47
Qi Zhao froze, then felt Qi Wei lick him again.
Qi Zhao: “!”
He struggled and pushed Qi Wei away.
Qi Wei stopped licking but held him tightly, clearly not wanting to let go.
Qi Zhao didn’t force him to release him, just warned him not to do it again.
Especially with the alpha’s arousal… pressing against him. Even through their clothes, Qi Zhao could feel it.
He was afraid things would get out of control.
Qi Wei knew that Qi Zhao wasn’t rejecting him, but that was his rational mind speaking; his emotions, stirred by Qi Zhao’s touch, were giving rise to other thoughts, a destructive urge to keep Qi Zhao by his side, permanently, by any means necessary.
He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t help it.
It was both his nature and the inherent possessiveness of an alpha.
“…Ah Zhao.”
Qi Wei lowered his head, trying to calm the sudden surge of desire, a desire that even he found frightening, using Qi Zhao’s scent as an anchor. He murmured, “Ah Zhao.”
He seemed to want to say something, but didn’t know where to begin, so he just kept repeating his lover’s name, hoping for some kind of response from Qi Zhao.
But what did he want?
He didn’t know.
After all, Qi Zhao had already given him so much.
He had given him a title, given him affection, perhaps not intense enough to burn down the world, but enough for Qi Wei.
Yet the alpha still felt an emptiness within him.
As if he wouldn’t be truly satisfied until he had devoured Qi Zhao, their flesh and blood mingling, their souls entwined.
How terrifying.
Even Qi Wei himself felt that his desires were twisted and ugly.
Yet he still delusionally clung to the hope of keeping the beautiful Qi Zhao by his side.
How ridiculous.
Qi Zhao didn’t know what was wrong with Qi Wei, but he guessed that perhaps his push had made Qi Wei misunderstand, thinking he was rejecting him, so…
He could feel that although Qi Wei was holding him tightly, so tight that he could barely breathe, the hand on his back was trembling slightly.
Like… an alpha about to enter their rut, losing control.
Qi Wei had just finished his rut recently; logically, this shouldn’t be happening.
But Qi Wei’s gland, suppressed for so long, had already developed problems, and the person he liked wasn’t even an omega, or even an alpha, unable to release any pheromones that could help him. For an alpha of Qi Wei’s rank, losing control was all too common.
So Qi Zhao spoke, trying to soothe him. “Qi Wei… Qi Wei.”
He called softly, asking, “Can you still hear me?”
Alphas, when losing control, could easily fall into their own emotional traps, their own world, unable to hear others, their minds filled with their current negative emotions.
But Qi Wei could hear Qi Zhao.
From the moment Qi Zhao called his name, he could hear him.
Because it was Qi Zhao.
He never wanted to miss a single word from him.
This was the person he had chased for half his life, the person he had chosen as his lifelong partner.
“Yes.”
Qi Wei responded softly, his arms tightening around Qi Zhao, one hand firmly gripping his shoulder, the other his waist.
Like a child clutching their beloved toy, afraid of it being taken away, wanting to hide it within their own body.
Qi Zhao wanted Qi Wei to loosen his grip; his throat was still sore from the earlier kiss, and being held so tightly made it difficult to speak.
But sensing Qi Wei’s current state, he didn’t ask him to let go, but continued to soothe him gently—
“I didn’t mean to push you away.”
Qi Zhao lowered his voice. “It’s just that… it tickled.”
He added, unable to help himself, “And it was like a dog.”
Why would he lick him?
Qi Wei paused, slightly amused by Qi Zhao’s last sentence, and chuckled softly, pulling himself out of his emotional turmoil. “Ah Zhao, haven’t you heard?”
He smiled. “Alphas, to a certain extent, are very similar to canines.”
He didn’t seem to mind Qi Zhao’s comment at all, even sounding pleased. “That’s why I couldn’t help but want to lick you, to bite you…”
“Qi Wei.”
Qi Zhao interrupted him, truly wanting to slip away like a loach. “Some things you can keep to yourself.”
Saying such things in this situation was too dangerous.
