Omega lay sprawled in disarray atop it, while Alpha stood motionless by the bedside.
One was clear-headed, the other burning with unrest.
Beneath the soft moonlight, their gazes locked…
Omega couldn’t bear such a raw, unabashed stare. He still clung to a shred of awareness and frantically yanked the blanket up to cover his waist and abdomen. When Alpha reached out to him, he burrowed even deeper into the covers.
Even at a time like this, he was still so damn stubborn…
Alpha withdrew his hand and turned toward the study. He dragged a chair out and positioned it beside the bed, crossing his legs as he sat. In the hush of the night, he became a dark statue, coldly observing the defiant omega huddled beneath the blanket.
–Suffocate in there, then.
Even though the private residence maintained a steady 25-degree indoor temperature year-round, staying buried under the covers for so long would still make anyone overheat—especially with omega’s feverish body temperature right now. Gradually, a narrow slit opened at the bottom edge of the blanket. A glimpse of pale, lustrous leg slipped free: slightly flushed toes curled tight, the smooth curve tracing up from the heel to a delicate ankle and slender calf.
Suddenly, omega yanked it back in. The iron chain clinked softly…
No one knew how much time passed before a slender, pale wrist emerged. Its palm lay limp and soft, but omega soon rolled onto his side, vanishing once more…
Alpha’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
The suppressant was steadily burning out in omega’s system. His legs and arms had all slipped free, but his willpower held firm. He refused to let Alpha see him in such a pathetic state. His body needed air now, so the last scrap of blanket draped over his face.
–What an idiot.
But dragging this out served no purpose…
Alpha tapped a few commands into his wristband. Moments later, Omega tugged the blanket away from his face. Propping himself up on the bedsheet, he slowly crawled upright. His pajamas hung loose and rumpled on his frame. He tilted his head, unfocused pupils staring into the darkness at the silently seated Alpha.
He was still hesitating. Still rejecting the pull to draw near.
No helping it. Alpha dialed down the wristband’s setting further. A few minutes passed, and omega began crawling toward him, inching along with agonizing slowness.
Alpha’s gaze fixed on omega’s ankle. The iron chain from the rattan swing chair was short—barely a meter long now. It wouldn’t harm him, but every crawl forward set it jingling, the sound disturbingly rhythmic, maddeningly regular.
Someone wished he wouldn’t keep it so predictable. Someone wanted that endless, frantic ding-ding-ding-ding…
The chain went taut just as omega reached the bed’s edge. Up close now, Alpha could make out every detail of his face: flushed skin, scorching breaths, damp strands of hair at his temples.
Omega lifted his shimmering, watery eyes.
“What are you staring at?” Alpha rasped, his voice rough.
No response. Like a timid puppy, Omega kept crawling forward. A gap still separated them, but one wrong move and he’d tumble off the bed. Alpha scooted his chair closer, pressing his knees firmly against the mattress edge to catch him if he fell.
Omega watched him all the while, even as raw desire burned in his eyes.
Alpha extended his hand once more. His long, strong palm hovered right there, easy to grasp. If omega just took it, Alpha would do anything for him—yield the road to his car, rush home early just to be with him, pull him from the flames.
But omega did nothing. He stared blankly at Alpha’s palm for a long moment before scooting forward a fraction more. Then, slowly, he rested his cheek against it. Such a simple, trusting gesture—and it cracked the composure on Alpha’s face.
Alpha squeezed his eyes shut tight and called his name, unable to hold back.
“Mm?” omega murmured, his mind foggy.
“Come here.”
They were already so close, yet Alpha still beckoned him nearer.
Omega moved like a tortoise—crawling slow, even his hums drawn out. Passive to a fault, never taking the initiative. Who knew how long this would drag on? Alpha hooked an arm under his knees and hauled him into his lap, then wrapped a hand loosely around omega’s neck. Omega buried his face in Alpha’s shoulder, greedily inhaling the scent of his pheromones.
It wasn’t enough. It could never be enough. Omega straightened up and circled his face around to the nape of Alpha’s neck.
The gland sat squarely at the center of his neck, pumping out a potent wave of pheromones.
