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Qi Zhao wondered if he was too easily coaxed.
A few sweet words from Qi Wei, and he opened his arms, letting Qi Wei bury his face in his embrace, inhaling his scent.
Qi Zhao sighed inwardly, looking down at the drying blood on Qi Wei’s neck, and asked, his hand hovering over it, “…Does it hurt?”
It must hurt, since Qi Zhao didn’t have pheromones to soothe the stinging pain.
But Qi Wei shook his head. “It doesn’t.”
He nestled contentedly in Qi Zhao’s arms, not caring about his own arousal, his mind clear and focused.
At least for now, he still felt an unprecedented satisfaction from Qi Zhao’s mark.
So much so that he murmured, “Ah Zhao, I wish you would mark me every day.”
Qi Zhao: “…”
Qi Wei’s words were a bit strange.
He said earnestly, “You make it sound like I’m some heartless alpha.”
Like those omega characters in novels, clutching the alpha’s shirt, asking timidly, “Sir, could you please give me a temporary mark every day? That would be enough.”
Qi Wei had read all the books Qi Zhao had read.
So he naturally knew what Qi Zhao was referring to. Qi Wei chuckled softly. “You’re not heartless.”
His voice, muffled against Qi Zhao’s chest, sounded incredibly sexy. “You’re the best person in the world.”
Qi Zhao’s heart softened, and he sighed silently, hugging Qi Wei tighter.
Qi Wei then asked, “Ah Zhao, does that mean you agree?”
Qi Zhao hadn’t intended to answer, but Qi Wei was waiting for his response, cornering him, so he could only say, “Yes.”
Qi Wei smiled, completely satisfied. “Ah Zhao, see?”
He said, “That’s why I said you’re the best person in the world.”
So easily swayed.
Qi Wei’s rut arrived as expected.
When Qi Zhao woke up, he moved slightly, and Qi Wei instantly pinned him down.
He froze, meeting the alpha’s intense, possessive gaze.
He didn’t know that Qi Wei’s pheromones were already starting to nest, but he heard his phone ringing.
Qi Zhao’s hands and feet were trapped by Qi Wei; he couldn’t move. He could only call out tentatively, “Qi Wei?”
Qi Wei was clearly suppressing something, the veins on his forehead bulging.
The ringing of the phone on the nightstand irritated the alpha, making him feel as if his territory had been invaded. He raised his hand to smash it.
Qi Zhao, ever alert, quickly grabbed his arm.
To his surprise, he actually managed to stop Qi Wei. Perhaps afraid of hurting him, Qi Wei grabbed his wrist, trying to pin both his hands down with one hand.
“Qi Wei!”
Qi Zhao cried out, “Don’t do this…”
Qi Wei paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Qi Zhao quickly leaned up and kissed him.
For Qi Wei, everything about Qi Zhao was desirable.
With what he craved offered to him, he naturally couldn’t resist taking it.
The kiss was rough, drawing blood, and Qi Zhao winced as he felt Qi Wei’s knee moving upward, perhaps out of instinct, perhaps because he could no longer control himself, nudging and rubbing against him.
Qi Zhao froze, his body tensing, a muffled moan escaping his lips.
He instinctively tried to struggle free, his whole being radiating fear.
But for an alpha in rut, their partner trying to escape was the ultimate provocation.
Qi Wei’s grip tightened, he bit down on Qi Zhao’s lip hard, and his knees pinned Qi Zhao’s legs open, trapping him completely.
Qi Zhao could feel the alpha pressed against him, his arousal…
He was going crazy. By the time Qi Wei released him, he was gasping for air, crying out, “Qi Wei, Qi Wei! Calm down…”
His partner’s trembling brought Qi Wei back to his senses slightly, especially since Qi Zhao usually didn’t speak to him like this.
He blinked, and the ringing of the phone reminded Qi Zhao that Qi Wei was in rut.
So Qi Zhao exposed the side of his neck. “You can bite me, and if you want to… help me… you can.”
He was incredibly embarrassed, but he had to make it clear to Qi Wei, “But… that is not allowed.”
He was truly afraid. “You’re in rut now…”
Qi Zhao’s mind raced, and amidst his fear, he found the crucial point. “Qi Wei.”
His voice softened as he looked at Qi Wei’s pained, struggling expression, his heart aching with sympathy. “You’re in rut now, and I’m not an omega, I can’t… handle you… You won’t be able to control yourself, you’ll hurt me.”
…He didn’t want Qi Zhao to be hurt.
Qi Wei’s eyes flickered. He finally lowered his head, burying his face in the crook of Qi Zhao’s neck, his voice hoarse. “I’m sorry.”
His voice, so close to his neck, felt like a blade against his skin, but Qi Zhao, strangely, felt calmer. “It’s okay.”
Qi Zhao moved his wrist, but Qi Wei hadn’t let go, so he gave up.
—He had wanted to pat Qi Wei’s back.
Qi Zhao lowered his voice. “I know you’re in rut and can’t control yourself… Can I answer the phone and tell them I’m fine? Otherwise, they might come in.”
