In the darkness, the scent of hormones mingled with the rich aroma of red wine, clouding Yun Xingze’s thoughts.
He should have pushed away the man leaning against his shoulder and neck, but when he slowly raised his hand, he found himself hesitating.
The words “I’ve waited for you for so long” made Yun Xingze’s heart race, pounding against his chest.
His hand moved as if guided by some unseen force, resting atop Luo Wenchuan’s head.
His palm felt the softness of the other’s hair, while the warm breath against the side of his neck sent a faint tickle through him.
These vague, ambiguous sensations became overwhelmingly intense the moment Luo Wenchuan suddenly wrapped his arms around Yun Xingze’s waist.
Luo Wenchuan’s embrace held no particular intention.
It seemed he simply wanted to hold Yun Xingze.
Yun Xingze’s eyes widened in surprise, momentarily speechless.
“Don’t do this again,” Luo Wenchuan murmured, his voice growing even more indistinct.
After speaking, he nuzzled his tall nose against Yun Xingze’s neck and let out a soft sigh as if forgiving Yun Xingze for his willful behavior.
Yun Xingze exhaled in relief.
Though Luo Wenchuan had reacted fiercely earlier, it was clear he didn’t truly want to be angry with him.
Even when drunk, Luo Wenchuan had little temper left in front of Yun Xingze.
Unable to help himself, Yun Xingze curled his lips into a faint smile. He carefully stroked Luo Wenchuan’s hair a few times and whispered, “Alright, I understand.”
Luo Wenchuan remained silent, still holding Yun Xingze.
The position made Yun Xingze a little self-conscious. He wanted to help Luo Wenchuan to the bed, but the latter refused to cooperate.
“Can you lie down on the bed first?” Yun Xingze asked softly.
Luo Wenchuan didn’t move, clearly reluctant.
Yun Xingze found the drunken Luo Wenchuan somewhat childish. He could only coax him in a tone one might use with a kid, “Be good.”
At those words, Luo Wenchuan finally responded.
With Yun Xingze’s help, he sat on the edge of the bed.
Yun Xingze studied Luo Wenchuan’s quiet demeanor, puzzled. How had he gotten so drunk all of a sudden?
Helpless, Yun Xingze removed Luo Wenchuan’s shoes and tried to lay him flat on the bed.
But just then—
A sharp, unmistakable scent filled the air.
The smell of strong liquor.
Yun Xingze’s fingers twitched, his entire body freezing.
Then, as if realizing something, his eyes widened as he stared at Luo Wenchuan.
In the darkness, Luo Wenchuan seized Yun Xingze’s wrist and pulled him forcefully into his embrace.
Caught off guard, Yun Xingze stumbled into his arms, flustered.
His palms pressed against Luo Wenchuan’s firm chest. The usual refreshing minty scent had faded, replaced by the aggressive aroma of liquor mixed with an overpowering wave of hormones.
Yun Xingze’s eyes widened further as the shocking realization solidified in his mind.
This was Luo Wenchuan’s pheromones.
Which meant Luo Wenchuan was in his rut.
Generally, an Alpha’s rut wasn’t as uncontrollable as an Omega’s heat. As long as the Alpha maintained rationality, they could safely endure it.
At worst, taking a single Alpha-specific suppressant could prevent any accidents.
But clearly, Luo Wenchuan had drunk too much which was why his emotions had spiraled out of control so suddenly.
Luo Wenchuan’s pheromones smelled like tequila intense and impossible to ignore. Combined with the inherently aggressive nature of Alpha pheromones, Yun Xingze instantly felt the scent flooding his mouth, nasal passages, and even his mind.
Compared to this, the aroma of red wine seemed downright mild.
This was the first time Yun Xingze had encountered an Alpha’s pheromones since arriving in this world.
His legs began to weaken an instinctive Omega response to an Alpha’s scent.
The higher the compatibility between their pheromones, the stronger the Omega’s reaction would be.
Before he realized it, Yun Xingze was gasping for breath as if drowning in tequila. Sweat beaded on his back, his heart raced, and his body temperature soared.
Just as Yun Xingze tried to break free from Luo Wenchuan’s embrace, those slender arms tightened around him even more.
Then, Luo Wenchuan pressed his cheek against Yun Xingze’s, rubbing lightly but firmly.
The scent of tequila instantly intensified to an overwhelming degree!
Yun Xingze felt as parched as a fish out of water.
When an Alpha’s pheromones were strong enough and their compatibility with an Omega high enough, they could push the Omega into heat at any moment.
Yun Xingze’s scent gland burned. He knew he couldn’t let this continue, yet his body’s instincts resisted his rational decision.
He even found himself craving the sensation of Luo Wenchuan holding him.
Even lying down, Luo Wenchuan’s presence was undeniable. His long, powerful legs encased in fitted trousers, his lean waist, broad shoulders, and the defined muscles beneath his thin shirt.
Reason teetered on the brink of collapse.
Between his rut and the alcohol, Luo Wenchuan seemed unable to distinguish reality from dreams.
Boldly embracing Yun Xingze, he leaned in close to his ear, voice rough and husky:
“Can I mark you?”
Marking a desired Omega during rut was every Alpha’s primal urge.
The usual Luo Wenchuan might have restrained himself, but now, he was like a beast freed from its chains, his words laced with unconscious provocation and dominance.
