Chapter 2

Ling Ran unconsciously took a half step back, instinctively refusing, “No need, I can do it myself...”

But before he finished speaking, a thunderclap split the dark clouds, roaring through the sky.

Startled by the thunder, Ling Ran looked up, silently pressing his lips together.

It seemed a thunderstorm was imminent.

Inside the car, a faint chuckle sounded, the tone commanding and unyielding: “Get in. Don’t make me say it a third time.”

Ling Ran recalled what Sheng Yi had told him before—that his uncle was notoriously domineering. Previously, when some family members opposed his uncle’s reforms in the family business and caused a disturbance at headquarters, his uncle had brutally broken the rebellious man’s leg right before the entire family, a ruthless and terrifying act. Since then, no one dared openly defy him.

If he angered his uncle too...

Without hesitation, Ling Ran opened the car door and plopped into the seat.

The car window rolled up, the driver pressed the accelerator, and the Maybach sped away.

The downpour seemed to begin the moment Ling Ran got in, the car interior peaceful except for the steady pattering of rain against the window.

Ling Ran shifted uncomfortably, whispering, “Thank you, Uncle...”

Though his voice was as soft as a whisper, the enclosed space made it clearly audible.

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at him from the side, intrigued by the address: “What did you call me?”

The small Omega sitting beside him was visibly nervous, tense all over, sitting only halfway on the leather seat.

He appeared damp from the rain, his once slightly curled and fluffy hair now obediently clinging soft and smooth to his pale neck.

There was also a faint, sweet fragrance emanating subtly from him.

Ling Ran tugged at his damp jacket and obediently repeated, “Uncle.”

He and Sheng Yi were about to marry, so naturally, he treated Sheng Yi’s elders with respect.

But this elder showed him no such courtesy; his narrow, cold gaze scrutinized the back of Ling Ran’s neck.

Though a delicate, thin barrier patch was stuck there, for an alpha to openly stare at an Omega’s gland in such a manner was rather rude...

Ling Ran lifted his hand, gently covering the patch on his neck, only then realizing the rain had loosened one edge of it.

He tried hard to press it down, but the patch had lost its stickiness and refused to adhere, wobbling as if about to fall off.

Frantically searching his pockets, Ling Ran was dismayed to find he’d only brought the blocking agent, no extra patches.

As he fretted, the man beside him said in a low voice to the driver upfront, “Give him a patch.”

They were stopped at a red light; the driver, Zhao Qin, quickly rummaged through the storage compartment and handed one back.

Ling Ran looked gratefully at Jiang Zhiyu, then took the patch with both hands.

Softly, he said, “Thank you.”

It seemed he had misunderstood—though intimidating, his uncle was actually kind and considerate.

But then the uncle spoke again: “Your neck is wet.”

Ling Ran opened his mouth: “Ah...”

“Take it off and replace it.”

Ling Ran’s eyes widened: “What?!”

The red light changed; Zhao Qin pressed a button, and a partition slowly rose in the spacious rear seat of the Maybach, dividing the interior into two sections.

Ling Ran clenched the patch tightly but hesitated to act.

Jiang Zhiyu reclined lazily in the leather seat, legs folded casually, and asked, “Can’t you change it yourself?”

Ling Ran bit his lip and whispered, “I can.”

He just had never done it in front of others before.

He felt the gland at the back of his neck throb painfully; soon the entire car would be filled with his pheromones' scent.

After much hesitation, he unwrapped the new patch labeled “Alpha exclusive.”

It was meant for alphas during their sensitive periods to prevent pheromone overflow; Omegas could use it too, with even stronger blocking effects.

As he tore open the package, he thought to himself—he really was an alpha.

Finally opening it, Ling Ran held the new patch in one hand and reached behind to the curled edge of the old one.

Taking a deep breath and silently steeling himself, he reassured, It’s just changing a patch in front of someone, not changing clothes—nothing shameful.

If he moved quickly, no pheromones would leak.

With a sudden tug, he peeled the wet patch off instantly.

As he raised his slender arm to apply the new one, a strong grip suddenly seized his wrist.

The intoxicating scent of rose and grape exploded instantly throughout the car cabin—like spilled fresh grape juice mingled with alluring rose perfume, invading his lungs with a fierce intensity.