Qi Wei vaguely remembered his instructions. If they didn’t confirm Qi Zhao’s safety, they were to ignore his condition and take Qi Zhao away, no matter what. “…Okay.”
His warm breath against Qi Zhao’s neck made him feel itchy, but Qi Zhao, now calmer, knew he couldn’t show any sign of wanting to pull away.
Even if it was just because of the itch.
So Qi Zhao said softly, “Then let go of me first. I won’t leave, I’ll just reach for the phone.”
After a few seconds of silence, Qi Wei, struggling with himself, reluctantly released Qi Zhao’s hand.
Qi Zhao quickly grabbed his phone, thankful that he liked sleeping near the edge of the bed, and Qi Wei never insisted on pulling him to the center, always sleeping beside him, holding him tightly. This way, Qi Zhao didn’t have to worry about falling off the bed.
Qi Zhao answered the phone, not knowing how many times they had called. “I’m fine.”
He hadn’t noticed who was calling, but he guessed that it was because of Qi Wei’s rut, and the police were here again.
Qiu Ji, hearing his voice, breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, Boss.”
He asked, “Do you need the tranquilizer? We can send it in with a drone.”
Qi Zhao: “…”
What a ridiculous situation.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
As for the tranquilizer…
Qi Zhao glanced at Qi Wei; he didn’t want to use that on him.
So Qi Zhao refused. “Not for now.”
Qiu Ji said okay and didn’t say anything more.
Qi Zhao was his other boss, to be treated with the same respect as Qi Wei. He never questioned Qi Wei’s decisions, so he wouldn’t doubt Qi Zhao’s judgment.
After hanging up, before Qi Zhao could put his phone away, Qi Wei snatched it from him, turned it off, and tossed it aside.
The phone landed on the small sofa near the bed with a thud, a clear message that if Qi Zhao wanted to call for help, he would have to get out of bed first.
But clearly, in the alpha’s current state, he wouldn’t allow Qi Zhao to leave him.
Before Qi Zhao could speak, Qi Wei bit down on his neck.
Qi Zhao couldn’t smell the strong scent of liquor filling the room, so he could smell the blood amidst the overwhelming scent of Qi Wei’s pheromones.
The sharp pain made him moan involuntarily. Qi Wei’s bite was harder than before, and it was so sudden.
Qi Wei had been nuzzling his neck, kissing him repeatedly but not biting, and while he was talking to Qiu Ji, Qi Zhao had spoken more quickly than usual, afraid that Qi Wei would become jealous and act out like those alphas in novels.
He would die of embarrassment.
But he hadn’t expected Qi Wei to endure until he finished the call…
Qi Zhao’s heart softened, and he raised his hand, hugging Qi Wei.
Although he couldn’t smell or feel it, he could guess that Qi Wei was releasing his pheromones frantically, trying to mark him.
But he didn’t have what alphas and omegas had; Qi Wei’s pheromones couldn’t leave a mark on him.
Perhaps finally having caught a bit of Qi Zhao’s scent, Qi Wei released him, licking the blood from his neck, then kissing him again.
Qi Zhao’s body was stiff, but he didn’t say no or push him away, just moving his hand to rest on Qi Wei’s head when Qi Wei ripped off the small round ball from his neck and tossed it aside.
Perhaps because the atmosphere was too intoxicating, Qi Zhao, for the first time, said to Qi Wei, “Qi Wei, I want to kiss you…”
Before he could finish, Qi Wei lowered his head and kissed him, their tongues tangling.
Qi Zhao tilted his head back slightly, his breath caught in his chest, feeling increasingly dizzy.
He was already aroused, and being teased like this by Qi Wei made it unbearable.
He felt Qi Wei’s hand naturally reaching for him, and Qi Zhao couldn’t help but tremble, but the memory of Qi Wei’s touch from before surfaced…
It was indeed very pleasurable.
So Qi Zhao let Qi Wei untie the ribbon of his pants, his large, dry hand gripping him.
Qi Wei then moved to kiss his neck, his nose twitching as he smelled his own pheromones fading. The alpha’s instincts during his rut urged him to mark his partner again.
So he bit Qi Zhao again, and Qi Zhao winced, his voice hoarse and broken as he tried to tell Qi Wei that he wasn’t an alpha, or an omega, that he had nothing to hold his pheromones.
But after he finished speaking, Qi Wei just mumbled, “I know.”
He knew he could never truly mark Qi Zhao.
He knew some things would forever remain unfulfilled.
But he liked Qi Zhao, and he had chosen Qi Zhao as his partner.
So even though he couldn’t sense Qi Zhao’s pheromones, he wouldn’t blame him for being a beta, a “block of wood.” He would just, driven by his alpha instincts, uncontrollably try to mark Qi Zhao again and again.
Even if it didn’t work, he would only blame himself for being useless.
Only a useless alpha couldn’t receive their partner’s soothing pheromones; only a useless alpha couldn’t mark their partner.
