Bai Long was brought back by force.
She had only just reached the stairwell when several men in black, appearing out of nowhere, caught her.
She was an Alpha. She couldn’t guarantee she’d have absolute self-control around an Omega in heat.
—So, the moment she realized his condition, she ran.
Now, Bai Long had been brought back to the ward. She stood near the entrance with her head bowed, unsure what to do with her hands, not daring to step forward rashly.
The lingering scent of pheromones still hung in the air, faint but insistent, tugging at something deep inside her.
Fortunately, it wasn’t as intense now, giving her a bit of room to steady herself.
Lu Yue was sitting by the window. No lights were on inside, and the faint glow from outside cast shallow silhouettes.
Even in the dim moonlight, Bai Long could make out his appearance.
He looked disheveled, as if he had just endured a fierce struggle. Dark circles shadowed his eyes from lack of sleep, and a fine sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead and the tip of his nose.
Beneath his long lashes, his eyes were deep as the sea. Under the moonlight, he seemed to shimmer—dazzling and breathtaking.
While Bai Long stole glances at him from the corner of her eye, Lu Yue was studying her as well.
Unlike the muscular, broad-shouldered Alphas he was used to, this girl was strikingly beautiful.
Her eyes were clear and bright—gazing into them seemed to lighten the heart.
“Come here.”
The man’s voice was hoarse and low, and as his thin lips parted, the faint scent of white cedar lingered between them.
What an Alpha-like Omega.
Bai Long swallowed hard. Knowing she was in the wrong, she hesitated for a moment before obediently stepping forward.
She deliberately kept her distance, standing by Lu Yue’s bed, head lowered and sleeves clenched.
Lu Yue had already treated this marking as a transaction, and after the girl had abandoned him earlier, his initial impression of her wasn’t exactly favorable.
“Why did you run earlier?”
“What, planning to take the money and not deliver?”
“N-no, no, it’s just that I realized you were in heat…”
“So you think it’s honorable to abandon an Omega in heat and run off?”
He let out a cold laugh, his gaze sharp and disdainful.
Bai Long was left speechless, unsure how to defend herself.
It was true—an Alpha with normal instincts would never do something like that.
Unless… she wasn’t capable.
When she had entered the room earlier, she had noticed the pheromones inside were much fainter.
Now, as she stepped closer, she caught sight of the used inhibitor syringe on the bedside table.
Lu Yue didn’t want anyone to see him in a vulnerable, out-of-control state, so he had injected the inhibitor before Bai Long even entered.
He had already taken one earlier—now, this dose far exceeded what his body could safely handle.
If he didn’t get a mark soon, the rebound effect once the inhibitors wore off would be even more severe.
With that thought, Lu Yue’s gaze shifted to the girl standing nervously by his bedside, and his expression darkened with irritation.
“Why are you just standing there?”
Without waiting for Bai Long to respond, he impatiently tugged at the collar of his shirt, damp with sweat and sticking to his skin, revealing the flushed area beneath.
He seemed completely unaware—or perhaps unconcerned—about being an Omega, exposing his gland in front of Bai Long without any defense.
Or maybe, to be more precise, he simply didn’t consider such a weak Alpha as her to be a threat at all.
“Come here. Mark me.”
“…”
Damn, what kind of domineering CEO line is that?
Even though the concentration of pheromones in the room had dropped significantly, that didn’t mean Bai Long was completely unaffected.
She felt her body temperature rising, and her head was foggy, lacking clarity.
Bai Long took a deep breath, thinking she should just get it over with quickly, then walked over and sat on the edge of Lu Yue’s bed.
Seeing the man show little reaction, she swallowed hard and leaned in somewhat awkwardly.
The intense scent of white cedar, laced with something deeper, completely enveloped Bai Long’s senses.
Lu Yue had turned his head slightly to the side. The two were now quite close—if Bai Long lifted her gaze just a little, she could clearly see the sharp line of his jaw.
The flushed skin, and the subtle movement of his Adam’s apple.
—He wasn’t as calm and composed as he appeared.
This realization eased some of the tension in Bai Long’s heart.
“Hurry up.”
Even as Lu Yue tried to hold back, a faint tremor lingered in his voice, impossible to ignore.
Bai Long didn’t respond immediately to his urging. She stared at the reddened gland in silence for a moment.
“…Um, how exactly do I do this?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man abruptly turned his head to look at her.
The two were already close, and with this sudden movement, the tip of his nose nearly brushed against Bai Long’s cheek.
The girl’s eyes were bright, her face flushed red from the effect of Lu Yue’s pheromones.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any experience. I don’t know how to do this properly…”
“Could you… teach me?”
Lu Yue could tell she genuinely didn’t know what to do. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused.
“Teach you? Didn’t you take biology classes in school? Even if you don’t know the specifics, when you smelled my pheromones, you should have…”
He paused mid-sentence, struck by a sudden thought.
It wasn’t anything else—Lu Yue had just remembered how Bai Long had pushed open the door earlier, sensed his heat, and then dashed away as if she’d seen a ghost.
Not only that, but from the moment she entered until now, in a room saturated with his pheromones,
Bai Long had only shown flushed cheeks and ears—not a trace of her own pheromones had been stirred.
