I should’ve realized sooner. You Yan had been acting off lately—his cycle must be coming. How could I have left him alone?
If anything happened to him, I’d never forgive myself.
After three unanswered calls, I gripped my phone tightly.
The pharmacy owner, startled by my frantic energy, finally pointed in the direction of You Yan’s apartment complex.
I sprinted all the way, cursing the fact that as a beta, I couldn’t sense pheromones or track his state.
I punched in the code he’d given me and burst through the door, finding him sitting on the floor by the entryway, back to me, safe and sound.
Relief washed over me, quickly followed by a wave of fear.
“You Yan, why did you leave without saying anything?”
I tried to pull him up, but when I grabbed his wrist, I realized his skin was burning hot.
His eyes were unfocused, the corners tinged red, his gaze full of desire.
I froze, realizing something was wrong.
Before I could react, he suddenly pulled me down, pinning me to the floor.
My hand brushed against the bag of suppressants, spilling them everywhere.
“You Yan, can’t you inject yourself with a suppressant?”
He slowly took off his hat and mask, then started undressing.
Seeing how out of it he was, I grabbed a syringe and tried to inject him, but he knocked my hand away.
“You bought the omega kind.”
Well, of course—what else?
I tried again, but You Yan grabbed me by the waist and carried me into the bathroom.
The heat of his skin against mine made my mind go blank.
“You Yan, you—”
“Liang Sen.” He was trembling with restraint, his voice strained. “I’m an alpha.”
It was like being struck by lightning.
I stared at him in disbelief, my mind blank. When he started unbuttoning my pants, I finally snapped out of it. Rage, humiliation, and shame all surged up at once.
I tried to knee him away, but he caught my ankle and pressed me against the wall.
I was shaking with anger. “You went through all this trouble to get me here just for this? You could have anyone you wanted!”
“It’s not that.” You Yan’s voice was hoarse as he turned on the shower. “Your body is covered in omega pheromones. I was afraid I’d lose control…”
The water drenched us both. In that moment of rage, I remembered the rainy night we first met.
Back then, I thought he was a good person.
Someone like my sister—a victim.
I hated alphas.
Hated how they…
“…justify any violence with pheromones, like animals ruled by instinct.”
You Yan’s body stiffened. He lowered his hand and slowly knelt down in front of me.
“Liang Sen, I really like you. I never wanted to hurt you.”
My anger cooled, leaving only bitter amusement.
Was this a confession?
In this situation, how much of it was real, and how much was just desire?
“Is your idea of love tricking someone into bed during your susceptibility period?”
You Yan fell silent, and I felt like I’d hit a nerve. I tried to leave.
“I know you don’t like alphas. I was afraid you’d reject me, so I didn’t dare say anything. I wanted to get closer to you slowly—I didn’t expect my cycle to come early.”
His breathing was ragged, his body swaying, until he collapsed to his knees.
Chapter 08
*