Chapter 14
After reaching maturity at twenty, Shi Nuo had experienced his heat cycle twice, once last year and once the year before. With suppressants, enduring the three days wasn’t too difficult.
If the environment of this alien planet hadn’t affected his body, and his heat cycle wasn’t delayed, it was only a month away.
But he had no suppressants now. Those people had only given him food and clothes, not a single suppressant.
When his heat arrived, he would either have to endure it or be mated.
An Omega’s pheromones during heat were different from usual and would attract Alphas.
The biological imperative would make his body crave comfort, but some Omegas could endure and remain conscious.
Despite being historically disadvantaged, the Omega population now boasted many brilliant and strong individuals, all possessing resilient personalities and a willpower rivaling that of Alphas.
But Shi Nuo wasn’t like that. He was weak, even timid.
He had improved somewhat after reaching adulthood. As a child, when bullied, he would only cry. Fortunately, his family had some standing, so the bullying was mostly harmless childish pranks. After presenting as an Omega, and as his appearance became more striking after the age of fifteen, Alphas his age often treated him with courtesy and a protective air.
Here, there was only one Alpha. Thankfully, only one.
An Omega in heat would incite Alphas who smelled his pheromones to fight like wild animals for mating rights.
Hugh Elvis’s dominant pheromones filled the bedroom. Shi Nuo licked his dry lips, his heart trembling at the thought that his heat cycle was only a month away.
Hugh Elvis’s expression of desire was blatant and unrestrained. Even though he hadn’t made any further advances so far, Shi Nuo still felt deeply uneasy.
Unlike ordinary beasts, Alphas in their beast forms naturally concealed their sexual characteristics, not openly displaying them like true animals.
In his white wolf form, there was no way to tell if he was aroused.
Shi Nuo hadn’t sensed anything during their close contact either.
He sat there for a moment, lost in thought, then opened his wrist-mounted optical brain, but the signal was still weak, not even one bar, showing a gray “x.”
He couldn’t even order suppressants online and have them delivered.
His throat was dry. The room didn’t have the usual built-in water dispenser, so he had to go to the kitchen to get water. After enduring the thirst for a while, he finally picked up the empty glass from the table and went out.
Shi Nuo walked quietly, opening the bedroom door with trepidation. He walked towards the kitchen, seeing the empty living room without turning his head.
Hugh Elvis was gone, replaced by the giant wolf lying on the rug.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the wolf’s ears twitch, though its eyes remained closed, he didn’t make a sound and went into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of warm water and drinking it quickly.
The white wolf seemed more approachable, at least covered in white fur, unlike in his human form, when he only wore an animal skin around his waist.
The ravaged landscape, scarred by the thunderstorm and hurricane, gradually began to recover after a period of rain.
Within three days, sparse green shoots appeared. The vitality of the wild grass was truly remarkable, bringing Shi Nuo good news. As long as the grass thrived, he wouldn’t lack for vegetables.
He had finished the fresh vegetables he had stored in the refrigerator, but he still had plenty of dried vegetables and potatoes.
Not having to go out to dig for food left Shi Nuo, accustomed to his busy routine, feeling at a loss. He had nothing to do.
Before, he could at least sit on the old sofa and daydream.
The white wolf occupied the living room rug, either lying down or sprawled out. Yesterday, it had gone out during the day and returned in the evening. Shi Nuo wasn’t sure if it had been hunting.
Apart from eating and drinking, he rarely left his bedroom.
Hugh Elvis hadn’t come in for the past few days. He had thought he would be too anxious to sleep, but with the Alpha nearby, and surrounded by his pheromones, his marked body felt comfortable and safe, like a fortress, and he slept soundly at night.
The soreness in his neck had subsided, and the Alpha’s pheromones were still strong in his body.
Shi Nuo realized belatedly that since the first temporary marking, the white wolf had been renewing it, never letting it fade.
Typical possessiveness, common among Alpha-Omega pairs.
Hugh Elvis retained his reason and hadn’t lost his human form. He should know why Shi Nuo had been sent here. As for their marital status, Shi Nuo wasn’t sure if the Alpha was aware.
But it didn’t matter anymore. They had a physical relationship now, established through the temporary marking.
His thoughts were a jumble. Shi Nuo opened the window for some fresh air, sat on the bed, and stared out, lost in thought.
Hugh Elvis was practically a stranger to him, and the Alpha’s actions confused him. Sometimes, he seemed kind and considerate, but he also never hid or restrained his desires.
As he pondered this, he suddenly gained some understanding.
As an Alpha, Hugh Elvis provided him with meat. This was an ancient Alpha instinct, a way of demonstrating strength and providing for a mate or potential partner.
And the intimate contact was also something an Alpha would do with their Omega partner.
All of Hugh Elvis’s actions stemmed from instinct and nature.
The emotions, etiquette, and morals Shi Nuo was so concerned with were irrelevant in this primitive, natural environment.
From the moment he was sent here, he was Hugh Elvis’s designated mate.
