Chapter 10
Xu Jinnan’s mind was clouded, like a werewolf consumed by instinct. The moment she smelled the alluring scent, she was overcome with a primal urge.
She pressed the person in her arms against the door, wanting to meld them into her very being. She buried her face in their neck, the familiar sweet scent driving her wild.
Xu Jinnan felt parched, consumed by a desperate thirst…
The pounding on the door was lost on her.
The person in her arms screamed, their voice filled with fear, terror, and pain.
A sliver of awareness pierced through the haze, and in the dim light of the entryway, she saw Shen Shu’s face.
“Bastard!!” Tears streamed down Shen Shu’s face, her eyes filled with fear and hatred.
Xu Jinnan’s heart lurched, her fleeting rationality swallowed by desire. She gripped Shen Shu’s shoulders, then, in a desperate attempt to regain control, bit down hard on her tongue.
The sharp pain momentarily cleared her mind.
“Shen Shu…” Xu Jinnan gasped, her hot breath against Shen Shu’s ear. “The knife. Give it to me.”
Shen Shu, struggling in her grasp, froze, a wave of icy terror washing over her.
Xu Jinnan had noticed the knife. Even her last resort had been discovered.
“The knife.”
If she didn’t stop now, she would lose control completely.
Clinging to the last vestiges of her sanity, Xu Jinnan reached for Shen Shu’s hand.
Shen Shu was wearing a cropped top. Her struggles had exposed her midriff. As she reached behind her to hide the knife, Xu Jinnan’s hand, moving erratically, brushed against her creamy skin.
The urge to break that delicate waist overwhelmed her.
Xu Jinnan imagined how exhilarating it would be to wrap her hands around it…
No! Stop!
She bit down on her tongue again, harder this time, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth.
She’d heard about the Alpha experiencing a rut. Was her increased sensitivity to pheromones causing her to react to the Alpha’s scent?
Even so, as an Omega, why was she reacting this way to Shen Shu?
She could smell Shen Shu’s sweet scent even through the door, driving her to madness.
Even though she was attracted to women, this intense sexual urge was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
Unable to understand, she finally managed to pry the small knife from Shen Shu’s grasp.
The moment she had it, she pushed Shen Shu away, stumbling back and collapsing onto the floor.
Freed from Xu Jinnan’s grip, Shen Shu fumbled for the door handle, her legs weak with terror. Just as she reached it, she heard a pained groan.
She looked back instinctively—
In the cool light of the entryway, the Alpha was still wearing her revealing swimsuit, her skin flushed an unnatural red, her body slumped against the wall.
Her head was bowed, seemingly oblivious as crimson blood dripped from a deep gash on her right forearm, pooling on the floor.
The scene was horrifying.
“You…”
“I’m sorry.” Xu Jinnan looked up, her eyes bloodshot. “Don’t worry, if I lose control again, I’ll stab myself in the heart.”
Shen Shu shuddered.
Then Cai Ying’s frantic calls from outside snapped her out of her trance. She deactivated the automatic lock and opened the door.
Xu Jinnan watched her flee, then lowered her gaze, sitting in silence for a few moments before struggling to her feet and wrapping a towel around the wound.
The mental anguish and the throbbing in her scent gland were more agonizing than the four-inch gash.
Xu Jinnan called Professor Qin, explaining the situation. He was silent for a moment.
“Miss Xu, I’ll send someone to pick you up immediately.” He paused. “Don’t let anyone else see you like this.”
“Why?”
“I can’t explain over the phone. You might experience some discomfort. The medication I gave you should help. If it becomes unbearable, you can take two more pills, but no more than three.”
Professor Qin instructed her to avoid contact with other people, especially doctors, until he arrived.
Xu Jinnan sank back into the sofa, too weak to move.
Soon, voices echoed from outside the door.
“Miss Shen said the person inside is injured and possibly experiencing a rut. If we don’t do something, their pheromones will affect all the Omega guests in the building!”
“Let’s force our way in.”
“If we were going to do that, we would have already. Do you know whose room this is? It’s Xu… Do you dare?”
“But can you take responsibility if we leave a rutting Alpha unattended?”
Despite the supposedly excellent soundproofing, Xu Jinnan heard every word.
Fortunately, they didn’t dare enter.
Remembering Professor Qin’s words, she grabbed a glass from the table and threw it at the door.
“Don’t come in!”
The glass shattered against the metal door with a loud crash.
The voices outside fell silent.
After a moment’s rest, Xu Jinnan struggled to her feet and stumbled to the bedroom, swallowing a few pills before collapsing onto the bed.
“Xu Jinnan.”
Xu Jinnan heard someone calling her name. The voice was cool and distant, like a light autumn rain.
She opened her eyes a sliver. Shen Shu was standing a few feet away, her brow furrowed, her eyes cautious.
I must be hallucinating.
Xu Jinnan closed her eyes. Her longing for Shen Shu couldn’t be this intense, could it?
Just as she was drifting back to sleep, she felt a cool touch on her forehead, the scent of vanilla filling her senses, pure and intense.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes again.
Shen Shu was about to withdraw her hand, but she froze when their eyes met, her body straightening instinctively.
“Why are you back?” Xu Jinnan rolled onto her back, her slender body sprawled on the bed. The bandaged hand showed no signs of bleeding.
