The tone of his words carried a hint of grievance, causing Bai Heting to turn his head to look at him.
The rim of Luo Congye’s ear was so red it looked as if it might bleed.
“Are you commanding me?” Bai Heting asked.
Luo Congye did not reply, but his breathing grew even heavier.
Bai Heting had no mindset left to say anything else either.
This time, without the influence of drugs, every single sensory perception was exceptionally distinct and vivid.
The panting beside his ear grew increasingly rapid and fevered; separated only by the crumpled linen nightrobe, that young heart thudded against Bai Heting’s chest like a ringing bell.
Bai Heting’s fingers brushed against his own dampness.
“Let go.” He said hoarsely.
It was clearly a normal physiological response, yet a strange hint of shame inexplicably arose.
Luo Congye released his hand, and a kiss landed on the side of his face at the same time.
Bai Heting suddenly realized that Luo Congye was kissing the tear mole beneath his eye.
Memory was triggered by that familiar motion, and the breath that brushed his face was scorching, carrying the sharp scent of tequila.
Pheromones usually didn’t make him drunk, but Bai Heting felt as though he were intoxicated.
He tilted his neck up to seek the Alpha’s lips, but Luo Congye abruptly leaned back and raised his hand to cover his mouth.
The fragmented moans were sealed away together into the broad palm.
Luo Congye looked down at him, and only after a moment did he slowly speak.
“This is…” His voice was not as clear as usual, it was soaked and made hoarse by desire, yet his tone was faint, “…something you can only do with the person you love.”
Bai Heting blinked in confusion.
It was utterly baffling.
Even at a time like this, he was still agonizing over such trivial and inconsequential details.
But there had always been things about Luo Congye that he could not read.
For instance, the six-year-old Luo Congye would weep silently over the tragic death of his mother.
As for his own mother, if he could even be called a mother, his bloody and indecent death had left the six-year-old Bai Heting with nothing but endless trauma, alongside an uncontrollable aversion and disgust toward the fragile species that were Omegas.
It was only after he grew older that he gradually understood that was because the six-year-old Luo Congye possessed something the six-year-old Bai Heting had never had.
Love.
Luo Congye did not give him any more opportunities to be distracted; he pulled the nightrobe off over his head as dense, meticulous kisses rained down once again.
His kisses were excessively detailed, like reclaiming a barren wasteland, or perhaps like exploring.
His consciousness felt as though it had been cleanly split in two: one half surrendering to the pleasure the Alpha was giving him, while the other looked on from above, despising itself for sinking into desire.
……
It took a long time for the sound of panting in the room to quiet down. Having experienced a mini-death, Bai Heting finally returned to the land of the living. He let go of the bed curtains he had crumpled in his grip, used the discarded nightrobe to wipe away the messy bodily fluids on himself, and spoke in a voice so hoarse it was nearly inaudible, “Where on earth… did you learn all this?”
The fir pheromones were still crashing around out of control. Luo Congye reached out to place his hand on the nape of his neck to check his body temperature.
It was still scalding.
“Maybe I’m a bit smarter than you think.” He rolled Bai Heting over onto his side before leaning down to kiss the knife scar on his shoulder. “My grades in military strategy were pretty good.”
Military strategy…
Bai Heting buried his face in the feather pillow and let out a faint scoff. “You learn a few tricks, and you use them all on me?”
Luo Congye did not answer.
To be fair, Bai Heting hadn’t exactly given him much of a chance to utilize his talents on anyone else.
But talking back to the general at a time like this was clearly not a wise move.
“Stop licking.” The sated Omega’s voice was lazy as he flexed his shoulder blades a few times. “No matter how much you lick it, it won’t heal.”
Luo Congye propped himself up over his body, feeling each and every scar on his back one by one.
His body had in fact accumulated so many new wounds in thirteen years.
As if guessing what he was thinking, Bai Heting said dismissively, “Going to the battlefield means taking a few wounds, that’s only natural.”
Luo Congye caressed the longest knife scar on his back.
“I will risk my life to protect you.” He said softly.
Bai Heting turned halfway around to look at him.
What utter arrogance.
“Protect?” He raised his hand to pinch Luo Congye’s chin, saying coldly, “Do you take me for someone who remembers nothing from last time?”
It took Luo Congye a few seconds to process this in a daze, and his face instantly flushed bright red.
That night in the cave, he had been just one step away from committing a catastrophic mistake.
A finger slid across his lips, pushed into his oral cavity, and felt past that row of neat teeth one by one before finally coming to a stop on the occlusal surface of one of them.
This was a canine tooth used for marking a mate, one of the sexual characteristics of an Alpha.
Betas and Omegas also grew canines, but if one touched them carefully, they would find that these two teeth in an Alpha were somewhat sharper.