Yun Xingze’s ear burned from the heat of Luo Wenchuan’s breath. Swallowing hard, his fingers trembled as he clung to the last shred of rationality, pressing a hand over his scent gland.
Pheromones surged toward it within his body.
Yet Luo Wenchuan didn’t back down after being refused.
A moment later—
When Yun Xingze’s finger was suddenly nipped between teeth, the last thread of his restraint snapped.
At that moment, his heartbeat roared louder than ever before.
Memories of every interaction with Luo Wenchuan flashed through his mind. Finally, he understood. He wasn’t resisting the mark out of rejection, but out of instinctive hesitation in the face of someone he loved.
Luo Wenchuan’s teeth were even, and though the bite stung, something far stronger than pain pulsed through Yun Xingze.
“Luo Wenchuan, you—” Yun Xingze panted, voice tinged with frustration, “You bit my finger?”
The pain made him instinctively release his grip on his scent gland.
Seizing the opportunity, Luo Wenchuan began searching for it.
As he did, his jaw brushed against Yun Xingze’s skin.
There was a faint stubble on his chin that made Yun Xingze shiver slightly.
With Yun Xingze’s tacit permission, Luo Wenchuan accurately bit down on his scent gland.
Yun Xingze’s body stiffened abruptly. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling only the rush of rose-scented pheromones mingling with the sharp aroma of tequila.
It was like strong liquor spilled over a sunlit rose field. The two fragrances blending together, filling the entire room.
This meant Luo Wenchuan had completed a temporary mark on Yun Xingze.
Luo Wenchuan bit down a little too hard.
Having been bitten twice, Yun Xingze’s rationality finally crumbled under the pain. He couldn’t help but furrow his brows and mutter softly, “Luo Wenchuan, are you a dog?”
After finishing the mark, Luo Wenchuan pulled away from his neck, thoroughly satisfied.
Then, leaning close to Yun Xingze’s ear, he let out a drunken, raspy growl: “Woof.”
Yun Xingze froze.
In the next moment, his irritation faded somewhat, replaced more by amusement than anger.
A temporary mark could alleviate an Alpha’s rut symptoms, but Luo Wenchuan’s desire for Yun Xingze clearly went beyond that.
Fortunately, Yun Xingze still had some sense left.
Seizing the moment Luo Wenchuan was distracted, Yun Xingze finally broke free from his embrace. In a few quick steps, he turned on the room’s light and rummaged through the bedside drawer for a suppressant pill.
Then, pouring a glass of water, he prepared to feed the pill to Luo Wenchuan.
Luo Wenchuan initially resisted, but Yun Xingze tricked him by calling it candy, and he obediently swallowed it.
Next, Yun Xingze grabbed a scent neutralizer and cleared the room of the lingering rose and liquor aromas before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
The combined effects of the suppressant and alcohol soon had Luo Wenchuan sinking into a deep sleep on the bed.
Yun Xingze felt more exhausted than after piloting a mech. At this moment, staring at Luo Wenchuan’s handsome sleeping face under the lamplight, he felt an illusion of dreaming; his heart filled with regret.
How had he failed to stop all this from happening?
And when Luo Wenchuan woke up tomorrow, how was he supposed to explain it?
Yun Xingze felt utterly overwhelmed.
After tucking Luo Wenchuan in and returning to his own room, Yun Xingze pressed an ice pack to the bite mark on his neck. His gaze suddenly landed on the Noah flower sitting atop the fridge.
Only then did he realize the reason he had managed to keep his sanity earlier was entirely thanks to that bouquet.
Because the pheromone levels in his body had decreased, his scent gland had dulled, preventing his instincts from taking over.
If he had reacted the same way as he had that day under the cherry blossoms.
Yun Xingze couldn’t suppress a shudder.
Sitting on the couch, he began to contemplate how to explain everything to Luo Wenchuan the next day.
His fingers brushed over his scent gland, and his heartbeat quickened again.
What had just happened made Yun Xingze suddenly realize his true feelings for Luo Wenchuan.
So, he decided to tell him the truth.
Early the next morning, as soon as Luo Wenchuan woke up, the throbbing pain of a hangover made him grimace.
A blanket covered him, and sunlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle warmth over his face.
Rubbing his eyes, Luo Wenchuan suddenly remembered something and bolted upright in bed!
His eyes widened slowly, disbelief creeping in as he wondered whether the events of last night had been real or just an absurd dream.
His heartbeat began to race, pounding loudly in his chest.
The temporary mark from last night felt so vivid in every detail, so real that it couldn’t possibly have been a dream.
Their pheromones had blended together almost perfectly.
Luo Wenchuan could still remember the sweet yet aggressive scent of roses mixed with tequila.
Of course, he wished it were all true.
But if his compatibility with Yun Xingze wasn’t high enough, he wouldn’t have been able to complete a flawless temporary mark.
Then, Luo Wenchuan got out of bed and opened the nightstand drawer.
The suppressant pills inside had been disturbed and sure enough, one was missing from what he remembered.
On the table nearby, a glass of water still sat.
Luo Wenchuan’s breathing grew rapid.
A headache struck again, and he squeezed his eyes shut, the details of last night becoming even clearer.
It was real. All of it was real.
A surge of wild joy flooded his heart, his fingers trembling.
Even though it was just a temporary mark that would fade before long, Luo Wenchuan felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.
Yet, along with it came confusion.
If that was the case, then why couldn’t his and Yun Xingze’s pheromones match properly?