She propped herself up on her left elbow, trying to sit up.
“Don’t move!” Shen Shu said sharply.
Xu Jinnan obeyed, letting her arm fall back onto the bed.
She looked at Shen Shu, her body weak but her mind surprisingly clear. Shen Shu’s nervousness amused her. “You’re so scared, yet you came back?”
As Xu Jinnan lay back, the neckline of her thin, V-neck swimsuit dipped, revealing the curve of her breasts. Her flat stomach and the gap between her thighs, her slender calves dangling off the bed, the bloodstains trailing down her legs… the sight was both alluring and disturbing. The sheets were stained crimson, like blooming roses.
Seeing her smile, Shen Shu looked away, picking up an Alpha suppressant. “Don’t move. I’m going to give you a suppressant.”
“Shen Shu,” Xu Jinnan said, “just leave.”
She had good self-control, but this body’s reactions were overwhelming.
Shen Shu studied her, her gaze searching. After a moment, she picked up another pill. “You can’t have another incident here.”
Xu Jinnan understood. If something happened, it would reflect badly on Cai Ying’s family, and both she and the Shen family would be implicated.
It doesn’t matter if I live or die, as long as it doesn’t happen here, she thought wryly.
“Fine, I don’t want you to be dragged into this. Professor Qin will be here soon. Just tell him where I am… I’m tired. Can you leave now?” She phrased it as a request, her voice unusually gentle.
Shen Shu held the pill, unsure how to respond.
After a moment, she said, “Then take this.”
“It’s useless.” Xu Jinnan turned her face into the pillow, her voice hoarse. “I told you I’m not an Alpha. Suppressants don’t work on me.” She’d already tried.
She’d also seen the original Xu Jinnan’s medical records. She’d experienced these episodes once or twice a year, and suppressants had been effective then.
Now, they were useless. Professor Qin’s pills worked better.
She’s still lying at a time like this? Shen Shu didn’t look at her.
Xu Jinnan sensed her disbelief.
This wasn’t the right time or place for explanations, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
She carefully placed her right arm by her side, curling her left arm and resting her cheek on her palm, trying to find a comfortable position. Closing her eyes, she said, “I’m an Omega, a failed Omega. There’s proof in my bag… I can authorize your access to my medical records. The hospital has my complete history.”
She paused to catch her breath. “What happened that night, and tonight… it’s related to my condition. Shen Shu, I’m sorry for hurting you. But I want you to know…” Please believe me, I never meant to hurt you.
Finishing the sentence felt like a monumental effort.
Shen Shu stood silently for a long moment. The only sound from the bed was Xu Jinnan’s heavy breathing. The terror of being dragged into the room lingered. After a long hesitation, she approached the bed again.
Unconscious, Xu Jinnan was no longer a threat. Without her sharp edges, she seemed almost… vulnerable, lying quietly on the soft bedding.
Even her features seemed softer now.
Shen Shu looked away, tossing the pill back into the box. Why should she believe Xu Jinnan? Even if she was an Omega, it didn’t mean she was harmless.
She closed the box and glanced at the bed.
Xu Jinnan’s bandaged arm, wrapped in a towel, looked like a large, swollen egg. The white fabric was stained with blood…
Shen Shu clenched her fists. If Xu Jinnan had truly wanted to hurt her, she wouldn’t have needed to cut herself.
She had pushed Shen Shu away.
She couldn’t let her die here, not for the sake of the Shen family, and not for Cai Ying.
Putting aside her doubts, Shen Shu grabbed the first-aid kit and walked to the bed. A faint, sunny scent brushed against her senses.
It must be Xu Jinnan’s pheromones.
A pure, almost regal scent, completely at odds with the image of Xu Jinnan she had in her mind.
Shen Shu carefully unwrapped the towel from Xu Jinnan’s arm… The wound looked gruesome, but it wasn’t too deep.
As she finished bandaging it, Cai Ying burst through the door, followed by Professor Qin and several doctors.
After Professor Qin took Xu Jinnan away, Shen Shu packed up the first-aid kit. Then, remembering something, she looked at the black handbag on the shelf.
She found a blood test report inside.
Name: Xu Jinnan; Age: 26
Sex: Female
Secondary Gender: Omega.
Cai Ying, returning after seeing Professor Qin and his team off, saw the report in Shen Shu’s hand. “Xu Jinnan is an Omega?!”
When Xu Jinnan woke up, the sky was bright, and the sound of rain filled the air.
Professor Qin arrived soon after, carrying a stack of reports. He dismissed everyone from the room. The atmosphere was more serious than before.
“Miss Xu, there’s something you need to know.”
Xu Jinnan looked at him. Professor Qin’s expression was a mixture of concern, gravity, and… was that a hint of excitement? She leaned back against the pillows and offered a reasonable guess: “I have cancer?”
“…” Professor Qin paused. “No, but you should prepare yourself.”
“Is this the reason for my recent episodes?”
“Yes.”
A moment of silence hung in the air, then they both spoke at the same time:
Xu Jinnan: “Am I allergic to Shen Shu?”
Professor Qin: “You’ve undergone a secondary differentiation into an Alpha.”
Xu Jinnan: “?”
Leave a Reply