Dou Ming gently lifted Jiang Wan’s waist and pulled him into his arms, carefully lifting the back of his collar and brushing his fingertips over the slightly raised gland.
It was scorching hot.
“Does it hurt?” Dou Ming’s voice was low, filled with restraint.
Jiang Wan obediently nodded, a soft “mm” escaping from his nose.
“It’ll hurt for a moment, but then you’ll feel better, okay?” His tone was soft, coaxing.
Jiang Wan’s pupils trembled as he hurriedly wrapped his arms around Dou Ming’s neck. “No, I don’t want it.”
Dou Ming’s voice became even gentler, incredibly patient as he coaxed softly, “Our Wan Wan is the best. The shot will be over quickly, just a little pain, and it’ll pass, okay?”
Jiang Wan shook his head, his eyes welling up with tears. “I’ve had too many shots. It hurts more and more every time.” He gazed up at Dou Ming with wide eyes, his breath weak as he pleaded, “Please, don’t.”
Dou Ming’s heart sank. He bent down to look at the back of Jiang Wan’s neck, where the sweet scent of pheromones lingered, but all he could focus on were the numerous needle marks on his gland.
Some were fresh, others old. Big ones, small ones.
Too many wounds. They stung his eyes.
The puncture marks, repeatedly stabbed, had left dark scars.
Jiang Wan was still so young—why had he been given so many inhibitor shots?
Dou Ming suddenly recalled a certain organization he had reported on before.
They lured underage Omegas into taking out “naked loans”. When the Omega couldn’t repay the high interest, they used explicit photos to coerce them into signing voluntary drug-testing agreements.
One of the drugs was designed to forcibly trigger an Omega’s heat.
Dou Ming’s face darkened as he looked at the back of Jiang Wan’s neck. He slowly stroked Jiang Wan’s trembling spine, his typically cold cedar scent now inexplicably gentle, miraculously calming the Omega in heat.
Jiang Wan lazily rested his head on Dou Ming’s shoulder, panting softly, his breath hot.
He clung to Dou Ming like a cat, quietly and intimately.
Their heads were touching, ears pressed against each other.
For half a minute, the sweet Omega pheromones seemed to settle.
But then, an undercurrent began to stir.
Dou Ming had scored full marks in biology class, and he remembered all the physiological knowledge about Omegas perfectly.
A heat could not be resolved through mere hugs or kisses—those shallow forms of contact.
There had to be deep contact.
In other words, a mark.
Otherwise, the only solution would be to use an inhibitor.
Though Jiang Wan had weathered the first wave of his heat, this was not something to celebrate.
The second wave would come stronger and more unbearable.
After the second, there would be a third, a fourth…
Every gift comes with a hidden price tag.
The heavens had given Omegas extraordinary beauty, resilient bodies, and exceptional fertility. Inevitably, the price they had to pay was equally significant.
Inescapable heats. Unavoidable bonding cycles.
Human reason was insignificant in the face of instincts ingrained by genes.
Dou Ming lowered his gaze, licking the tips of his emerging fangs.
Jiang Wan sat in his lap, the cedar scent helping him regain a little clarity.
He propped himself up on Dou Ming’s chest, noticing that at some point, two buttons on his shirt had come undone, revealing his delicate, pale collarbone.
He rubbed the back of his neck, about to speak when Dou Ming suddenly reached out and wiped away the tears at the corner of his eye with his thumb.
Jiang Wan stared blankly at Dou Ming’s tightly pressed thin lips, their sensual shape perfect for kissing.
An unbidden thought popped into his head: What if… we just did it? No strings attached, just for fun.
Afterwards, he would disappear on his own, never causing trouble again…
As he was pondering how to phrase it subtly, he saw Dou Ming looking at him with a serious expression, saying, “I’ll take responsibility.”
Jiang Wan: “?”
He instinctively backed away, trying to escape, but Dou Ming grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his embrace.
“Mm!” The aggressive burst of Alpha pheromones surged into Jiang Wan’s fragile gland, and in an instant, he was back in heat.
He collapsed once again into Dou Ming’s arms, feeling like he had turned into a puddle of spring water. His body burned, his brain stopped working, and a haze covered his eyes, making everything blurry.
Through the fog, he heard Dou Ming’s low voice: “You don’t want an inhibitor, you want me instead?”
“I’ll give you that.”
“Don’t be afraid, I’ll take responsibility.”
The last remnants of Jiang Wan’s rationality desperately screamed in his mind, but soon, even that was drowned out.
Dou Ming held Jiang Wan by the waist with his left hand and cradled the back of his head with his right. Once he had him firmly in place, he bent down and bit into the smooth, delicate skin of his neck.
The Alpha’s fangs sank unhesitatingly into the Omega’s gland, and the collision of pheromones ignited sparks between them.
At some point, the vacuum cleaner’s hum had stopped. The faint sighs from inside the wardrobe caught Aunt Xue’s attention.
Aunt Xue set the vacuum cleaner down, removed her rubber gloves, and slowly approached the wardrobe, gently pulling the door open.
…
Jiang Wan and Dou Ming sat obediently on the sofa, while Aunt Xue stood in front of them, her expression blank.
She first looked at Jiang Wan—his hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled, and his entire demeanor dejected, though there was a hint of spring-like energy at the corners of his eyes and brows.
Then she looked at Dou Ming, his face calm, his gaze somber, and his lips pressed into a straight line, looking as proper as could be. But there was still an indescribable sense of satisfaction about him.
Aunt Xue: “…”
Jiang Wan’s eyes darted around nervously, his guilty conscience bubbling up. “We were just…”
“I’ll take responsibility,” Dou Ming interrupted Jiang Wan, repeating that promise for the third time.
Jiang Wan: “!” He quickly added, “No, no, no, it was just an accident! It won’t happen again…”
“How will you take responsibility?” Aunt Xue interrupted Jiang Wan as well, turning her sharp gaze to the young man who had just made such a serious promise.
Dou Ming pursed his lips, looking at Aunt Xue with a solemn expression. “I’ll take care of all my troubles, gather the betrothal gifts as soon as possible, and come to formally propose.”
Jiang Wan: “…”
Dude, it was just a temporary mark! There’s no need to be this serious!
Betrothal gifts? Are you serious?!
