Chapter 22
Shi Nuo quickly backed away, rubbing his watery eyes as he coughed. Looking up, he saw the large butterflies fluttering around the flowers again, and although they were just butterflies, their movements seemed almost smug.
He realized in that moment that they had done it on purpose.
Even the butterflies were bullying him.
Shi Nuo, who had been so fascinated just moments before, felt a surge of resentment and hurt. He hadn’t meant to disturb them; he had only been observing from a distance.
His coughing caught the white wolf’s attention. It approached and saw the pitiful Omega, his eyes red and watery, tears streaming down his face, looking utterly defeated.
It moved closer, smelled the strong floral scent on Shi Nuo’s face, and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Shi Nuo managed to suppress his cough, pointed at the large butterflies, and said dejectedly, “The butterflies…they flapped their wings and blew pollen at me. I choked.”
The white wolf turned its head and glared at the butterflies.
It recognized this species. They were inherently mischievous and malicious, often using their wings to blow pollen at other creatures. They would also swarm an animal they disliked, hundreds of them covering it completely, their wings smothering it, staying there for days until the animal suffocated.
A burst of white flames incinerated one of the butterflies, which was still fluttering provocatively. The others, seeing this, scattered, but they weren’t fast enough. Four more were burned to ashes.
The remaining two, panicked, flapped their large wings frantically, trying to escape.
The flames disappeared, and the white wolf, turning back to Shi Nuo, licked his eyelids.
Shi Nuo instinctively closed his eyes, feeling the wet warmth. The stinging sensation quickly subsided, and his tears stopped flowing.
But he still couldn’t stop coughing.
His lips were gently licked, and he opened his eyes, his pupils trembling slightly.
After the white wolf turned and walked away, he stood there, his ears and lips flushed crimson.
The cold lotus scent lingered in his mouth, and he quickly looked away, not daring to dwell on what had just happened. Blushing, he sat down on a clean rock and waited. When the white wolf didn’t return after a while, he checked the time on his optical brain.
The white wolf never strayed too far. Reassured by this thought, he didn’t dare wander off and waited patiently. After half an hour, he heard the rustling of leaves.
The white wolf returned, carrying a large honeycomb in its mouth. A section of the honeycomb was broken, oozing golden honey.
Those large butterflies were annoying, but their honey was sweet.
It had followed the scent of the two escaping butterflies to their nest, a hollow tree trunk, and extracted the honeycomb.
The butterflies had tried to attack it, but a burst of white flames had sent them fleeing.
The honeycomb was larger than both buckets combined. Shi Nuo, forgetting his shyness, let out a gasp of awe as the white wolf placed it on the ground.
He had eaten honey before, but never honey made by butterflies. He had never seen a honeycomb either, let alone one this large.
Since the honeycomb was damaged and wouldn’t fit in the buckets, the white wolf carried it back, with Shi Nuo following.
Lacking jars or other containers, Shi Nuo found several bowls and squeezed the golden honey from the honeycomb, storing it in the refrigerator.
The honeycomb was large, and there was a lot of honey. He still had some left, but he couldn’t use any more bowls, as he needed them for meals. He found a clean metal mixing bowl and placed the entire honeycomb inside.
The honeycomb was already broken, so he broke off a small piece and tasted it. It was sweet and rich. Seeing the honey pooling at the bottom of the bowl, he frowned, slightly perplexed.
Before, when he had nothing, he felt he lacked everything. Now, he had honey, but too much of it. He didn’t know how to finish it all. Diluting it with water would probably last him years.
He stared at the honeycomb, thinking. He remembered eating honey-glazed roasted meats, especially whole roasted birds and herbivores. The honey glaze added a unique flavor.
But the kitchen had no open flame, and there were only a few pieces of venison left in the refrigerator. Frying was easy, but roasting, without skewers or other tools, would be difficult. Besides, he had only ever eaten roasted meat; he had never prepared it himself.
He would try brushing some honey on the meat when he fried it tomorrow. And if he found any bland berries, he could mix them with honey to sweeten them.
Honey-roasted meat would have to wait. He didn’t have the means to prepare it now.
Besides the lack of an open flame, he couldn’t catch wild birds or ducks himself. Meat came at a price.
Shi Nuo carried the bowl and placed it in the refrigerator. Both the refrigeration and freezer compartments were spacious and mostly empty, so there was plenty of room for the large bowl.
Early morning.
A thick mist hung in the air.
The comfortable, warm bedroom was dim. Shi Nuo opened his eyes, his mind still foggy, and turned over, the soft, clean blanket covering him, a warm, solid body pressed against his back.
As he moved, Hugh Elvis also turned, now facing him, his long, strong arm draped over Shi Nuo’s stomach.
Shi Nuo rubbed his eyes, gradually waking up. He glanced at the time: seven o’clock. He gently moved Hugh’s arm, sat up, stared blankly ahead for a moment, then quietly climbed out of bed from the foot end.
The bed was against the wall, and he was sleeping on the inside, so he couldn’t climb over the Alpha.
Hugh Elvis, retracting his arm, kept his eyes closed.
This was their morning routine.
Hugh didn’t like waking up early. For years, he had lived by nature’s rhythm, sleeping when tired, eating when hungry, unbound by time.
The bed, warm and soft, scented with the Omega’s pheromones, was far more comfortable than any rock in the wilderness, even more so than the thick rug in the living room.
As he entered the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, Shi Nuo saw his swollen, red eyes. He rubbed them gently. They had felt slightly uncomfortable even in bed, but he had assumed it was just from sleep.
Yesterday, the pollen had gotten into his eyes. He had thought the wolf licking them would be enough, but they had swollen overnight.
