For an alpha to release a pheromone like that… there’s only one reason—he thought he was dealing with an omega.
That thought made Ji Chenxi raise a brow.
He couldn’t even tell if he should be laughing at the absurdity of it or annoyed at being insulted. Sure, he knew he looked better than most alphas, but to actually be mistaken for an omega… that was a first in his life.
A chill flickered deep in his eyes as he reached for the big hand clamped tight against the artery in his neck, feeling the muscles tense even harder beneath his touch.
He tilted his head up with a show of fear, only to meet the other alpha’s gaze—cold, sharp, and dripping with killing intent.
Clearly, this man didn’t trust him one bit. Yet his pheromones had already betrayed him, clinging stubbornly to their so-called prey. It wasn’t so much an attempt at conquest as it was an open invitation, baiting Ji Chenxi’s own pheromones to come out and play.
Such a twisted mess—instinct fighting reason.
Right then, Ji Chenxi was deeply thankful he had his suppressor ring on.
If not, a pheromone this thick and high-level would’ve had him on edge long ago. No alpha likes another alpha’s scent. They’re wired to repel each other from the start.
Normally, even the strongest pheromones from another alpha only irritated him a little, nothing unbearable. But this time… this time was different.
This alpha’s scent, a notch above his own, stirred something unusual inside him—a faint, rare desire to dominate. Like a skilled hunter who grows bored with small prey, he found himself eyeing the bigger, more dangerous beast, eager to conquer, eager to claim.
The tequila-bitter pheromone was sharp and burning, hitting him like a jolt straight down his spine.
He let a spike of spiritual energy flicker at his fingertips, while lowering his head in mock fear, hiding the strange glint in his eyes.
That movement exposed the pale curve of his neck. The black-haired alpha leaned in close, hot breath burning against his skin, carrying the faintest, almost hidden trace of roses.
Chi Zhuo’s mind grew foggy. He wanted to mark him. Without realizing, he leaned even closer, until he felt the other man’s body give the tiniest shiver.
But Ji Chenxi wasn’t trembling in fear—he was shuddering in excitement, waiting for him to close the distance. Just a little closer, and maybe he could slash open that artery with ease.
And yet… the alpha who had slammed him against the wall did nothing more.
Huh? Did he sense something?
No way.
Ji Chenxi tightened his grip on the man’s hand, testing it. As expected, the pressure on his throat only grew sharper.
The pain of strangulation radiated straight through his neck.
“What are you doing here?”
Another hot breath hit Ji Chenxi’s face, tinged with the coppery edge of blood. In an instant, he realized—the alpha was clawing his way back to reason through the pain.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking… what exactly you’re doing?” Ji Chenxi coughed lightly, playing up his discomfort.
From the very start, this alpha had pinned him down with brute force. His eyes were dangerous, but his grip loosened just slightly as he growled out, “Who are you?”
The hoarse voice, no matter how restrained, was heavy with hunger. He craved the scent of an omega. His tequila-laced pheromones kept reaching, coaxing, begging—yet not a drop of omega pheromone answered him.
At this point, the alpha named Chi Zhuo was growing more restless, his aura edging toward outright violence. With pheromones spiraling out of control and heat pressing in, he might very well snap Ji Chenxi’s neck—after all, as a fake omega, Ji Chenxi had no pheromones that could calm him down. Yet instead of killing him, Chi Zhuo’s face twisted in pain, and his grip eased just a little.
Was this really the same ruthless alpha from the book?
Ji Chenxi’s situation was dangerous, yet inside he remained perfectly calm. On the surface though, he let just enough fear and panic show, before throwing his words back like a sharp blade: “You’re really rude, you know that?”
He coughed lightly, forcing his face red. “You slammed me against a wall out of nowhere. Shouldn’t I be the one asking who the hell you are?”
He could feel the other man’s breathing grow heavier.
Chi Zhuo wouldn’t last long. If he could, he wouldn’t have needed to temporarily mark Bai Anran at the start.