“Manage your dog teeth first.” Bai Heting shoved his face away. “If you ever dare to bite me, I will pry them all out.”
Luo Congye wanted to give him a firm, unyielding “I won’t,” but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
He was indeed enduring it with immense difficulty.
The person beneath him was completely unclothed, his skin smooth as jade and slicked with a thin sweat from the lovemaking, flushed with a subtle crimson. The gland at the nape of his neck had swollen into a small mound due to the eruption of pheromones.
“Do you Alphas…” Bai Heting sighed and closed his eyes. “…always find yourselves unable to resist… wanting to take a bite when you see an Omega in heat?”
This time, Luo Congye answered very honestly, “No.”
Bai Heting asked, “Really?”
Luo Congye replied, “Really.”
“En…”
It was unclear whether Bai Heting believed him or not.
This kind of occasion was not suited for thinking. He reached back to press against Luo Congye’s thigh with his fingertips stroking the firm leg muscles, and urged, “Come in.”
*
The following afternoon, Luo Congye opened his eyes amidst rustling sounds and saw Bai Heting standing by the bed with his back turned to him.
The wool mattress beneath them was heavily stained, and the air was thick with the lingering scent of lovemaking, but the fir pheromones had already settled into calmness.
Luo Congye sat up against the headboard.
Bai Heting slipped into a new nightrobe that the attendants had prepared for him in advance. He glanced back at Luo Congye, then lowered his head to continue fastening the buttons, saying in a flat tone, “You differentiated at fifteen.”
With the heat receded, Bai Heting had returned to his usual self.
Rational and cold, he carried an air of aloof detachment that warned others to keep their distance.
Luo Congye had left this place at fifteen and entered the guard regiment at sixteen; this was an answer that could be deducted very easily. He didn’t reply but got out of bed and went over to the door of the room to pick up his trousers.
“Why did you sneak out?” Bai Heting asked.
Luo Congye answered in an equally flat tone, “They said that only Betas could enter the guard regiment.”
His answer aligned perfectly with Bai Heting’s speculation.
Betas did not have to go through differentiation fever. In order to enter the guard regiment and pledge his loyalty to him, this kid had fled this place in a hurry right as his second gender was differentiating.
“Foolish.” Bai Heting glanced fleetingly at his thighs. “To pass yourself off as a Beta, you actually used a knife on your own body?”
Luo Congye’s motion of pulling on his trousers came to a brief halt.
Nothing ever escaped General Bai’s eyes.
Cut by cut, he had trained his body to develop a conditional reflex, learning how to control his pheromones.
Luo Congye put on his trousers without making a sound, then picked up his girdled short shirt from the floor.
Bai Heting walked over to the table and poured himself half a glass of wine, suddenly stating, “You don’t need to go back to the guard regiment anymore.”
This time, even Luo Congye’s breathing came to a halt.
“Go find Qiu Chen in the main hall,” Bai Heting continued. “I had him prepare a room for you. Officially, we will say that you are my close guard.”
Luo Congye stared at him fixedly without moving.
It was as if he hadn’t understood.
With his mind occupied by his upcoming audience with the king, Bai Heting didn’t pay attention to his expression and explained casually, “My pheromones are quite unstable right now. It will be more convenient if you move back here.”
Luo Congye still did not move. Bai Heting wet his throat with a sip of wine, glanced at him, and asked in confusion, “What are you still lingering here for? I’m about to bathe.”
*
Luo Congye arranged his clothing meticulously before finally pushing the door open and stepping out.
The corridor was still completely unguarded.
Although he had lived here for many years, he rarely had the chance to pass through this particular corridor. No one except Bai Heting’s adjutant, his personal attendants, the mansion’s chief steward, and the resident physician had permission to enter the general’s bedroom.
Intruding without authorization would result in severe punishment.
However, he had been to the large terrace at the end of the long corridor many times.
Looking down from the terrace, one could see a vast, transparent lake that was as quiet as a mirror. When the weather was good, the lake water was as clear and azure as if washed, making him feel as though he were in his hometown once again.
Luo Congye’s footsteps hesitated slightly. Instead of heading straight downstairs, he took a few extra steps toward the terrace.
Yet there was already someoneon the terrace.
Hearing the sound, the man turned around, his gaze meeting Luo Congye’s bewildered eyes.
Luo Congye was bewildered not because someone had come to the terrace to enjoy the view, but because the face before him gave him a distinct sense of familiarity.
The man, however, was much calmer than him. He sized Luo Congye up for a moment and threw out an ambiguous opening line, “Do you still like to eat sour things?”
Luo Congye’s eyes gradually widened, a familiar name right on the tip of his tongue, “Cheng—”
“Shh.”
Zhou Chengbei looked behind him before pressing his right index finger against his lips to signal him to be quiet. “Call me Physician Zhou.”
