Chapter 1: Marked
Su Tang never would have imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that the Alpha who had marked him last night would appear before him again today.
He rubbed his eyes, which were reddened from the assistant director’s scolding, and looked in disbelief at the man walking into the set, surrounded by a crowd of people. Then, he quickly averted his gaze, burying himself among the crew.
“Could I be this unlucky?” Su Tang muttered under his breath.
**Last night.**
Su Tang had arranged to meet his sister, Su Bing, for a late-night snack at ten. But not long after he left the house, his body began to heat up, and his steady breathing became labored.
He was going into heat.
As an Omega without an Alpha, Su Tang always carried inhibitors with him. Trembling, he pulled the syringe from his bag, and the blue liquid slowly entered his bloodstream. However, the result he had hoped for didn’t come. He remained weak, collapsing onto the ground, clutching his chest and panting heavily. The last threads of his rationality reminded him of a cruel reality.
The inhibitors Su Tang had been using since his differentiation at the age of twelve—were now **ineffective.**
In this world, most Omegas would attract an Alpha to bond with them as soon as possible after differentiation, making it safer for them to go through their frequent and dangerous heat cycles.
The remaining few, like Su Tang, relied on synthetic inhibitors to suppress each heat cycle. Their greatest danger was exactly what Su Tang was experiencing now: the inhibitors failing.
If an Omega in heat cannot suppress their symptoms in time, the mere flood of pheromones could be life-threatening.
Su Tang’s heart pounded like a drum as he gasped for breath, collapsing uncontrollably by the roadside. Just then, a sleek black car stopped beside him.
Strong hands lifted Su Tang, pulling him into a firm embrace.
As soon as the car door closed, Su Tang clung to the stranger like an octopus.
His pale skin flushed with a sickly red, and the green tea-scented pheromones pouring from the glands on the back of his neck filled the entire car, the air becoming so thick it was almost bitter. The Alpha, in contrast, released only a faint trace of pheromones.
This Alpha was being stingy—such a small amount of pheromones wasn’t nearly enough.
Su Tang frowned in frustration. Yet, the stranger’s pheromones were top-tier, and even the tiniest bit made his discomfort worse.
“Are you okay? Hang in there, I’ll take you to the hospital right away.”
The man’s voice was deep and low, entering Su Tang’s ears like a spell of temptation, making him crave the Alpha’s pheromone comfort even more.
“Ugh… I feel awful… so awful…”
“Please… ugh… I beg you…” Su Tang whimpered, his voice soft and sweet, yet the words he spoke were direct and unabashed. Desperation was evident in his tone as he pleaded for this stranger to mark him.
“Please… mark me…”Â
He cried as he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, his body going limp, completely losing his rationality.
The man let Su Tang wriggle in his arms, his large hand gently stroking Su Tang’s soft curls to comfort him. He realized clearly that if this Omega didn’t get marked soon, his life would genuinely be at risk.
“Little one, don’t regret this.”
The man sounded somewhat annoyed, but his tone was gentle and pleasant as he spoke.
The thick scent of whiskey filled the car.
Su Tang pouted in grievance and began to cry again.
The gland on the back of his neck opened slightly, and with a curse, the man bit down on it, unrestrainedly injecting his whiskey-scented pheromones into Su Tang.
“Ah—”
A hoarse scream escaped Su Tang’s throat.
Then, everything went blank, and he passed out.
When Su Tang woke up again, he was lying in a hotel bed.
Seeing the countless missed calls from his sister Su Bing and the assistant director, he leaped out of bed.
The Alpha from last night was gone!
Also… he had been late for his most important scene.
—
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