Alpha ducked his head, his hands hovering loosely at omega’s back to let him take the lead. Omega clutched one shoulder for balance, bracing his other hand on the chair’s armrest. He tilted his head and sniffed tentatively at the side of Alpha’s neck. Seeing no hint of anger, he dared venture closer to the gland at the nape. His wet nose tip brushed it lightly before pulling away. It tickled; Alpha twitched involuntarily, startling omega into retreating…
They held that pose for a long, breathless stretch, neither moving a muscle… But the sweet trap lay right before him, temptation having already battered a hole through his defenses. Omega crept forward again, quiet and slow, toward the source at Alpha’s nape. This time, Alpha held perfectly still. Gently, so gently, omega pressed his nose tip there. His breaths turned heavy in an instant, as if every bone in his body had melted away…
The knuckles gripping Alpha’s shoulder went white. Then they shuddered violently…
In the darkness, Alpha let out a mischievous tsk.
It took Omega a long time to calm down. Then he sniffed again… But smell alone wasn’t enough anymore. He continued exploring toward the back of Alpha’s neck. Just as he was about to get close, Alpha didn’t want to let him have his way. He turned the wristband to its highest setting, and the pheromones vanished…
Omega instinctively wrinkled his nose and looked at Alpha with some irritation.
“You have to kiss me,” Alpha said softly.
Omega’s mind was no longer clear. Otherwise, how could he dare climb all over Alpha and keep sniffing his pheromones? He didn’t understand. He just tugged at the clothes on Alpha’s shoulder.
—What a dummy.
“Kiss me, and I’ll let you smell,” Alpha coaxed patiently.
Omega was too lazy to think. He buried his head in the hollow of Alpha’s neck and rubbed back and forth impatiently. When he got really frustrated, Alpha said, enunciating each word, “Use. Your. Lips. To. Find. Me.”
Omega finally understood the simple instruction. With scorching-hot breaths, he approached the thin skin behind Alpha’s ear. His lips pressed against it. The tip of his nose nudged Alpha’s earlobe for a moment before pulling away. He looked back at Alpha, his eyes questioning if that was right.
“Not there,” Alpha clarified.
Omega blinked slowly. The shadows beneath his eyelids fluttered like a dense cluster of tiny brushes. He tried another spot, moving to Alpha’s cheek, and pressed his lips there again.
“Not there,” Alpha guided patiently.
Desperate for the pheromones he craved, Omega’s lips brushed lightly over Alpha’s face like dragonflies skimming water. Sweaty temples, the narrow corner of his eye, the sharp brows, the high bridge of his nose. Just as his lips were about to land on Alpha’s mouth, Alpha pushed him away. “Not here.”
The lips were an absolute no-go zone. No matter what, they were off-limits.
Omega had kissed nearly every spot on Alpha’s face by now, but he still hadn’t gotten the pheromones he craved. Alpha let him grow frantic and restless, pushing Omega until he was darting around like a headless fly. Finally, he returned to the original source. Alpha thought Omega was a bit dim in some ways, but Omega wasn’t dim at all. He extended the tip of his tongue and licked the sensitive gland at the back of Alpha’s neck…
Smack! Alpha slapped Omega, though the punishment felt self-inflicted.
Omega was clever as could be. Normally, a single sentence or glance from him could leave Alpha speechless. Even now, when he was at a disadvantage and his mind was muddled, he managed to seize the initiative again. He deserved a reward for that. So Alpha released his pheromones without any more conditions.
The long-lost scent flooded back into his nostrils. Omega grew intensely excited and hugged Alpha tightly, refusing to let go. His previously rapid breaths gradually slowed, becoming long and even… But at a time like this, the pheromones weren’t for soothing. They slithered through Omega’s bloodstream like countless thin, elongated snakes…
“You can’t do that, you know?” Alpha reminded him hoarsely.
Omega wasn’t listening to any of it. He kept burying his face in the side of Alpha’s neck, sniffing his pheromones. Alpha pinched his cheek. “Only caring about the top and ignoring the bottom?”
Omega shook his head, signaling for him to be quiet.
With a face ashen, Alpha removed the black bracelet from his own wrist, disabled the alert connected to the Security Department, and fastened it upside down on Omega’s wrist.
Not just anyone could wear this thing. The top medical team had customized it for Alpha based on his bone structure, fit, comfort, and more. Beyond adjusting the release of Alpha pheromones, its internal sensors primarily monitored his daily physical indicators—basic ones like heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, and more advanced ones like dopamine secretion, disease prevention, and so on…
Now it sat loosely on Omega’s wrist, its softly glowing blue light illuminating the small rounded rectangular screen.
