The moment Sikong Nian took the suppressant from the medical kit, his hand was trembling.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He was Sikong Nian, one of the empire’s top-tier Alphas.
He was also someone who had survived countless life-and-death missions—he shouldn’t be trembling just from holding a suppressant.
But he was trembling.
Because it was Suisui.
He walked back to Sikong Sui’s room. The girl on the bed had already curled into a ball.
She clutched the blanket tightly, her whole body shrinking into the corner of the bed.
Her face was flushed bright red, spreading from her cheekbones all the way to the tips of her ears and her neck.
That flush seemed alive, flowing slowly across her fair skin.
Her pheromones were completely out of control—the scents of milk, jasmine, and peach were rampaging wildly through the room.
So intense it was almost suffocating.
Sikong Nian sat down by the bed, moving as gently as possible, but Sikong Sui still sensed his presence.
Her eyes were half-open, pupils unfocused, a thin layer of moisture gathering in their corners.
Her lips moved, uttering some indistinct syllables. Sikong Nian couldn’t make out what she was saying, but from the shape of her mouth, he could recognize two words: Xie Ren.
He lowered his gaze without saying anything, reaching out to gently push up Sikong Sui’s sleeve, revealing the fair skin on the inside of her forearm.
Her arm was slender, veins showing a faint bluish-green beneath the skin.
Sikong Nian wiped the injection site with an alcohol swab. The cold touch made Sikong Sui flinch slightly, letting out a muffled whimper.
“It’s alright, Suisui, I’m here.”
Sikong Nian’s voice was as soft as he could make it, but his temples were throbbing, the veins at his temples slightly bulging from suppressing his instincts.
The moment the needle pierced her skin, Sikong Sui’s fingers clenched the bedsheet tightly.
Sikong Nian slowly pushed the plunger, the transparent liquid gradually entering her bloodstream.
His movements were gentle, very gentle, but after a few seconds, his expression changed.
Sikong Sui’s body began to tremble violently, her skin growing even hotter.
The flush that had started to fade not only didn’t recede but spread even faster.
From her neck to her collarbone, from her collarbone to her chest.
The suppressant hadn’t worked.
Not only had it not worked, it was like pouring a bucket of oil onto a fire.
Sikong Sui’s pheromones surged violently the moment after the injection, the scent of milk, jasmine, and peach erupting from her like a tidal wave.
The very air in the room trembled.
Sikong Nian’s pupils contracted sharply. His top-tier Alpha instincts nearly shattered the dam of his reason in that instant.
He clenched his teeth, and the next second, he tasted blood on his tongue.
“Suisui!”
Sikong Sui didn’t answer.
She had already lost clear consciousness, slipping into a semi-comatose state.
Her lips kept moving, emitting fragmented, incoherent sounds, and occasionally tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
“Hot…”
“So uncomfortable…”
Sikong Nian’s hand holding the syringe dropped.
He knew why the suppressant hadn’t worked.
It wasn’t the suppressant’s fault—it was Sikong Sui’s.
She was an SSS-grade Omega, a being at the very peak of the pyramid.
Ordinary suppressants were utterly ineffective against her pheromone rampage—they could even backfire.
It wasn’t that the suppressant he had prepared wasn’t good enough—it was that no suppressant existed specifically for an SSS-level Omega.
An existence that was almost purely theoretical, no one had ever needed to develop suppressants for them.
Sikong Sui curled up on the bed as her body began to exhibit more severe reactions.
Her breathing grew rapid and chaotic, her fingers clutching the sheets in spasms.
Her body temperature had risen to a dangerous level. Sikong Nian reached out to touch her forehead, and the heat transmitted to his palm made his heart sink.
If she continued burning up like this, she would die.
Organ failure caused by pheromone rampage was not unheard of in the ABO world.
Sikong Nian closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his eyes were red.
The pheromones of a top-tier Alpha surged within him, like a wild beast locked away for too long, frantically battering against its cage.
His pheromones and Sikong Sui’s intertwined and resonated in the air.
A one hundred percent compatibility rate was causing his rationality to crumble at a visible pace.
His hands were trembling, his entire body was trembling, yet he still carefully unfolded Sikong Sui from her curled position, laying her flat on the bed.
“Suisui, I’m sorry.” His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
He had no choice.
A temporary mark was the only method that could soothe an SSS-level Omega’s pheromone rampage in the shortest time possible.
