His limbs were numb with heat, and the blood seemed to suddenly start flowing after having been coagulated for a long time. His body could not adapt, and the itchiness pulled him out of the darkness.
Fang Fengzhi squinted his eyes due to the dim light at the side. After he recovered, he looked around. It was a large room, as if he were in a hotel. The last scene in his memory suddenly rushed into his mind, and Fang Fengzhi felt cold all over. Now, there was no discomfort around his gland—no suffocating heat or the burning sensation he usually felt during estrus. On the contrary, that area felt oddly soothed, as if it no longer existed. Fang Fengzhi didn’t feel any relief, though. Instead, he felt a deep sense of regret and pain. He knew exactly what this meant.
He barely raised his weak hands and reached behind with some trembling.
When Fang Fengzhi felt the teeth marks on his gland, he shuddered. He didn’t know how forcefully the Alpha in heat had bitten him, but even the slightest touch made it hurt so much. Without even needing to look, he knew that the area must be in a terrible state. But the strange thing was that, apart from the gland, there was no discomfort in other parts of his body, which meant that he had not been violated by the group of alphas.
Why?
Fang Fengzhi lifted the quilt. Perhaps the alpha just wanted to bring him here to enjoy him alone. In any case, it was not a good idea to stay here all the time. He wanted to get off the bed but heard the sound of the door opening. He stared at the person coming in from outside.
It was a beta holding a tray. She didn’t look very young. Seeing Fang Fengzhi open his eyes, she paused for a moment and smiled kindly, “Are you awake?”
Fang Fengzhi hadn’t said anything yet when the Beta put down the tray. “Wait a moment, I’ll go call Sir.”
The “sir” she referred to was likely that Alpha. Fang Fengzhi clutched the bedsheet, uncertain if this was a typical response after marking. He felt utterly weak, unable to move his legs, let alone leave. All he could do was sit there, frozen on the bed.
He heard footsteps coming from outside the door, and the familiar pheromone gradually approached with the sound. It had an aggressive, smoky scent, but the Omega marked by this pheromone actually liked it. The scent made his whole body heat up. Fang Fengzhi couldn’t control his physiological reactions, his palms sweating nervously.
The scent grew closer and stronger, and Fang Fengzhi didn’t dare lift his head. He kept it lowered, staring vacantly at the small pile of wrinkles on the blanket. The sound of footsteps filled the room, and the alpha’s pheromones instantly enveloped his body.
He heard a familiar voice: “You’re awake? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?”
Fang Fengzhi paused for a second before lifting his head—
He exaggeratedly widened his eyes, his mouth slightly open in disbelief. “I-Is it you?” He never expected the person in front of him to be the alpha who had taken him to the hospital a few months ago. Because of the kindness this person had shown him, Fang Fengzhi relaxed a little. He felt that this alpha wasn’t a bad person.
The alpha’s gaze swept over his body, and seeing that the omega didn’t appear to be in any discomfort, Min Zhi felt relieved. He had been worried that the Omega might not be able to handle Enigma’s strong pheromones.
“You’ve been asleep for a whole day. Eat something first.” Min Zhi stood by the door, keeping a distance from Fang Fengzhi. After marking, the Omega’s pheromones were highly attractive to him, and he worried that he might once again lose control and do something to Fang Fengzhi.
At that time, his original intention for staying close to Fang Fengzhi was simply to prevent the Omega from being harmed by people with ill intentions. Although he didn’t accept an Omega as a partner, it didn’t mean he despised this group. He respected everyone, and his moral values wouldn’t allow such things to happen right in front of him.
But when he took the omega from those alphas, the omega’s alluring pheromones instantly invaded his mind, and for a brief moment, he lost his sanity.
He could feel the Omega trembling in his arms. Min Zhi lowered his head and saw the Omega’s face turn pale, looking as if he was in unbearable pain. It was then that Min Zhi suddenly remembered that while pheromone suppression could indeed be something that attacks Alphas, it was also very damaging to Omegas.
He immediately stopped releasing his pheromones.
Seeing the Alpha in front of him, equally suffering because of his pheromones, Fang Fengzhi realized he had been intoxicated by his Omega’s scent and had completely lost his rationality. It looked like they were about to pounce and fight with him the next moment.
If a fight really broke out, the Omega would definitely be hurt as well, and it would cause quite a disturbance. If photos were taken, those meddlesome media would have a field day, turning it into a headline.