Ji Chenxi lifted his other hand as if struggling, resting it on Chi Zhuo’s shoulder, while a faint red gleam flickered over the spiritual spike hidden in his palm.
Sure, that was just a book. Killing someone over a book was ridiculous. But right now, the urge to kill was real. Chi Zhuo might claim to be an S-rank alpha, but the truth was he stood even higher—an SSS-rank.
The drugs in tonight’s banquet were real, his 3S ranking was real—so did that mean Ji Chenxi’s death at his hands would also be real?
When danger stares you in the face, you either dodge it or crush it. And right now was the perfect moment. If he struck clean enough, who would ever know?
Ji Chenxi’s muscles tensed, ready to make his move. But just then, as the fire in Chi Zhuo’s body threatened to consume him, the pain finally clawed his scattered mind back to something like clarity.
The grip on Ji Chenxi’s neck loosened slightly, but Chi Zhuo’s gaze didn’t budge, fixed instead on the yin-yang fish earring dangling from his ear. The delicate charm rested easy in its shape, paired with long black tassels brushing against his pale skin. Two dark studs glittered above it, framed by a curtain of silver hair and a face too striking for anyone to look away from. Even through the suppressor ring, there was still the faintest hint of roses drifting around him.
All of it together convinced Chi Zhuo of one thing: this had to be an omega—a high-level omega at that.
The people behind the scenes couldn’t possibly have sent such a rare omega just to restrain him. More likely, this man had stumbled in by mistake.
Chi Zhuo gritted his teeth against the itch in his glands and pulled his hand away. Even with the suppressor ring dulling it, the pressure he’d left on Ji Chenxi’s pale neck had already bloomed into red marks. He sucked in a ragged breath, then stumbled back several steps. “My mistake.”
With that, the tall alpha staggered away.
This turn of events caught Ji Chenxi off guard. He wasn’t the type to let his guard down—especially not around someone stronger than him. And he hadn’t leaked even the faintest trace of killing intent. So if Chi Zhuo wasn’t reacting to that… did he really mistake him for an omega and let him go?
An alpha… showing gentlemanly restraint toward another alpha?
Seriously?
Ji Chenxi almost laughed. The killing intent he’d been holding onto faded away.
It was just a book, after all.
Proud alphas didn’t believe in fate. Even if the story laid out a path in front of him, Ji Chenxi didn’t believe he’d lose against Chi Zhuo.
Catching a drifting petal out of the air, Ji Chenxi’s mood lifted. He followed the lingering trail of tequila-sharp pheromones.
According to the story, Chi Zhuo would run into Bai Anran later and, in a panic, temporarily mark him. Ji Chenxi had no romantic feelings for Bai Anran, but they had been childhood friends, and he didn’t want him dragged into disaster for no reason. If he could meddle with the plot a little, all the better. Drugs didn’t always need an omega’s mark to be dealt with—suppressants worked just fine.
And tonight, luck was on his side—because he’d found Bai Anran before Chi Zhuo did.
Yeah, that made sense. Chi Zhuo still had a shred of reason left in him, so he wasn’t about to lose it completely and just mark someone on the spot. Looked like their encounter would have to wait a little longer.
Bai Anran wasn’t like the typical omega—small and delicate, all soft edges and sweetness. If anything, his height could rival some alphas, and his looks leaned more toward gentle and cool than cute.
When Ji Chenxi ran into him in the garden, Bai Anran looked genuinely surprised.
It had been almost a year since they’d last seen each other. Still, there was no awkwardness in the way Bai Anran carried himself. He stepped forward with open ease, bowed politely, and greeted him: “Your Highness, Third Prince.”
Ji Chenxi didn’t help him up, only said with a faint smile, “So… our relationship has gotten this distant, has it?”
Bai Anran chuckled. He’d clearly had a little too much wine, his face tinted with a soft blush that only made his smile gentler. “Friendship is friendship, rules are rules. Showing respect to a prince—how’s that being distant?”