His eyes were bloodshot. He wasn’t sure if they were infected or simply inflamed.
The handheld medical device had anti-inflammatory medication, but it wasn’t suitable for his eyes. He could at most use the device’s cold compress function to soothe them.
Shi Nuo sighed and picked up his toothbrush.
Glancing up at the mirror, he saw his uneven, choppy hair, which looked as if it had been gnawed on. Now, with his swollen, red eyes and pale face, he looked even worse.
He felt a pang of self-consciousness, then quickly suppressed it and finished washing up.
His optical brain displayed a weather alert: light rain.
Shi Nuo went to the kitchen to boil potatoes for breakfast. He glanced out the window. The rain slanted in the wind, the sky gray and overcast. It looked cold.
While waiting for the water to boil, he went to the bedroom, retrieved the medical device, and sat at the dining table, applying a cold compress to his eyes.
Fortunately, apart from a slight itching and warmth, they didn’t hurt. It shouldn’t be a serious problem.
Hugh wasn’t interested in potatoes and never ate them. Going out in the rain was inconvenient, so they wouldn’t be gathering mushrooms today.
Shi Nuo didn’t wake the Alpha. After breakfast, with nothing to do, he sat on the living room sofa, staring blankly ahead, then idly browsed his optical brain.
Seeing the date marked on the calendar, he felt a surge of anxiety.
His heat cycle was less than half a month away.
He had been permanently marked, and Hugh Elvis had been here constantly recently, showing no signs of leaving. In a way, his heat would be easier to manage, with the Alpha’s pheromones to soothe him.
But…
Hugh’s desires were strong and unrestrained, and after the marking, an Alpha’s possessiveness towards their Omega intensified, making them highly susceptible to their pheromones, especially during an Omega’s heat, which could trigger their primal instincts.
A year on this planet had sixteen months, four more than on his home planet of Fenglin. Perhaps the environment would affect his body, and his heat might be delayed.
Lost in thought, he was startled when the white-haired man emerged from the bedroom.
Hugh Elvis looked sleepy. He had heard the rain and knew Shi Nuo wouldn’t be going out today, but after waiting for a long time, he hadn’t seen the Omega return to the bedroom to rest, so he had come looking for him.
The beautiful Omega on the sofa looked unwell, his eyes red and swollen, his expression pitiful. Hugh frowned and approached him, examining him closely.
His sharp, elegant features were incredibly handsome, his face and physique radiating a powerful, aggressive sensuality.
Shi Nuo, overwhelmed by the Alpha’s close proximity and his striking looks, instinctively tried to avert his gaze.
But the man’s strong hand gripped his chin, preventing him from looking away, while his other hand gently pried open his eyelids.
Forced to meet the Alpha’s gaze, Shi Nuo didn’t struggle.
“It’s nothing serious. A little inflammation. Your constitution isn’t too bad. It should heal on its own,” Hugh said, releasing his grip. His heightened senses allowed him to easily assess the minor ailment.
Shi Nuo reached up to rub his eyes but was stopped by the Alpha’s hand gripping his wrist.
Hugh Elvis frowned. “Don’t rub them. Don’t rub them at all for the next few days.”
Having been forced to keep his eyes open, they felt slightly dry and irritated, and he had just wanted to rub them gently. Now, being scolded, he mumbled obediently, “Okay, I understand.”
A moment later, he was lifted into the air and carried back to the bedroom.
He felt a little nervous, but after they were in bed, Hugh simply held him close and went back to sleep.
The rain pattered against the windowpane, and the cold lotus scent enveloped him. Lying so close, Shi Nuo could smell the warm, comforting fragrance emanating from the Alpha’s skin, the scent somehow more pleasant warmed by his body heat.
With Hugh asleep and his eyes closed, the oppressive pressure of his gaze was gone.
Shi Nuo dared to snuggle closer. After the permanent bond, he had developed a strong dependence on Hugh, seeking comfort and security in his presence, which the Alpha’s strong physique and dominant personality readily provided.
However, they weren’t that close yet. He was shy and introverted, not naturally proactive or affectionate, and sometimes intimidated by Hugh’s unusual bluntness and assertiveness, his habit of calling out even polite lies. This made him suppress the instincts that came with being marked.
Held in the Alpha’s strong, muscular arms, Shi Nuo couldn’t sleep, his thoughts wandering.
With Hugh’s looks, he would be the center of attention anywhere.
As for himself, he wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t exceptional either.
Many of the Omegas he knew were incredibly beautiful, both as teenagers and adults. He had never stood out among them.
The Shi family was only a minor noble family, his position within their circle neither high nor low. He had a certain presence, but not much. His parents and siblings had constantly reminded him to be agreeable and accommodating towards those of higher standing.
Because he wasn’t eloquent and was naturally introverted, and because his looks weren’t outstanding, he had never been successful at this, earning him constant scolding and complaints from his family.
Shi Nuo hadn’t been particularly concerned with his appearance before, but then his father had brought home an illegitimate son, a strikingly beautiful Beta, even more beautiful than most Omegas, who had instantly captivated everyone’s attention.
Shi Nuo was thirteen at the time, already presented as an Omega, but his features hadn’t fully developed yet. He was pleasant-looking but ordinary, and compared to his beautiful, illegitimate older brother, he paled in comparison.
The contrast was so stark that even his father had become dissatisfied with his looks. He was an Omega, yet he couldn’t even compare to a Beta.
This planted the seeds of insecurity within him. Shi Nuo didn’t wallow in self-pity or obsess over beauty. He was too timid to compete for attention. He simply admired the confidence and radiance of those who were naturally beautiful.