Qi Wei’s eyes curved into a smile. He nuzzled Qi Zhao’s neck with his forehead, his slightly coarse hair tickling Qi Zhao’s neck, jaw, and earlobe.
“…Itchy.” Qi Zhao couldn’t escape and said helplessly, “You really…”
…were making it difficult for him to know what to say.
Qi Wei raised his head, his beautiful, deep eyes seeming to absorb the faint light in the room, like the sunlit surface of the sea, reflecting Qi Zhao’s image.
Qi Wei asked softly, “Ah Zhao, you don’t like it?”
“…”
Qi Zhao paused. Since the alpha hadn’t fully recovered from his emotional state, he could only admit, slightly embarrassed, “No.”
He actually liked it.
To be honest, it was a little shameful to admit, but he had liked Qi Wei’s possessive, clingy behavior from the very beginning.
Qi Wei might know, or he might not.
But in the adult world, the wisest course of action was to understand each other tacitly, without needing to spell things out.
For example, Qi Zhao knew very well that Qi Wei had probably been keeping an eye on him all these years, controlling everything about him, but he wouldn’t mention it, and Qi Wei wouldn’t apologize.
Because Qi Zhao didn’t really mind, and he could accept the alpha’s excessive control, there was no need for Qi Wei to bring it up.
Bringing it up would only make their relationship awkward.
By not mentioning it, they were both engaging in willful ignorance.
For Qi Zhao, this was better.
Qi Wei’s lips curved upwards, and he rubbed his chin against the side of Qi Zhao’s neck. Then, as if suddenly losing his mind, he asked, “Do you want to touch my gland?”
An alpha’s gland was located on the side of their neck.
Qi Zhao was startled and immediately tried to break free. “No! Qi Wei! Let go of me… Stop rubbing against me!”
He was afraid Qi Wei would rub his neck against his.
Qi Wei’s question seemed simple, but for both alphas and omegas, the gland was an extremely vulnerable and private area.
Touching it? If it were someone else, it would be a criminal offense. If it were someone you liked…
Qi Zhao’s body froze, stiff as a statue.
Liking Qi Wei didn’t mean he wanted to take that step now!
Especially since Qi Wei was a super S-rank alpha… Qi Zhao genuinely thought he would die.
“Ah Zhao, Ah Zhao…”
The moment he asked the question, Qi Wei regretted his impulsiveness.
So even though Qi Zhao was trying to escape, he wasn’t upset, just holding him tighter, his hand moving to gently pat Qi Zhao’s back. “Don’t be afraid, I was just asking.”
He lowered his voice. “I know it’s not the right time yet. I won’t do anything you don’t want. Ah Zhao, Ah Zhao…”
His voice trailed off into a soft murmur. “I won’t do anything, I’ll just hold you for a while, don’t be nervous.”
Actually, Qi Zhao had only struggled slightly as a warning, not a full-blown “fight,” but Qi Wei was overly sensitive, easily startled.
This made Qi Zhao feel a little guilty.
“…I,” he whispered to Qi Wei, “I’m not ready yet.”
Qi Zhao added faintly, “And we agreed to just try.”
Qi Wei was already thinking about that kind of thing after just a few hours of “trying”?
As if hearing his silent complaint, Qi Wei chuckled softly. “Yes, I know. I just lost control for a moment.”
Losing control meant that he had indeed been thinking about it, just controlling himself.
Qi Zhao: “…”
He hated being so perceptive sometimes.
He fell silent, and Qi Wei tentatively made another request. “Ah Zhao, can I bite you?”
Since this was an ABO world, Qi Zhao, after a moment of silence, said, “I’m not an omega.”
Qi Wei couldn’t give him a temporary mark.
“I know,” Qi Wei chuckled. “Ah Zhao, of course I know.”
His pheromones had been wandering lonely in this room for too long, unable to find another set of pheromones to entwine with, so of course, he knew.
“Then there’s no point in biting me.”
“I don’t want to bite you to mark you.”
Qi Wei’s voice was soft. “It’s just that every time I see you, my canines itch.”
Those were the canines an alpha used for marking.