He recalled Liang Shen mentioning that Bai Long had undergone a genetic mutation and needed time to stabilize. Could that be why her sensory perception was weakened?
But that didn’t quite add up. If Bai Long’s senses were truly diminished, she shouldn’t have been able to detect his pheromones at all when he was using blockers.
Could this girl really be… incapable?
At this possibility, Lu Yue’s expression visibly shifted into something complicated.
A faint crease appeared between his brows, and his gaze toward Bai Long carried an inexplicable hint of pity.
“Never mind. Just try it first.”
A bite mark wasn’t a full mark—it didn’t require Bai Long to be “capable” in that sense. As long as her pheromones were present, biting through and injecting a small amount into his gland could provide some stabilizing effect.
Lu Yue pressed his thin lips together, enduring the pain as he tried to steady his emotions.
“Bite through my gland, then transfer a bit of your pheromones. That’s all.”
Bite through.
Hearing the phrase, Bai Long felt an odd itch in her teeth for some reason.
She subtly ground her molars. Beneath her long lashes, her eyes reflected the man’s visibly weary appearance.
Noticing Lu Yue’s complexion growing paler, she realized the inhibitor’s effects were probably wearing off.
Bai Long pushed aside all irrelevant thoughts.
Her fingertips twitched slightly as she tentatively reached out and touched Lu Yue’s gland.
Just that light brush made Lu Yue’s breath hitch, his body tensing sharply.
Bai Long didn’t dare look around. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and lowered her head to bite down.
She didn’t use much force—the pain of breaking the skin on his gland was negligible to Lu Yue.
Seeing that he didn’t show any discomfort, Bai Long relaxed internally and then gradually began to transfer her pheromones through the gland.
But the man, who had shown no reaction just a moment ago, suddenly seemed as if all his strength had been drained. His back, straight as a pine tree, now looked as though it had been violently broken.
His entire body abruptly collapsed.
He seemed to be in pain, his hands gripping the bedsheet tightly, knuckles turning white.
As his chest heaved violently, the surrounding pheromones grew even more intense.
“Mr. Lu, did I—did I bite too hard?”
Bai Long hurried over to check on him. Seeing his trembling form and lack of response, she gently patted his shoulder.
“Mr. Lu?”
It wasn’t that Bai Long had used too much force—rather, her pheromones had hit him with overwhelming intensity. Just that small amount was enough to make his legs go weak.
“…I’m fine.”
After a long moment, once the intense surge had passed, Lu Yue finally pushed himself up to sit.
The girl’s sweet pheromones flowed from his gland throughout his entire body, marking the completion of a hasty yet intoxicating temporary mark.
He didn’t know whether it was due to their high pheromonal compatibility or simply because he liked the scent itself.
The moment her pheromones entered him, Lu Yue felt his entire being lighten as if floating on clouds.
At the same time, he felt deeply frustrated with himself.
An Alpha who, even after enhancement, was only B-rank—just a hint of her pheromones had reduced him to such a disheveled, overwhelmed state. His pride took a heavy blow.
Both embarrassed and defeated.
Bai Long had no idea what Lu Yue was thinking.
From her perspective, all she could see was the exposed skin of his neck.
Due to the bite mark, Bai Long could sense her pheromones coursing through the man’s body.
She noticed that apart from a slightly elevated body temperature and flushed cheeks, he didn’t seem to have any major issues.
It was probably a normal reaction after marking—he should stabilize after a while.
With that thought, Bai Long relaxed. Moonlight streamed in from outside, casting the entire room in a tranquil, gentle glow.
“That’s good. As long as you’re alright.”
Liang Shen was waiting outside. To minimize Bai Long’s influence on Lu Yue after marking, he had specifically reminded her before she entered.
He said Omegas often became emotionally unstable after being marked, and Lu Yue had a short temper and cared deeply about saving face. He advised Bai Long to finish the mark and leave as quickly as possible.
“Then… rest well. It’s late, so I’ll head back now. If you feel unwell later, remember to call Dr. Liang.”
She didn’t wait for Lu Yue’s response, turning around to leave as soon as she finished speaking.
Lu Yue was stunned.
What?
She was just… leaving?
Didn’t she know that Omegas were most emotionally vulnerable and needed comfort at a time like this?
Even if he didn’t need her to stay, she shouldn’t have been so quick to walk away.
Was this something a normal Alpha would do?
“Stop right there! Did I say you could leave?”
Lu Yue was furious, throwing off the covers as if to get up.
But because his strength hadn’t yet returned, the moment his feet touched the floor, his legs gave way and he stumbled to the floor beside the bed.
Hearing the commotion, Bai Long was startled and hurried over to help him up.
The moment her hands touched Lu Yue, he struggled, trying to push her away.
But in his current state, his strength was little more than a feeble scratch, utterly unable to budge Bai Long.
Instead, being so close to her, just the scent of her pheromones was enough to stir a reaction in him.
Lu Yue’s body stiffened, and he stopped moving.
Bai Long naturally felt it too.
Her pupils shrank, and she wore the same panicked, flustered expression as when she had fled earlier.
“M-Mr. Lu, this marking deal doesn’t… include after-sales service, right?”
“…”