What should he do?’

Zoe Pierce’s mind was a complete mess. ’What does he mean, "what should I do?" Isn’t what he just did a clear statement of his intentions?’

’What does that make me now?’

’Am I cheating on Nathan Lockwood?’

Failing to push Chase Shaw away immediately was her mistake.

She just hadn’t expected Chase Shaw would dare.

This kiss could even be considered a violation of their previously agreed-upon rules.

"Chase, calm down." Zoe Pierce bit her lip, a wave of guilt washing over her as her heart pounded. "There are only a little over two months left."

Once this line was crossed, Zoe Pierce didn’t know where her boundaries would end up.

’By then...’

’I’m afraid there won’t be any boundaries left at all.’

Chase Shaw pinned her against the wall, his voice as low and husky as ever. "I won’t do anything to you, as long as you say no."

His meaning was all too clear: if she didn’t refuse, he might just do something more.

"Chase... don’t be like this... What if someone else does this during our time together?" Zoe Pierce said nervously.

Chase Shaw didn’t even blink. "Just don’t let me find out."

"And I won’t know."

Not even he could guarantee he’d be by Zoe Pierce’s side every moment, so if the others found a similar opening, he would have no room to complain.

He had covered all the bases, leaving Zoe Pierce momentarily speechless.

’Is he encouraging me to do something?’

’Like a husband playing deaf and dumb, indifferent to his wife’s affairs.’

’As long as he doesn’t see it with his own eyes.’

"They’ve all had you. I’ve had nothing," Chase Shaw continued, his tone tinged with grievance.

He was the only one who had never marked her, the only one who had never made her scent his own.

’They must have been intimate in bed, done things he had never done.’

People are such hypocrites. When it was his own three months, it felt short, but when it was someone else’s time, it felt unbearably long.

After all, when you thought about it, was it really possible to watch her be intimate with others for the better part of a year and just behave yourself?

He didn’t believe human nature was capable of such restraint.

And that included Miles Sherman and Aaron Xavier.

He was just striking first.

His words made Zoe Pierce feel a pang of guilt.

But she quickly realized it was just a matter of time. After this marking period, wouldn’t it be Chase Shaw’s turn?

’If I follow his logic, I can already predict that he’ll want to do everything the others have done that he hasn’t.’

Come to think of it, Miles Sherman and Nathan Lockwood had already set a precedent.

The others hadn’t missed a single thing Aaron Xavier had done to her.

She had never imagined that there would still be problems like this even after they had divided up the time.

Zoe Pierce glanced down the empty hallway and said evasively, "Chase... I’m going to get some snacks. If I’m gone too long, they’ll come looking..."

Chase Shaw moved back, creating a gap for her to pass. "Okay."

Zoe Pierce practically ran to the supermarket, picking out a few of her favorite things and grabbing some others at random.

When she came out, she saw Chase Shaw waiting for her by the entrance.

"Come on, let’s go up together."

’Someone save me.’

’How can he walk with me, completely unfazed, as if he doesn’t have a guilty conscience at all?’

Zoe Pierce felt the heat rising in her cheeks again, just after they’d finally cooled down.

She reluctantly walked into the recreation room with Chase Shaw, only to find Miles Sherman was now there too.

The three of them were sitting on the long couch, talking about something. When Aaron Xavier looked up and saw Chase Shaw and Zoe Pierce appear together, he didn’t think much of it at first. But he soon sensed something different in the subtle distance Zoe kept from Chase.

It was a strained formality, an obvious attempt to hide something.

"What took you so long? Were you and Chase up to no good?" Aaron Xavier took the snacks from Zoe Pierce’s hands and whispered close to her ear.

Zoe Pierce’s eyelashes trembled, but she feigned composure. "What nonsense are you talking about? There were just too many things to choose from, so it took a while."

’Honestly, she’s a terrible liar.’

Aaron Xavier smiled.

’Something definitely happened. It’s so obvious.’

They were still on the Starship. What would happen when they were on a secluded beach with just a few of them? ’Should I add a little fuel to the fire?’ Aaron Xavier wondered idly.

Zoe Pierce had already sat down next to Nathan Lockwood. The Alpha’s hand gently covered the back of the Omega’s, his fingers sliding between hers as he gave her a soft smile.

His perceptive eyes seemed to have guessed everything, yet he said nothing.

For a moment, Zoe Pierce couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

That evening, after the day’s amusements were over, Zoe Pierce and Nathan Lockwood returned to their room.

Nathan Lockwood pulled her onto his lap.

He was, after all, considerate of her, refraining from overly intimate acts in public.

Only in private could he be unrestrained and do whatever he pleased.

"Nathan..." Zoe Pierce draped her arms loosely around his head. "Today, I..."

He hadn’t asked, but Zoe Pierce couldn’t fight her own sense of guilt. Between hiding it and confessing, she chose the latter.

"Did Chase do something to upset you?" Nathan Lockwood asked, seeming to read her thoughts.

’Could you call it upsetting?’ Zoe Pierce felt a little guilty.

"I did something wrong..." She couldn’t, in good conscience, put all the blame on Chase. If she had wanted to refuse, she could have pushed him away immediately.

Nathan Lockwood looked up at her. "I know. The problem isn’t you."

"He seduced you, didn’t he?"

Zoe Pierce let out a small gasp. Nathan Lockwood’s words were a complete exoneration of her, shifting all the blame onto Chase Shaw.

"Our Zoe is a good girl." ’There wasn’t enough time for anything serious to happen.’

When they came back, both of their clothes were still neat.

’At most,’ Nathan Lockwood thought, ’Chase probably said something outrageous again, or maybe... a kiss?’

’In any case, Zoe must have rejected him.’