Jiang Zhiyu’s grip tightened on the fragile wrist, as if a slight squeeze could break the delicate Omega.

He stopped the young Omega’s movements, forbidding him from reapplying the patch.

Instead, his jade-like fingers gently parted a few damp strands stuck to the pale neck beneath.

Exposed without any barrier, the swollen, tender gland flushed a deeper red, its rich grape aroma intensifying.

Ling Ran was utterly frightened by this sudden act, struggling helplessly, but the grip only grew tighter.

Those possessive, tormenting eyes fixed unblinkingly on his vulnerable gland, allowing no escape.

Tears welled in Ling Ran’s peach-blossom eyes, his heart aching with helplessness.

“P-please let go of me...” he whimpered softly.

An Omega’s gland was deeply private; no one but their mate should ever see it—especially not a dangerously intense alpha.

Moreover, no one had ever gazed upon his gland like this—not even Jiang Shengyi.

Jiang Zhiyu’s dark eyes examined the fragile gland at the nape of the slender, pale neck.

Though slightly swollen and reddened, it was smooth, bearing no bite marks.

“Never been marked?” he asked.

Ling Ran’s wrist throbbed painfully, his fingers barely holding the patch.

He choked out softly, “N-no...”

Jiang Zhiyu narrowed his eyes, skeptical: “You’ve been engaged to Shengyi for almost two years, and you’re telling me he never marked you?”

Sensing the doubt, Ling Ran desperately pulled his wrist free, quickly pressed the patch back on, smoothed down his hair, and raised his collar defensively, his face full of wariness.

“Shengyi said he would wait until after the wedding,” he muttered miserably. “He respects me.”

Unlike you...

Jiang Zhiyu paid no mind, his gaze shifting to the pale wrist he had just gripped—already faintly reddened.

Hence, he didn’t like such fragile Omegas.

Yet he hadn’t expected Jiang Shengyi to have never touched this little Omega; weren’t they destined mates, with a 100% pheromone match?

Apparently not.

The car soon stopped in front of the Ling family residence, the rain ceasing at that moment.

As the door opened, Ling Ran leapt out as if fleeing, shouting quickly through the window, “Thank you for driving me home, Uncle.”

Then he fled inside without looking back.

Jiang Zhiyu watched his retreating figure, a faint smile curling his lips.

Though timid, he was quite obedient.

*

Back home, Ling Ran rushed upstairs to his bedroom.

He took a hot shower, washing away the damp chill from his body.

In the mirror, the Omega’s slender figure was revealed—fair skin, supple waist no wider than a grasp, seemingly born to be held by an alpha’s hand.

But his wrist still bore faint red marks from the earlier grip.

The alpha-exclusive patch still clung to the back of his neck.

Ling Ran gently peeled it off.

Instantly, a rich scent of rose and grape burst forth, as if shattered into countless droplets from the nape of his neck.

The steaming bathroom was instantly filled with the sweet floral and fruity aroma, yet the grape scent seemed unusually intense.

He could feel the pheromones coursing wildly through his bloodstream, raging through every fiber and sinew, desperate to escape his skin.

They struggled and surged, seeking solace and comfort from an alpha’s pheromones within his fragile body.

But no such alpha scent could be found.

His blood raced even more frenziedly.

Breathing heavily, Ling Ran pressed both trembling hands against the sink, barely able to stand.

Tears welled, blurring the corners of his eyes; he didn’t understand what was happening, only that his body ached as if being torn apart, as if countless biting insects gnawed relentlessly at every bone and muscle.

The gland at the nape throbbed painfully.

Weak and exhausted, he leaned on the sink to catch his breath.

Reaching back gingerly to touch the gland, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through him.

“Ugh...”

He whimpered softly, wrapping himself in his bathrobe as he stumbled out of the bathroom.

Frantically searching a drawer, he pulled out a suppressant and injected it into his slender arm.

The cool liquid gradually soothed the burning, restless heat within, easing the pain in his neck.

At last, some clarity returned.

His disheveled hair framed his face as he curled tightly beneath the covers.

He feared he might not last until after the wedding.

This frail Omega body had survived each heat cycle after differentiation only thanks to the suppressant.

But the more of his destined mate’s pheromones he absorbed, the fiercer and more sudden his next heat would be.

The red marks on his wrist still burned painfully.

He longed so desperately for an alpha’s mark.