A temporary mark from a top-tier Alpha could give the out-of-control pheromones an anchor point.
Sikong Nian leaned down, gently turning Sikong Sui over so she lay on her side.
The back of her neck was completely exposed before him. On that fair skin, the temporary mark left by Xie Ren had faded until it was almost invisible.
Sikong Nian’s gaze lingered on that faint trace for a second. Then he closed his eyes, lowered his head, and opened his mouth.
(…deleted…)
…
The scent of cedar and cold iron, deep and icy, like the first snow of winter falling in a pine forest, pure without a trace of impurity.
…just enough to establish that temporary connection, nothing more.
He dared not do more.
His forehead pressed against the back of her head, his breathing heavy and scorching hot, his entire body seeming as if it might snap at any moment.
(…deleted…)
He slowly straightened up, pulled back, and put distance between them.
A trace of blood stained his lips—he had bitten his own tongue, using the pain to cling to the last shred of his sanity.
His pheromones still raged wildly within him, like an enraged beast.
But he held them down fiercely, using all his willpower to lock them back into the cage.
Sikong Sui’s pheromones began to calm.
The scents of milk, jasmine, and peach transformed from a violent hurricane into a gentle breeze, flowing slowly through the room.
Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and her curled-up body slowly unwound bit by bit.
Her eyes were still somewhat unfocused, but they had regained their focus.
She looked at the ceiling for a few seconds, then slowly turned her head to look at Sikong Nian sitting by the bed.
Sikong Nian sat on the edge of the bed, his back to her, his entire body taut like a stone.
His hands rested on his knees, his fingers still trembling slightly. The back of his neck was drenched in sweat, and the back of his thin shirt was soaked through.
“Are you okay?” Sikong Sui’s voice was very, very soft.
Sikong Nian’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“…Mhm.” His voice was muffled, forced out from deep in his throat.
Sikong Sui slowly sat up.
Her body was still a bit weak, but no longer feverish. Her pheromones had stabilized, and she felt as if she had just been pulled out of water.
She lowered her head to look at her hands—her fingers were no longer trembling. Then she raised a hand and touched the back of her neck.
There was a new bite mark there.
Sikong Sui’s fingers paused. “…I’m fine now.”
Sikong Nian’s body stiffened slightly.
“Turn around and look at me. I really am fine, don’t worry.”
Sikong Nian slowly turned around.
His face was covered in sweat, his eyes rimmed red, and something deep and dark was hidden within his gaze.
“Sui Sui…”
“You did it to save me. I know.”
Sikong Sui reached out and took his fingers in her hand.
His hand was large, with distinct knuckles, and at that moment, it was as cold as stone.
She held his fingers, slowly and gently warming them with her own.
Sikong Nian was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled.
He reached out and slowly ruffled Sikong Sui’s hair, his palm resting against her strands, warmth gradually spreading through.
“That won’t happen. Gege will protect you, for a lifetime.”
Sikong Sui leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes.
When Sikong Nian woke up, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
Morning light seeped through the gaps in the curtains.
His consciousness slowly surfaced from deep sleep, and the first thing he sensed was the lingering scent of pheromones.
The aroma of cedar and cold iron mixed with the faint, milky fragrance of jasmine drifted faintly throughout the room.
He opened his eyes. The other side of the bed was empty.
“Sui Sui?” He sat up, his voice hoarse and strained.
No one answered.
The room was quiet, so quiet that he could hear the birds chirping in the garden outside the window.
Sikong Nian threw off the covers and got out of bed, his bare feet stepping onto the cold floor as he quickly walked out of the room.
She had slept in his bed last night, leaning against his shoulder after his temporary mark.
Curled up beside him like an exhausted kitten, utterly adorable.
He thought for a few seconds, then turned and hurried down the stairs.
The butler was in the first-floor hall, directing the servants as they set up breakfast.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Sikong Nian rushing down the stairs, his hair still disheveled.
“Young Master?” The butler was slightly taken aback.
“Where is Miss?” Sikong Nian’s voice was urgent.
“Miss went out early this morning, before dawn. She said… she had something to take care of and didn’t want anyone to follow.”
Sikong Nian’s fingers tightened around the stair railing, his knuckles turning white.
Went out early in the morning.
Before dawn.
Didn’t want anyone to follow.
These words pieced together in his mind, forming a possibility that made his heart stop.
She had gone to find Xie Ren.