Chapter 14

Qin Han’s heart suddenly clenched.

Heartache flooded him, but that stark contrast ignited a hidden flicker of desire deep within the Alpha.

He had only ever seen Xie Ling like this in his dreams.

His gaze drifted to the shadowy cubicle nearby. Qin Han rested his hand on the back of Xie Ling’s. “People could walk in here any second. Let’s go inside.”

Qin Han’s voice was soft, almost a whisper in the empty restroom, yet it rang out with crystal clarity, laced with threads of temptation.

He took Xie Ling’s hand, ready to help him up, but Xie Ling found a burst of strength from somewhere and gripped Qin Han’s hand in return, yanking him straight into the cubicle.

The door slammed shut. The lock clicked.

Xie Ling pressed against Qin Han’s shoulder, pinning him against the restroom door.

His body was drenched in sweat from the pain wracking him, but the way he looked at Qin Han still burned with fierceness and defiance—like sunlight and wildfire, searing straight to the lungs.

Qin Han stared at Xie Ling without flinching. From the sheer restraint, his palm had been dug into until it bled. He knew that even now, the man before him had no intention of handing over control.

“Do you need my pheromones to help you?” Qin Han’s voice was gentle and probing, playing the part of someone utterly clueless. “What exactly happened?”

As he spoke, he tentatively released a hint of his pheromones to soothe Xie Ling.

The cool hint of summer sea breeze eased the pain just a little. Xie Ling took two steadying breaths, finally finding his voice. “It’s not a big deal, really. I just injected that Gender Inducing Agent a while back, and the side effects are kicking in now…”

Xie Ling summarized what the doctor had told him, downplaying it as much as possible. Things had come to this point, but he couldn’t let Qin Han think he was helpless without him. No way was he showing weakness!

Qin Han listened through it all, widening his eyes and parting his lips at the right moments to feign shock. But even though he’d known ahead of time, when Xie Ling awkwardly admitted their perfect compatibility, the corner of Qin Han’s mouth twitched upward anyway.

Xie Ling caught that little smirk and went on high alert. “What are you smiling at? Don’t tell me you’re thinking you can use your pheromones to dominate me from now on. Let me warn you…”

“No,” Qin Han said, wrapping his arms gently around Xie Ling, who was starting to hurt again, his own faint pheromones lingering on him. “I still rely on you to bring me lunch every day at noon. How could I ever try to dominate you?”

Xie Ling narrowed his eyes slightly. Instinct made it impossible for him to resist Qin Han’s embrace—the feeling of those pheromones seeping into his body was just too good.

“I won’t dominate you, and I won’t tell a soul about this. I’m just happy that the Omega I’m perfectly compatible with is someone as outstanding and capable as you.” Qin Han quickly came up with an excuse for his slip of a smile, laying it on thick with flattery.

Xie Ling knew this praise was probably insincere, but it still felt good to hear. Seeing no ulterior motives in Qin Han’s eyes, his tone softened a touch. “Don’t worry. We’ve got our history of bad blood, but that’s separate from this. If you help me out here, I’ll remember the favor. Anything you want, as long as it’s within my power, I’ll make it happen.”

“What I want… you might not be willing to give.”

“What did you say?” Qin Han had mumbled it too quickly and too softly for Xie Ling to catch.

“I said I’m satisfied just being here to help you like this. I don’t need anything else.”

“…Doesn’t that insincere line make your teeth ache?”

“I’m serious.” Qin Han smiled with wide-eyed innocence.

Xie Ling thought it was a real shame this guy hadn’t tried breaking into Hollywood during his three years in America.

“I don’t like owing people. Take your time thinking about it. The doctor said it’ll take three or four months to fully cure these side effects, and I’ll need to borrow your pheromones twice a day… Hiss—”

The pain surged back. His body was at its limit. Xie Ling unconsciously rubbed against Qin Han.

A rich, sweet scent filled the tiny cubicle.

Qin Han drew in a sharp breath. It wasn’t just Xie Ling who was suffering—he was too.

Instinct roiled inside him like a storm, every cell in his body screaming in frenzy.

In Qin Han’s eyes, the cramped, dim space warped and twisted, morphing into an airtight little black room.

There was an iron bed, chains… and his Omega, the one he’d tossed and turned over, dreamed of night after night for years…

“Qin Han…”

The trembling, restrained voice pierced his ears, shattering the illusions.