Qi Zhao had heard before that when an alpha met someone they truly liked, their marking teeth would react, wanting to bite something.
At the time, Qi Zhao had joked that they were like dogs who needed chew toys.
And now, facing a real-life example from his textbook, he felt a little numb.
Because he wasn’t an omega, his neck didn’t yearn to be bitten!
Qi Zhao didn’t speak for a moment, and Qi Wei said, “It’s okay if you don’t want to.”
His voice was still soft and slow, not sounding aggrieved or pitiful, yet inexplicably making one’s heart ache. “I can control myself. I’ve endured it for so many years anyway.”
Qi Zhao: “.”
Stop trying to gain sympathy.
Such a powerful CEO, a super S-rank alpha, constantly playing the victim in front of him. He was embarrassed to even mention it.
Qi Zhao sighed. “…It’s not that I don’t want to.”
He mumbled, “I just think it’s strange.”
Because he was just a beta.
Qi Wei held his waist, reassuring him, “I’ll be gentle.”
Qi Zhao thought about it and felt that a gentle bite would be even stranger. “…I’m not afraid of pain. Just… do what feels comfortable for you?”
He didn’t realize how docile and tempting his words sounded.
Qi Wei’s breathing hitched, and he sighed meaningfully. “Ah Zhao.”
Qi Zhao sensed the danger, but Qi Wei didn’t wait any longer. He turned his head and bit down on the side of his neck.
The alpha’s sharp canines sank in slightly, the sting accompanied by a burning, wet breath. Qi Zhao stiffened involuntarily, his eyes twitching slightly.
Even though he didn’t have a gland, having this vulnerable spot bitten still felt strange.
For a moment, Qi Zhao imagined himself as a small, omnivorous animal being held by the neck by a large predator.
Like a tiger biting a deer’s neck…
But Qi Wei was biting the side of his neck, not the back.
This meant that Qi Wei wasn’t treating him like an omega, not trying to claim him.
Amidst the intertwined feelings of desire and vulnerability, Qi Zhao felt a surge of emotion, his nose stinging slightly.
“…”
He moved his lips, his voice hoarse for some reason. “Qi Wei, do you have that perfume made with your pheromones?”
Qi Wei’s eyelashes fluttered.
The moment his canines sank into Qi Zhao’s neck, his pheromones raged uncontrollably, wanting to surge into Qi Zhao’s body, but Qi Zhao wasn’t an alpha or an omega; his pheromones couldn’t enter, and he had no place to receive them.
But Qi Wei couldn’t bear to let go.
He hummed in response, and Qi Zhao said, “Spray some, please.”
He whispered, “I want to smell it.”
He wanted to smell Qi Wei’s pheromones.
Qi Wei moved, finally releasing Qi Zhao.
By the time he returned with the perfume, Qi Zhao was sitting on the edge of the bed.
He walked towards Qi Zhao and pressed the nozzle twice, the fine mist carrying a unique fragrance filling the air.
It did smell like liquor, aggressive and intoxicating.
Qi Zhao tilted his head back, gazing at Qi Wei like a lamb awaiting slaughter.
Even though Qi Wei bent down, one leg pressed against Qi Zhao’s, his large frame and shadow completely enveloping him, not even sparing a corner of his clothes.
“Can you smell it?”
Qi Wei asked in a low voice.
Qi Zhao, caught in his dark, intense gaze, felt like he was being dragged into a deep pool, not struggling, but willingly sinking, giving up all resistance.
He was slightly dazed, the faint yet powerful scent filling his nostrils, clouding his thoughts, the rich aroma of liquor intoxicating.
When Qi Wei bit down on his neck again, Qi Zhao even leaned back against the pillows, tilting his head slightly to make it easier for Qi Wei to “mark” him.
“…Yes.”
His fingertips curled involuntarily as he responded.
And this made the alpha even more pleased.
Qi Zhao didn’t know that an alpha of Qi Wei’s rank could “mimic pheromones.” Although the perfume wasn’t an exact replica of his pheromones, he could alter his own scent.
He could make his pheromones smell like the perfume.
What Qi Zhao was smelling now was his pheromones.