This was not a good solution.
Min Zhi licked his canine teeth. His gaze flickered over the Omega’s scent glands, and suddenly, he grabbed the Omega by the front of the neck and bit down on the spot he had been thinking about for a long time.
As long as he marked him, everything would be easy to resolve.
That’s what he had thought at the time, but in reality, Min Zhi knew that wasn’t the only solution.
The Omega’s pheromones were too enticing, and it was a scent that had lingered in his mind, one he couldn’t shake off. He became captivated by it, focused solely on marking him to satisfy his own desires, using this excuse to justify his actions. But now, whenever Min Zhi thought about everything he had done, he only felt regret. Facing the innocent Omega in front of him, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.
“Once you’ve eaten, we’ll talk.”
Fang Fengzhi was momentarily stunned, then quickly responded, “Ah, okay…”
After the Alpha left, Fang Fengzhi lay on the bed for a little while longer. His stomach was empty and painfully hungry. He propped himself up and sat at the table. The auntie had just brought a small bowl of congee, mixed with mushrooms and fresh meat—it smelled delicious.
After finishing his meal, he lifted the tray and opened the door. Only then did he realize that the place wasn’t a hotel. The auntie, seeing him carrying the tray, hurried over. It was the first time Min Zhi had brought someone home, and the Omega had even been carried in by him. To her, the Omega was now like another owner of the house. She took the tray from the Omega’s hands, saying, “I’ll handle this…”
“You’re looking for Sir, right?” The auntie pointed with her finger. “He’s downstairs.”
Fang Fengzhi smiled at the auntie. “Thank you.”
The Alpha was sitting in the living room, using a laptop. As soon as Fang Fengzhi came downstairs, he saw the Alpha glance up at him.
“Sit down.”
Fang Fengzhi sat on the side sofa, and he could smell the Alpha’s pheromones constantly flowing, reacting with his own. It was so awkward.
The Alpha closed the laptop and set it aside. “Mr. Fang,” he said, looking at the Omega’s fingers tightly gripping his knees, “About what happened yesterday… I intended to help you, but I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”
The omega paused for a moment. “Help me?”
Min Zhi nodded. “At that time, I saw you on the street and noticed a few alphas following you. I was worried they might do something to you, so I followed you…”
But he never expected that the one who ended up doing that was actually him.
“Mr. Fang, I’m very sorry.”
Seeing the Omega silent, Min Zhi spoke again, “This mistake is on me. If Mr. Fang needs any compensation, I am willing to take responsibility.”
Fang Fengzhi furrowed his brows, unsure of what to say.
Fang Fengzhi looked at the Alpha in front of him. He could take this person to court—over the past few years, the government had implemented various protective measures for Omegas. But then what? If it went to court, his family would find out, and his husband would also know. In the end, it would be he who would be thrust into the public spotlight. Furthermore, he knew he couldn’t place all the blame on the Alpha. The Alpha had intended to help him, but the situation got out of control. In some ways, he should be grateful to him. If it weren’t for him, he might have been harmed by that group of unfamiliar Alphas. But at the same time, the mark on him was real—it was forcefully imprinted.
He then heard the Alpha ask, “Mr. Fang, are you married?”
Fang Fengzhi glanced at the ring on his ring finger and nodded. But inside, he felt a heavy sinking sensation, as if his heart was endlessly dropping.
If this matter were to reach Fu Baiqi, he would find a reason to completely sever ties with him. And the fault would lie with him—Fu Baiqi’s mother wouldn’t let him off easily, nor would his own family… his mother had borrowed a large sum of money for surgery from Fu Baiqi’s family, and if Fu Baiqi’s mother demanded repayment, he wouldn’t be able to pay it back anytime soon.
What should he do?
Min Zhi looked at the pale-faced Omega. “How about this, Mr. Fang? The temporary mark won’t last long, it should fade in about two weeks. You can stay here for now, and once the mark completely fades, you can go back.”
Seeing Fang Fengzhi lift his head to look at him, the Alpha spoke, “You can stay here without worry. I won’t do anything to you.”
Then, to ease Fang Fengzhi’s concerns further, he added, “I don’t come back often.”
After a long while, Fang Fengzhi finally nodded, as if making a firm decision.
It had to be this way—there was no other option left.