Qin Han looked down to find Xie Ling had buried his face in the crook of his neck at some point. Everywhere he could see was flushed red.

“I’ll help you right now.”

His long fingers slowly covered the back of Xie Ling’s neck, where the scent blocking patch clung. Qin Han gently peeled back one corner of the barrier agent…

The pale gland was exposed to the air. Qin Han stared at it, leaning in.

Hot breath ghosted over Xie Ling’s gland. In that instant, Qin Han’s body met a sudden, ferocious shove.

The Xie Ling who had been limp and aching moments ago seemed like a different person. He clamped his hand over his own gland and staggered back two steps.

“No…” His pupils dilated wildly as a voice from the depths of memory seized him completely—

“Don’t!! Let me go!! Don’t touch me!!” The man’s shrill scream.

“Little Ling… be good… don’t look… don’t look at Uncle…” The man’s despairing sobs.

“Xie Ling?! Xie Ling!!”

The urgent calls echoed, yanking Xie Ling’s mind back from the abyss of the past.

Xie Ling stared at Qin Han, who had grabbed hold of him again at some point. His dilated pupils refocused. His body shook, the sweat pouring off him several times more than from the side effects alone.

“…What’s wrong?” Even Qin Han, sharp as he was, felt bewildered by the scene.

“…Nothing.” Xie Ling steadied his breathing. Thinking of how he’d just brutally shoved Qin Han away when the man was only trying to help, he murmured, “Sorry.”

His face was ashen, his whole body radiating exhaustion after that emotional rollercoaster, like he might faint any second. Yet his hand still clutched his gland tightly.

That fragile sight tormented more than just Xie Ling. Qin Han tightened his arms imperceptibly, pulling the man in his embrace closer, while releasing a higher concentration of pheromones.

He realized suddenly that he didn’t know Xie Ling nearly as well as he thought.

It was normal for an Omega’s first marking to bring anxiety and fear—especially for a proud one like Xie Ling. But his reaction just now hadn’t seemed like mere unease.

Xie Ling had a physiological fear of marking. That was Qin Han’s silent conclusion. It might even be why he’d injected the Pheromone Inductor Agent in the first place.

These past years, while Qin Han had been in the dark, Xie Ling must have been bearing this pain alone.

A fierce agitation welled up inside him, but Qin Han kept his pheromones at the most soothing level.

“I didn’t explain clearly earlier.” The fresh, serene sensation flowed through Xie Ling, easing the worst of it. He spoke slowly. “The doctor said we don’t need to mark—just borrowing pheromones is enough.”

“Mm.” Qin Han ran his tongue along his back molars, reining in the desire threatening to spill from his teeth with sheer willpower. He soothed him calmly. “So, how should I do it?”

Xie Ling hadn’t expected Qin Han to be so agreeable. He hadn’t pressed about what just happened, either, and kept supplying those comforting pheromones nonstop.

“Simple.” Xie Ling pressed closer to Qin Han, his voice softening for some reason. “Just hold me like this and release some pheromones. Let me soak in them.”

Qin Han felt the body in his arms leaning in willingly, a shadow flickering in his eyes. He repeated, “Soak in my pheromones?”

Xie Ling gave a casual “ah,” then suddenly realized what he’d said.

He’d taken ABO physiology classes too. He remembered one open-minded teacher saying Alphas and Omegas should always keep their pheromones in check—they were deeply private, like bodily fluids in a way.

Bodily fluids.

Substituting that back into his own words made Xie Ling’s ears burn red. Even Qin Han’s gaze started feeling off.

He lifted his fox-like eyes, firing off a rapid warning that he thought sounded plenty fierce. “Hey, I mean for treatment. Don’t let your mind go to weird places.”

Qin Han smiled warmly. “What weird places?”

“You know…” Xie Ling eyed Qin Han’s innocent expression and suddenly wondered if he was overthinking. “…Never mind. Just do it.”

“Alright.” Qin Han lowered his voice, his smile widening where Xie Ling couldn’t see. He released more pheromones, enveloping the Omega before him like a inescapable net. With a laugh, he asked, “Is this enough?”

“…Close. Mm, a bit more.”

“How about now? Feeling better?”

“…”

Damn.

Xie Ling swore inwardly, his face inexplicably heating up.

Was he the dirty-minded one? Why did this conversation feel so off?