Ji Chenxi wasn’t surprised. Bai Anran had always been someone who cared about propriety. That was part of the reason why, despite growing up together as an alpha and omega childhood pair, their bond never veered into romance. Which only made him wonder—why was the Bai Anran in the book the one Chi Zhuo became so obsessed with?
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper talk. I heard His Highness tested into the Royal Academy?” Bai Anran asked.
Ji Chenxi gave a simple “Mm.” “Most of my close friends are there.”
The Empire had two top universities: the Royal Academy, filled with the children of nobles and the rich, and the First Military Academy, which leaned heavily toward commoners. With a school like that, it wasn’t surprising Bai Anran had been able to blend in without anyone guessing his true identity.
They hadn’t seen each other in so long, yet after a few polite words, the conversation quickly ran dry.
Ji Chenxi frowned slightly, wondering if he should start a new topic.
He was a prince—he wasn’t used to being the one to steer conversations. And now, for once, he had no idea what else to say to Bai Anran.
Sensing the awkwardness, Bai Anran smoothly shifted the conversation himself. With his gentle guiding, the two of them actually ended up chatting pleasantly as they walked, until Ji Chenxi managed to send him safely back to the villa.
Ji Chenxi lingered outside for a while, trying to catch that lingering trace of tequila-scorched pheromones.
Nothing inside the villa. Looked like that “first encounter” had been broken for good.
But he wasn’t careless. Cautious as ever, he spread his spiritual sense, scanning for the faintest wisp of that scent.
Nothing.
In just a short while, the scent had already thinned into almost nothing. Had he left?
Ji Chenxi clicked his tongue at his own misstep. He circled the garden again, catching only the weakest hint of it—but it was too faint, impossible to pinpoint. Definitely fading. Probably gone. Still, even if things hadn’t gone exactly as he’d planned, at least the fated meeting between the story’s male lead and his destined omega had failed to happen. That alone made this trip worthwhile.
No meeting, no temporary marking. So would that twisted love story—and his so-called death flag—still play out the same way?
Ji Chenxi straightened his clothes, already ready to make his graceful exit.
He tugged lightly at the suppressor ring around his neck. The thing was uncomfortable, biting against his skin, and as he pulled, a thin wisp of rose-scented pheromones slipped free.
He hadn’t gone more than a few steps before a familiar scent coiled around him again, wrapping him in its sharp heat. Ji Chenxi’s brows lifted.
So… he was still here.
Following that stubbornly clinging scent, Ji Chenxi finally found him—hidden among the rose bushes.
The man was a mess, half-slumped against the only tree in the rose garden that didn’t have thorns. His body was covered in cuts from the rose bushes, blood dripping with pheromones so strong it was dizzying. And yet somehow, no one had noticed him here. Was this the terrifying power of a 3S alpha?
Running into him again and again had already put the man on guard. The faint hiss of something slithering across the ground told Ji Chenxi his snake had come out—a seven-meter-long black mamba.
Ji Chenxi quickly adjusted his expression, letting surprise flicker across his face, even curving his lips into a relaxed smile. “Didn’t think you’d actually be here. Your pheromones suddenly wrapped around me, pulled me this way. At first, I thought I was imagining it.”
Between highly compatible alphas and omegas, that kind of pull wasn’t unusual.
“You gonna come out?”
The beautiful young man stretched out his hand.
Chi Zhuo focused on him, his gaze locking onto the figure before him. Silver hair shimmered like liquid light in the moon, making him look like something fallen from the heavens. Even the curve of his smile was soft and tempting, like the blush of a rose. And then there was that faint, elusive fragrance of roses in the air.
An omega with the scent of roses?
The fire that had been clawing at Chi Zhuo from the pit of his stomach was driving him mad. Keeping his pheromones in check had already eaten up most of his strength. Now, faced with someone who was very likely an omega reaching out to him—of course his heart stirred.
But after only the briefest hesitation, his voice snapped cold and sharp: “Get lost.”
Ji Chenxi blinked. “Huh?”
He hadn’t seen that coming at all. Was this the difference between a disposable side character and the main love interest?
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