Heart rate: 117. Blood pressure: 132. Dopamine secretion: 96 micrograms. Respiration: 28/min.
Omega had become a complete prisoner to the pheromones. He didn’t even notice when Alpha stripped him…
“Cold?” Alpha asked.
Of course, there was no answer. Earlier, he’d kicked the box outside the door—the one filled with auxiliary tools. Because of his mistake, the omega deserved a reward too. So now, his fingers served as tools, tools to bring Omega pleasure.
People were greedy, and even the usually patient Omega was no exception…
At first, he only wanted Alpha’s pheromones. Now he didn’t. Now he just wanted to bite his lower lip…
And lift his hips proactively.
~~~
The bracelet’s light flashed rapidly.
“Detecting sudden heart rate acceleration.”
“Dopamine secretion: 8451 micrograms.”
…
“Alert! Alert!”
“Respiration interrupted for 13 seconds…”
~~~
Omega trembled in Alpha’s arms. Alpha rested his jaw against Omega’s forehead, one arm wrapped around his shoulders while the other withdrew. He stroked Omega’s cheek and whispered something inaudible in his ear.
Omega sluggishly kissed Alpha’s Adam’s apple in response. He lifted his eyes, still hazy from the afterglow, as if asking if that spot was okay.
“Yes,” Alpha affirmed this time.
Encouraged, Omega kissed Alpha’s Adam’s apple again. His lips were soft, wet, and yielding.
“Dumb as a pig,” Alpha said, his lips curving into a smirk.
The entire Oak Bay had sunk into a deep slumber. Moonlight shyly hid behind the clouds, slowly rising in the east and setting in the west before daylight gradually brightened bit by bit. Outside the window, the fledglings with growing feathers alighted on the sill once more, chirping noisily in response to the Omega inside the room, who no longer had the energy to make a sound.
Another ten minutes passed. Omega shook his head feebly while Alpha grabbed some tissues.
Omega slumped against the chair and passed out in a dead faint. Whether from exhaustion or shamelessness, he remained bare-assed. Alpha headed to the cloakroom, flung open the cabinets, rummaged through them, searched again, and scoured every inch.
Consul Ji had just risen from bed when his phone suddenly lit up. He picked it up for a look and couldn’t suppress a chuckle before quickly typing back: The bedsheets are in the bottom hidden cabinet in the cloakroom.
After changing the bedsheets, Alpha gave Omega a thorough wipe-down. The man really was like a pig—no amount of prodding or shaking would rouse him. At last, Alpha scooped him up, carried him back to bed, and tucked him in snugly. He left the foot chain locked around Omega’s ankle, then finally had a moment to slip into the bathroom and wash his hands.
The pads of his middle and ring fingers had turned pale and pruney after soaking all night.
Once he was clean, Alpha returned the towel to the storage cabinet and spotted something tucked into the deepest corner up top. A short person brushing their teeth here wouldn’t have seen it, assuming no one else could either.
At one meter ninety, Alpha reached up and plucked it down with ease.
It was an empty aromatherapy cup. A thick layer of burned ash coated the bottom, and the cylindrical body was blackened from soot… This wasn’t the depleted remnants of a sleep-aid incense. It was obvious someone had burned something in it—and done so many times.
Alpha frowned and dipped his fingers into the bottom, rubbing at the residue. The gossamer-thin black flecks crumbled to powder on his fingertips. He stood there quietly for a moment, eyes downcast… Then, hesitantly, he lifted it to his nose and inhaled. A very faint—very, very faint—fresh scent lingered.
In that instant, the iron chain rattled against the floor with a clinking drag. Alpha turned slowly to see Omega, foot chain in place, standing in the bathroom doorway.
“Why aren’t you coming back to bed with me?” Omega asked softly.
“How are you awake already?” Alpha replied.
“Couldn’t sleep.” Omega shuffled toward him step by step. When he reached Alpha, he rose on tiptoe to brush a kiss against the corner of Alpha’s mouth, then tilted his face up. “I missed you… Did you miss me?”
Alpha pressed a kiss to his brow.
“No hands. I want you.” Emboldened, Omega didn’t wait for a response. He reached up and ripped the barrier patch from the nape of his neck…