All of the Alpha’s actions were based on this premise.
Nothing he did was surprising anymore.
Understanding this, Shi Nuo’s gaze hardened.
He had imagined his marriage, even an arranged one, as something that would happen after getting to know someone, with at least a small foundation of affection.
After starting university, apart from a few same-sex friends, his social circle wasn’t large. The Shi family kept track of the Alphas he interacted with and, seeing that he didn’t associate with commoners or Alphas from less influential families, were reassured, waiting for him to graduate before finding a suitable candidate from a prominent family and arranging a meeting.
Shi Nuo’s personality was unremarkable. He was handsome, but compared to the more striking and dazzling Omegas among his peers, he wasn’t exceptional. He was obedient and rarely rebellious.
He couldn’t choose his partner, but he had his preferences.
Only he knew how timid he truly was.
Shi Nuo preferred the company of gentle people. Aggressive individuals, especially physically imposing Alphas, were the type he tended to avoid.
It wasn’t that he disliked their appearance or personality, or that he particularly favored gentle people.
Having never been in a relationship, he didn’t even know what his ideal partner was like. He had once witnessed a fight between a group of strong, aggressive Alphas, their hormones and pheromones raging, their punches powerful and ruthless. The sight of broken limbs and gushing blood had haunted his nightmares.
It had been a terrifying experience, and while some onlookers found it exciting, he had only felt weak in the knees. From then on, he avoided those aggressive Alphas as much as possible.
The university campus was full of different types of Alphas. Every time he saw a gentle, bespectacled, scholarly type, he would secretly hope that the Alpha his family chose for him would be just as approachable.
Hugh Elvis, with his wild appearance and direct manner, was the opposite of his ideal partner.
Even though the Alpha was the most handsome he had ever seen, it wasn’t enough to overcome his innate fear of this type.
The most conflicting aspect was the dependence he felt towards Hugh Elvis, both physically and emotionally, after being marked. Surrounded by the Alpha’s potent pheromones, he felt drawn to him, sometimes feeling an urge to open the bedroom door and seek his comfort.
Fortunately, he was conscious enough to suppress these urges.
Wanting to approach yet afraid due to his inherent timidity, Shi Nuo gradually became restless.
He turned and sat cross-legged, facing the west window. The wind blew steadily, and the faint green of new growth dotted the landscape. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
In the living room, the white wolf, resting on the rug, opened its eyes. From the Omega’s pheromones, it sensed his restlessness.
This was an effect of the temporary marking. An Omega could also perceive subtle shifts in an Alpha’s mood, but only when the Alpha’s emotions were strong.
The white wolf was different. Its emotions didn’t have to be strong. If it wanted to, it could discern subtle emotions from pheromones.
It wasn’t aware of Shi Nuo hiding in his bedroom, and even if it were, it wouldn’t care.
To it, a weak, timid Omega should stay in a safe place. The bedroom was the Omega’s perceived safe space, offering more privacy, so it hadn’t intruded.
The weather was fine, there was no danger, and there was no shortage of water. The only thing that could make the Omega uneasy was food.
Remembering that Shi Nuo had finished the fish and shrimp yesterday, it stood up, picked up a small bucket in its teeth, and walked out the door.
It could catch more fish and shrimp this time. Then, at night, it would have a legitimate reason to enter the Omega’s bedroom.
The Omega’s soft, pink, petal-like lips had been on its mind for days.
Before this, it hadn’t known an Omega’s lips could be the color of pink petals, their shape so alluring. It didn’t know what they tasted like either. It had accidentally licked them before and only remembered their softness. Perhaps it could hold them in its mouth and savor them slowly.
Using his human form might be more convenient.
The white wolf’s expression was its usual indifference, but with the small bucket in its mouth, looking like a tiny toy to its massive beast form, its coldness seemed to lessen considerably.
Oblivious, it walked lazily towards the river. But it hadn’t gone far when its eyes suddenly sharpened, and it looked up at the sky.
The clear blue sky was vast and empty, not even a bird in sight, only white clouds drifting slowly.
Shi Nuo, lost in thought by the window, was startled by a roar.
A wave of pressure, like an invisible tide, rippled through the air.
The wave spread rapidly, momentarily stopping his breath. He gasped as it passed.
The scene outside caught his eye.
A white blur was approaching from a distance, faintly outlined by flickering white flames.
A dark shape was sent crashing to the ground by the white wolf’s massive tail, which was like a weapon. As both landed, Shi Nuo saw that it was the white wolf and a black beast.
The black beast resembled a fox but was much uglier. About two meters tall at the shoulder, it was also a giant creature, covered from head to tail in scale-like black armor. It opened its mouth and emitted a strange cry, not loud at first, but the second cry was like needles piercing his brain, causing a sharp pain.
Shi Nuo’s face instantly paled. The roar he had heard before sounded again.
The white wolf roared back, its blue eyes fixed coldly on the black fox.
The soul-shaking roar eased the pain in Shi Nuo’s mind.
